Northern Star Quilters’ Guild (NSQG) grew out of two successful fundraising shows for the American Field Service of Somers, NY.  The obvious interest shown led to the founding of NSQG in June of 1981.  An annual Quilt Show became an integral part of our activities and it’s charitable fundraising contribution continues with the recipient changing each year by membership vote.

We are a not-for-profit(501c3) corporation whose purpose is to promote the art and craft of quilting.  Nationally known guest speakers and workshops are provided; in-house educational programs as well as some Zoom meetings and workshops are offered; we create and provide quilts for numerous charitable organizations.

Our monthly in-person meetings are at Fox Lane High School, Bedford, NY on Wednesday evenings.  There are no meetings in July or August; the weekend before Mothers Day weekend is reserved for our May ‘World of Quilts’ Show; for the winter months of January and February, Zoom meetings and speakers are planned.

Our diverse membership of around 200 traditional, contemporary, and art quilters spans the ability range from novice to professional and comes from a wide geographical area that includes NYC, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties in NY,  Fairfield and Litchfield counties in CT as well as further afield.

Our Guild members come from all walks of life and backgrounds. The common thread that draws us together is our love of quilting in all its forms of expression, from traditional to abstract. We invite all those who enjoy quilting, fabric arts and the craft of sewing to join us, take part in our Guild activities, and keep our community of quilters vibrant and creative.  We welcome new members to join us at any time with the promise of friendship and sharing for which quilters are known.

The roots of NSQG start in 1980 with the first “A World of Quilts” show.  It was the brainchild of one of our founding members, for the benefit of the American Field Service, a group at Somers High School that her children were very involved in. She teamed up with three other women, who together organized the show.  It was a success so they repeated it the following year.

The popularity of the shows led the group to form a guild, called Northern Star Quilters’ Guild, holding its first meeting on May 19, 1981 at the Elephant Hotel in Somers.  Within the first two months of its formation, NSQG had 40 members paying $15 in dues.

As the guild grew, its meetings were moved to the Somers Intermediate School starting in March 1982.  Guild membership continued to increase with 305 members in 1985.  In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the guild initiated several activities that continue on to today.  One of these was our first Super Saturday held in February 1989, as a day with classes taught by guild members.  Another, the guild library, that today has over 400 books available for loan to members, started in the spring of 1992.  Comfort Quilters meet regularly to make and donate quilts to various charities.

The new activities and increased membership made the guild realize that the Somers Intermediate School could no longer accommodate it.  In January 1994, meetings were moved to Kennedy Catholic High School where we met for almost 30 years.  Guild meetings are now hosted at Fox Lane High School, Bedford, NY.

The ‘World of Quilts’ Show in 1980 was the impetus for the formation of the Northern Star Quilters’ Guild.  What started as a small event in support of the local American Field Service has grown into a quilt guild and an annual quilt show that helps promote the art of quilting.  The American Field Service (AFS) had held several quilt raffles before the first two “A World of Quilts” shows in 1980 and 1981 which led to the formation of the guild.  The shows were small, fund raising events, admission was $3, held at Somers Intermediate School;  by the third show, more space was needed.  The guild approached Sr. Barbara, Principal of John F. Kennedy Catholic High School (now Kennedy Catholic High School), about using the school for this purpose and “A World of Quilts” moved to its new home, where it remained for 34 years.

“A World of Quilts” continued to grow.  Initially the show was held in early to mid-April, but in its fifth year, 1984, the show date was moved to the first weekend in May – the weekend it has been held ever since.  The quilt show flourished even more with a peak attendance at the 1990 show of 3,602 that included 15 buses!

The arrangement with Kennedy Catholic hosting our quilt show continued until 2015.  In that year, “A World of Quilts” moved to the O’Neill Center, on the campus of Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, CT.   No shows were held during the Covid pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.  In 2022, the show relocated to Purchase College, Purchase, NY.