In April I had the honor of presenting at two Meet the Teachers events in California. First, I attended the Northern California Quilt Council event about an hour from my house. Later that week I flew down to Long Beach to attend the event hosted by Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds. The general idea of these two events is similar, though the Southern California event is larger scale. In both cases, the participating teachers have a booth or table space to display their workshop offerings and promotional materials. Each teacher is allowed three minutes on stage to give a short spiel on their workshop and lecture offerings and there is time for guild representatives to circle the room and speak one-on-one with the teachers.
I attended NCQC Meet the Teachers in 2017 as an observer with my guild program chairs. It was helpful for me to have an idea of how the event is run so I would know what to expect. That information, together with insight from my friend Mel, was very helpful in preparing for attending as a participant this year. Some teachers had a much more elaborate setup than I did, but I had all the necessary items covered. I brought sample quilts, postcards that included photos of my workshop offerings, and a signup sheet for my newsletter. The one thing I'd definitely add next time is a quilt stand for hanging a quilt behind me at my table.
On stage the volunteers hold up each teacher's class sample quilts while the teacher gives their spiel. (Quilt holders are the best!) I shared about my two Planned Improv workshops, Scrappy Squares and All About Angles, as well as my three lecture offerings.
At my table I had a few more samples for people to see. And I gave the 30-second version of my spiel to the guild representatives who came by the table.
For the Southern California event, I traveled with my friend Mel Beach. (Thanks to her for snapping a few pictures of me!) You can read more about the fun we had in her recap of the events.
A great big thank you to all the NCQC and SCCQG volunteers for hosting Meet the Teachers! It's such a great opportunity and both events ran so smoothly. Also, thank you to all of the guild representatives (some of whom traveled quite a distance) for attending the event, and for stopping by my table to chat.
I'm curious. For those of you who live outside of California, are there organizations hosting events like these in your area?
lisa
I don't know of any events like this in my area. It would be great because when guilds are planning program it's hard for them to find folks who are available. I help out my program by letting them know of people I hear about or meet as do other guild members. But this sounds ideal.
sarah
Post authorAs I think of it more, I'm really curious how these two groups were developed. Thanks for visiting, Lisa.
Christi
Wish we had this in NC.
Allison Reid
Wow! This is new to me. Never heard of a 'meet the teachers' event in the UK. I do not envy the person who takes on the role of programme secretary for a local quilt group. From the two local groups to which I've belonged in the South of England I would say most contacts with teachers are made through regional and national quilt shows or by recommendation from other quilt groups. It is not easy to fill a programme card here!
sarah
Post authorThat's too bad. Our guild has a team that handles programs. I imagine it's really great to have others to share the work with. Thanks for visiting, Allison.
Cheryl
This sounds like an awesome event. We do not have anything like it in South Carolina but I think that it would be very helpful (to both the guilds and the teachers).
sarah
Post authorIndeed! Obviously, I think these events should be held everywhere! I'm so thankful for the organizations here. I'm curious how these groups got started.
Kathleen McCormick
It looks like a great event. I have taught a lot but never done one of these. A great way to meet and get out there. Do you block your quilts? they look so flat!
sarah
Post authorI don't block my quilts. Most haven't been washed. And the Island Batik one has Hobbs Thermore batting which has a 1/16" loft, and it's Poly, so it's super flat. Thanks for visiting, Kathleen.