Keeping in mind that history is always from the perspective of the storyteller, here is my version of the beginning of this group.
J. Harmer

Looking back, I am in awe of all your years of growth. You have done so much and continue to grow and be an asset to your community. You have always had a special place in my heart as I, personally, had a hand in your birth. I have cared for and nurtured you, but now you are twenty-five and full-grown and have many people who care about you.

In the beginning, this idea of a guild was formed by Helena Braun, Rita Hertogg and I as we were driving home from the Fraser Valley Quilters' Guild meeting one September afternoon in 1985. I was a quilting teacher at Fraser Valley College and the Fraser Valley Quilters' Guild for years and Helena and Rita were two of my students who were really interested in quilting so we carpooled to attend meetings at Guildford.

Someone mentioned how nice it would be to have a Guild in Chilliwack. While we all agreed, not one of us wanted to take the project on ourselves so we agreed to take it on together. We all decided to chip in some money to rent a hall, advertise and have the first meeting to see what interest there was. We rented the Chilliwack Art Center on Oct 6, 1985 and held our first get-together. A lot of women showed up. I do not really remember who was there, however, I do remember Penny Siddons. Penny and I already shared mutual friends and soon became fast friends on our own, due to our mutual passion for quilting. 

Some more of our original members are: Evelyn Belsham, Marjorie Fast, and Jackie Arnold. (Sorry if I missed anyone, those are the people I remember.) We charged $1.00 at the first meeting and the Chilliwack Quilters’ Guild was formed.

Helena Braun (a retired school principal) offered to conduct the meetings for the first 6 months so we could establish ourselves and in the next few months we went forward and established some rules; cost of membership, classes and the many things that are needed to run an organization. In April 1986, we had the first elections, I was elected President, Norma Gleig was elected Secretary and I think Penny was Vice President. Evelyn Belsham was placed in charge of membership and she has stayed in that position for twenty years, and did a great job. Helena immediately organized a quilt raffle. She facilitated the sewing with guild members and I ensured the quilting was done.

Can you believe our fledging group actually managed to have a display at Expo 86? Hey, we were impressive with our 'can do' attitude and the bar was set high!

We held our first show in 1987 at the Art Center. We even had a brass bed on stage, all decorated with quilts and quilting things. We continue to host a show every two years and they have always been very successful. We have done some very interesting things over the years; we had a lady from Arizona display the huge Quilt, Tree of Life that had been featured in a play. We have had many professional teachers as guests. I cannot even begin to name them all. Carol Ann Palmer from the US came twice. We have attended many quilt shows in other areas and learned a lot about quilting. Our emphasis has always been on learning and growing in our creativity. We have always tried to keep the cost down of membership fees and classes so it is available for everyone.

Our big fundraisers have always been our quilt show and raffle quilt. They seem to make enough money to keep us afloat. We decided early on we did not want to spend our time having garage sales and bake sales; we wanted to spend our time quilting! We wanted everything we did to involve quilting making. We want to keep the world warm and beautiful and share this vision with others. I think we have managed to stay within our goals and the guild is a happy, fun place to be, where you get the support from your fellow quilters on many projects. 

The Guild is only as good as you and I make it and so far we have had a great Guild and a wonderful time. I am really proud to have been part of this group for such a long time; but I am only a small cog; all of the members are what makes it such a success. So on the third Tuesday, of every month; I pack up my bag and off I go, to spend a day with many, many friends to share something I love. Over the years, many people, whose presence is no longer with us, have been members of this guild. I cherish the memories of them and the joy of the times we shared. One day, I shall be one of those memories, but the Guild will be 'living' and growing and adding to many people's lives. As Martha would say "It is a good thing"!