Dhahran Oasis Quilt Guild - in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

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Greetings from sunny & hot Saudi Arabia!

 I became a "temporary/visiting member" of the Dhahran Oasis Quilt Guild (DOQG) and wanted to share with yall their designated building they call the Quilt House.  The group started many years ago & they currently have about 60 or so members but only about 20 or so are regular.  I met with the President (Julie) and some of the regulars this past Monday at their weekly meeting.  All of the ladies are Expats which means that they are originally from somewhere else (i.e. USA, Australia, UK, etc).

This group is pretty active with a weekly meeting, weekly open sewing sessions, weekly workshops/classes.  Monthly, they do a "Mystery Quilt" where each month someone heads up that month's project.  Each week the organizer gives the group members 1 or 2 new blocks to work on, and the member don't know what they are going to create in the end.  I think that's cool, never heard of it before.  I'll suggest it to the Triangle Modern Quilt Guild.  The Dhahran Guild's annual Quilt Show is coming up in a few days in addition to the "Bedouin Piecemakers Quilt Show" on the 27th in Al-Khobar.  I plan to take pictures at both Quilt Shows to share with yall.  Guild Members have access to the building to use whenever they need/want.  Tools are readily available in the building for use while inside such as Rotary Cutters, Cutting Mats, Rulers of all sizes, etc.  The building was a small house that's now converted into the Quilt Building.

The Dhahran Oasis Quilt Guild helps charities as well.   DOQG is proud of the many Charity quilts they have presented to the Dhahran Hospital each year. Beginning in the 1990s the Quilter’s Guild began participating in a charity project called Project Linus (named for the Peanuts comic strip char-acter that carries a security blanket). Project Linus donated quilts to children in hospitals around the world. In past years the DOQG sent charity quilts to MD Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas. Over the years they have sent out hundreds of quilts for the Linus Project. In 2003 the DOQG redirected charity efforts to the local Dhahran Hospital in Saudi Arabia. The charity quilts they make now are given to neonatal patients, pediatric, oncology and hemodialysis patients, so that they will have a quilt to cuddle and bring them comfort.

HERE IS WHAT THE INSIDE LOOKS LIKE.

OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING

THE MEMBER PIN THAT YOU GET WHEN YOU JOIN.  IT'S ALMOST A 1" SQUARE.  I REALLY LIKE IT.

GENERAL FRONT DOOR SIGNS THEY HAVE.

THE FIRST THING YOU SEE WHEN YOU WALK THRU THE FRONT DOOR.

TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENTRY DOOR.  I REALLY LIKE THIS.

THEY HAVE A SMALL LIBRARY WHERE YOU CAN CHECK OUT PATTERNS, BOOKS & VIDEOS.

2ND BOOK CASE OF LIBRARY.

SITTING AREA OF LIBRARY SECTION.

BLOCK OF THE MONTH BOARD.

 THE WORK TABLE AREA IS NICE.  3 LARGE BANQUET TABLES RAISED UP WITH FILLED PVC PIPING THAT ARE CAPPED AT THE ENDS NEXT TO THE FLOOR.

MAGAZINE SECTION OF LIBRARY.  YOU CAN SEE SOME QUILTS ON RACKS AS WELL AS 1 OF THE WORK TABLES.

GENERAL INFORMATION BOARD.

BOOK CASE OF GENERAL SUPPLIES & CHARITY QUILT FABRIC.

SUPPLIES

SUPPLIES & CHARITY QUILT FABRICS.

LOGO IN THE FORM OF A WALL QUILT.  I WOULD SAY ABOUT 2-3 FT BY 2-3 FT.

BACK WALL IN CLASSROOM.

BACK WALL IN CLASSROOM.

CLASSROOM IS PRETTY BIG WITH SEVERAL TABLES FOR SEWING.

IT'S NICE THAT THE CLASSROOM HAS A FLATSCREEN TV HOOKED UP WITH A DVD PLAYER FOR SHOWING VIDEOS.

ONE OF THE WALLS IN THE BATHROOM.  I LOVE THIS QUILT.

IN THE BATHROOM OVER THE TOILET.

IN THE BATHROOM OPPOSITE THE TOILET.

ANOTHER ANGLE OF THE CLASSROOM.

BOX HOLDING CHARITY QUILTS FOR THE DHAHRAN HOSPITAL.

THIS IS SOMEONE'S QUILT SITTING ON ONE OF THE WORK TABLES.

THEY HAVE HUGE DESIGN WALLS COVERING THE LEFT & RIGHT SIDES OF THE CLASSROOM.  THEY ARE STYROFOAM SHEETS COVERED IN WHITE FLANNEL ATTACHED TO THE WALLS WITH NAIL BRADS.  VERY LIGHT MATERIAL.  AND WHEN YOU PUT BLOCKS ON THEM, THEY STAY PUT WITH NO PINS OR ANYTHING!

 FRAMED POSTERS FROM SOME OF THEIR PAST QUILT SHOWS.

 THE UNDERSIDE OF THEIR IRONING BOARDS WITH A LARGE BOARD ATTACHED ON TOP.

 LARGE BOARD ATTACHED ON TOP, MAKING IT SO EASY TO IRON LARGE PIECES OF FABRIC!  I SAW AT LEAST 2 IRONING BOARDS.

 MORE POSTERS FROM PAST QUILT SHOWS.

WALL QUILT AT THE FRONT OF THE CLASSROOM.  I THOUGHT THIS WAS CUTE.