And we’re thrilled!
Once upon a time, in 1999, 14 women, who loved quilting, gathered in someone’s living room and wondered if Beaverton, Oregon could support a quilting guild. Many of them belonged to other quilting guilds in the Portland area; but the guilds were large and the women thought a smaller guild might offer a better opportunity for camaraderie and inspiration. They also wanted to have something closer to home.
After their initial meeting, they decided to move forward with a new guild. Flyers were posted in quilt shops and word spread in the old fashioned way–by word of mouth. They procured the community room at the Elsie Stuhr Senior Center in Beaverton and hoped other quilters would come to the first meeting. And they did! In fact, they had to offer membership on a first come/first served basis. Because the occupancy of the community room was capped at 150, the first 140 quilters to turn in their applications were accepted as members. And thus, Metropolitan Patchwork Society (MPS) was born.
We call those 14 women our Founding Mothers. Who were they? Check out this list–you may recognize some of the names.
Fast forward 25 years, and you’ll find that some things have changed at MPS, as they have for the quilting world as a whole. We now meet at a church in downtown Beaverton, where we have room to stretch out and show what we’re working on. We introduce all quilting styles–traditional, modern, art, etc.–through our speakers and blogs while embracing every style as art. Because of the recent pandemic, we have expanded our technology and now offer a way for members to gather on every Tuesday of the month, with our General Meeting offered as a Hybrid meeting (in person and over Zoom simultaneously) every 4th Tuesday of the month. Over half of our members belong to at least one MPS small group where they can broaden their quilting skills and enjoyment. We live up to the phrase, “Supporting Quilters Through Education, Inspiration, and Fellowship.”
None of this would have happened without our Founding Mothers, and we are grateful to them for having the foresight and perseverance to create MPS. We’ll be acknowledging our 25th Anniversary during the year 2024 with mini-celebrations each month and a Silver Jubilee at our General Meeting on June 25th.
Are you a Founding Mother of the Guild? Were you a Charter Member? Feel free to comment below and tell us about the MPS history.
Are/were you a member of MPS? We’d love to see a comment about your favorite part of belonging to this Guild.
PS: Many thanks to member Deb Messina for our 25th Anniversary logo!
I am delighted to be able to be a member of this special guild. As a “remote” member living out of the Portland metro area I am able to learn from the monthly speakers and the talented members of the guild.
Vickie R
I met Elena Miller at work, and she saw me putting together a quilt and invited me to attend a group of quilters meeting above the Mill End store in Beaverton. She let me know this group wanted to start a guild and would I be interested? It has been a life changing experience. Theresa B.
Oops! Forgot to include my name. Sharon R
I’m a Charter Member of MPS. I believe I was the quilter who came up with our name – Metropolitan Patchwork Society. It was exciting to be here at the beginning of our great guild. Many thanks to our Founding Mothers!
A big thank you to our founding mothers and charter members. I’ve felt welcomed and nurtured since day one. Our members have such a breadth of knowledge and are willing to share.
I deeply appreciate having this group to bounce ideas off of and to ask questions. Thank you.
Three cheers to those 14 quilters who worked to establish MPS. I have quilted for decades and still learn from others in the guild and from the educational offerings. What would we have done without the Zoom fellowship of MPS during Covid’s shut in period? Another Three Cheers!!
I agree! A great and invitational blog! I am so proud to be a charter member and to have experienced the growth and glory of MPS over the years! Thank you to each Founding Mother for their genius idea, each officer for their stellar leadership and each member (both past and current) for their contributions and participation in this great quilt guild. Congratulations and bring on the celebrations!
What a great capture of the history of the guild and who we are today. Love this inspiring group of people!!!