First Frontier Quilters of Kingsport
www.FirstFrontierQuilters.org
email: FFQ-Info@FirstFrontierQuilters.org
First Frontier Quilters of Kingsport is a nonprofit educational and charitable organization. Among its purposes are: to preserve and promote the art of quilt making; to hold classes, seminars, and workshops; to make, collect and show quilts; to encourage standards of excellence in quilt making; to encourage high ethical standards and to maintain them in the Guild; and to give pleasure and information to the non-quilting public.
Currently about 80 members belong to the group. Officers are elected annually. Dues are collected each February.
Meetings are held the third Tuesday of each month at Bethel Presbyterian Church, 1593 Warpath Drive, Kingsport. Social time is at 9:30 a.m. with a business meeting following at 10 a.m. A program follows the business meeting. Board meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month at 10 o'clock in the morning at the same location. All members are welcome to attend Board meetings.
Programs cover many topics of interest to quilters of all skill levels. Accomplished women from the Guild present many of the programs, but outside speakers are also brought to Kingsport for workshops or to do Trunk Shows of their work. Afternoon workshops usually involve a small fee. Traditional appliqué, raw edge appliqué, paper piecing, embellishment techniques, various pieced quilt top projects, jackets and machine quilting are just a sampling of workshops that have been held over the last few years.
For several years the Guild has organized a weekend Quilt Retreat at Buffalo Mountain Methodist Lodge near Johnson City each spring and fall. Sewing friends spend Friday through Sunday afternoon quilting and enjoying each other's company.
Each year a Challenge is given to members. Challenges set forth a set of "rules" which each quilter interprets in her quilt. These quilts are displayed as part of an annual quilt show held at the Renaissance Center Art Guild Gallery each fall. Ribbons are awarded in various categories including Viewer's Choice.
First Frontier Quilters of Kingsport has been involved in many community events and shows. A different quilt is displayed each month at the Social Security office. Members voluntarily make small quilts for donation to SAFE House. The quilts are given to children who stay at the shelter. Some quilters make several quilts each year for donation. Tote bags are also made and donated to SAFE House.
History:
The first meeting of the guild organized for Kingsport quilters was held on January 18, 1994. Thirty-nine (39) women became charter members. The group took its name from the area's historical significance as a frontier settlement. A cabin set against the mountain sunrise became the Guild's logo.
