ABOUT US 

The Hungarian Patchwork Guild

The Hungarian Patchwork Guild was established upon Anna Dolányi’s initiative in 1989, and it operates as a registered NGO. The membership of close to 1000 belongs to some 80 active groups across the country. The groups make up eight informal regional organizations that enjoy some degree of autonomy. The majority of the groups meet every other week, organize exhibitions, workshops and summer retreats, and work towards charitable causes.

In order to preserve the traditions of old-time guilds, new members are expected to make a block of 8 by 8 inches within one year of admission, which are sewn together into large-scale guild charters. These are hung at all national quilt events, and well represent the diversity of patchwork and quilting. The Guild has been a member of the European Quilt Association since 2004.

Challenges and competitions as well as exhibitions are the most important venues of presenting members’ works. Since 1993 the Guild organizes a national exhibition in Budapest in even-numbered years, and in the provinces in the other years.

Since its inception, one of the Guild’s objectives is to offer members opportunities for learning new techniques. Workshops are organized around the country from September to May. Very popular are the longer summer retreats. The Guild has a sizable library with an ever increasing number of titles.

The Guild endeavors to give high recognition to outstandingly artistic and skilful work: based on the traditions of medieval European guilds, we confer the “master quilter” title to the best of our members. We are proud of the 17 quilters who have satisfied with the strict criteria.

The most important source of information for the members is the 32-page News Patches magazine, which comes out at the beginning of every even-numbered month. Illustrated with plenty of color photographs, it contains reports about various events, informs of the major upcoming Hungarian and international competitions and exhibitions, as well as publishes professional articles, quilting tips and tricks.