For Guild Program Chairs
Quilt Guild Speakers & Teachers
Filling a guild's program calendar is a volunteer job that comes with no directory — so here is one. Working lecturers who program for guilds (most offer Zoom, which means geography no longer limits your calendar), plus how booking actually works.
Quilt guilds book programs from working lecturers and teacherswho offer evening lectures (in person with a trunk show, or via Zoom with slides), often paired with a next-day paid workshop. Each speaker sets their own fees and publishes topics on their website; popular teachers book 12–18 months ahead. Virtual programs cost less (no travel) and opened every guild's calendar to teachers anywhere in the country.
Speakers & Teachers Who Program for Guilds
Each listing is a working lecturer, verified against their own site — topics and formats are what they advertise themselves. Contact and book directly through their websites.
Lectures include "Journey of a Pattern Designer," "Quilting with Batiks," and "Discovering the Artist in You" — with a trunk show of quilts in person, or slides via Zoom.
Topics & booking →Guild lectures currently via Zoom, including "QUILT TALK: How to Organize a Maximalist Craft Studio," plus workshops.
Topics & booking →Live online programming (an early leader in Zoom guild teaching) and in-person engagements — programs include "Bring on the Bling!" and block-printing-meets-stitching workshops.
Topics & booking →Improvisational quilting — online classes and talks for guilds plus in-person improv workshops for guilds and conferences.
Topics & booking →Classes and lectures offered in person and via Zoom from a dedicated home studio setup.
Topics & booking →Antique quilts and quilt history from a collector of more than 40 years — lectures include "Mark My Words: Textiles and Text," "Keepin' 'Em in Stitches: America's Funniest Quilts," and "Dearest Quilts: A Collector's Approach." Zoom talks run about an hour plus questions.
Topics & booking →Presentations for quilt guilds, historical organizations, and museums — Zoom-ready or live, typically 45–60 minutes.
Topics & booking →Guild lectures and workshops with an antique- and scrap-quilt sensibility.
Topics & booking →Quilt guild presentations, programs, and workshops, with virtual options.
Topics & booking →Quilt history lectures and workshops from a quilt historian who also professionally repairs antique quilts.
Topics & booking →More places to look: the Modern Quilt Guild's member teacher directory, and the teacher listings at Quilters Calendar and QuiltingHub. Your neighboring guilds' “past programs” pages are the best-kept secret — every name there has already delivered.
How Booking Works
Zoom lectures fit any budget and any geography. In-person visits shine when you pair the evening lecture with a next-day workshop so the travel cost buys two programs.
Fee and inclusions, format and tech, lecture length, workshop supply lists, travel expectations, cancellation terms, and the introduction they'd like. Get it in writing — speakers have agreements ready.
Program chairs plan whole guild years; popular teachers fill 12–18 months out. Book your anchor programs first, then fill gaps with member-powered nights.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do quilt guilds find speakers?
Four channels: directories like this one, word of mouth from neighboring guilds (ask what programs scored well), teachers your members loved at shows and retreats, and the teachers' own websites — nearly every working quilt lecturer has a lectures page with topics and booking contact. Zoom removed geography from the equation: a guild in Montana can book a lecturer in Florida for an evening program.
What does a quilt guild speaker cost?
Each speaker sets their own fees, and most publish or quote them directly. Virtual lectures are the budget-friendly format — one fee, no travel. In-person visits add travel, lodging, and often a meal to the lecture fee, which is why guilds commonly pair an evening lecture with a next-day paid workshop to spread the cost across more value. Always confirm what's included in writing.
How far ahead should we book?
Popular teachers book a year or more out, especially for in-person visits and spring/fall program season. Program chairs typically plan a whole guild year at a time; reaching out 12–18 months ahead is normal, and virtual programs can sometimes be arranged on much shorter notice.
What should a program chair ask before booking?
The practical seven: fee and what it includes; virtual or in-person (and tech requirements for Zoom — who hosts, can it be recorded); lecture length and Q&A; workshop options and supply lists; travel expectations; cancellation terms; and how they'd like to be introduced. Confirm everything in a simple written agreement — most speakers have one ready.
What are good quilt guild program ideas besides hiring a speaker?
Member trunk shows (your own quilters presenting their work), guild challenges with a reveal night, round-robin and block swap programs, museum virtual tours (several quilt museums offer them), technique demo nights run by members, a UFO parade, charity sew-ins, and panel discussions with local shop owners or longarm quilters. The strongest guild calendars alternate hired programs with member-powered ones.