Debby Porter has been sewing since she was 6 years old, but she just joined the Quilting Guild of The Villages about a year ago. Porter is excited to participate in her first show with the guild, the annual fall craft sale happening from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Savannah Center, 1545 Buena Vista Blvd.
“I was probably 27 when I made my first quilt, but I started sewing at 6 years old,” said Porter, of the Village of Duval. “I’m excited to participate in the show and perpetuate the art of sewing. I’m hoping to encourage anyone who wants to start to learn how to sew because it’s never to late.”
With over 50 tables of crafters from various chapters of the guild presenting during the sale and no admission fee, the fall craft sale is the perfect place to pick up fall and holiday themed home decor or get ahead on holiday shopping.
Porter, who will be selling items she’s made such as table runners and coin pouches, said some weeks she sews for about 40 hours.
The Quilting Guild of The Villages comprises 30 chapters spread throughout the community. Chapters meets at their respective locations at various times on Tuesdays.
Porter, who is a member of the Bradenton Quilters chapter of the guild, said it’s fun for her to meet with the group to keep sewing alive so it’s not a dying art.
“I love making the disappearing nine-patch quilt, which is a very unique and interesting pattern,” she said. “I usually use that technique to make table runners or a table centerpiece. It’s so simple, beginners can work with the pattern yet it makes people think, ‘How did you do this?’”
Jennifer Greulich, of the Village of Charlotte, said the Moyer Citrus Stitchers chapter of the guild reserved three tables to participate in the 2026 fall craft show because they felt crowded at the two tables they reserved last year.
Greulich, president of the chapter that meets at Moyer Recreation, said of the 35 members in the group, about 20 people are participating in the sale, with each person planning to bring about four or five items.
Greulich is planning to bring machine embroidered Christmas ornaments and stockings, while other members are bringing items such as gift card wallets, she said.
“It’s interesting to see all the different things that people make, because there’s such a wide variety,” she said. “As a vendor, we never know what is going to sell. There are times we make something thinking it’s going to sell and we have to take all of it home. Other times when we’ve thought something wouldn’t sell well, they all disappear right away.”
The chapter uses the funds collected from the sale for supplies and for its annual chapter retreat, she said.
The fall show is the perfect place to find holiday themed handmade crafts for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas before the seasons officially roll in, said Deb Silva, president of The Quilting Guild of The Villages.
At past shows, the recreation center has filled up quickly with residents who are curious about the guild and its creations, Silva said.
“People tend to come back year after year,” the Village of De La Vista resident said. “People like browsing around and seeing what the guild is about, first and foremost, and secondly, what people make and how they make it.”
During her three years as president of the guild, Silva has helped open two chapters within the overall organization that prioritizes quilting for charity.
“The guild is growing by leaps and bounds,” she said. “We are at 30 chapters currently and 1,456 members. We take up a lot of space in The Villages and we give a lot back. We are all about focusing on charities and we help many organizations within the state of Florida. We do chemo caps, NICU blankets, honor flight quilts and more. It’s definitely a social organization that brings people together, but we come together and give back.”
For more information about the fall craft sale or the Quilting Guild of The Villages, visit qgotv.org.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
