Last week we discussed how to start your own crochet guild. Now that you’ve got the basics underway let’s delve a little deeper into fun events and classes you can host!

Guild Sales:
Many guilds host yearly sales where each member has their own table to sell their handmade products. This might be during a local community event or it might be your own special day. Remember to offer literature about your group during your sale to gain new members! Also, have a mailing list where your customers can sign up for an email or print newsletter to stay up-to-date.

Before the sale, tag each member’s product with their name and keep a running list of purchases during the sale. After your big day, add up each member’s earnings and write them a check. However, you might want to take a previously agreed upon percentage of each member’s sales for covering building rental, advertising and other event costs.

Teach, So Others Might Learn:
One of the most important things for every guild is teaching. If a member is especially talented in a certain area, feature their skill for a meeting. Invite children and teens to come and learn. (Check out Crocheting with Kids!) If your group grows, perhaps advertise special beginning classes! (Check out 8 Great Tips for Teaching Crochet!)Guilds are not only for personal enrichment but also for teaching and preserving craft skills so they do not disappear!

Pattern Swaps & Secret Sisters:
Guilds are a great place to pick up new patterns for free! Members can swap leaflets or you might even want to start a lending library in time! You can also host fun parties for the holidays and secret sister events. The sky is the limit!

Charity:
Your group can create afghans, baby blankets and other needed items for area charities and homeless shelters. Each member could crochet a set number of granny squares to be sewn into afghans for local hospitals. You could even have a raffle with the money going to a local food bank or other worthy charity.

A lot of planning and foresight goes into starting a crochet guild. However it can become a thriving place of encouragement and friendship, as well as a wonderful asset to any community.

Tags: charity, classes, crochet, events, guild, how-to, sales

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 at 10:05 AM by Emilee Gettle and is filed under Tutorials and Help. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.