Our guild’s name, “Stone House” was chosen in honor of a Civil War landmark located within the Manassas National Battlefield Park in our region. The Stone House in Manassas, Virginia stands at the intersection of Sudley Road and Lee Highway, both major thoroughfares for travel and commerce. The house has been used as a tavern, a Civil War hospital, and a private residence until it was acquired by the National Park Service in 1949. Both the house and the grounds have undergone a beautiful restoration and visiting hours can be located on the National Park Service website.

The Stone House Quilters Guild was formed in 1994 as an informal gathering of quilters who were largely interested in Civil War reproduction quilts. Since that time, the group has grown significantly and has expanded its interests to every type of quilt including patchwork, applique, paper piecing, and Quilts of Valor. The goal of the Stone House guild is to educate and inspire quilters, to make a positive contribution to our community, and to perpetuate the fine art of quilting.

The Stone House Quilters Guild conducts monthly meetings on the second Monday of each month at The Rock Community Center of Manassas Baptist Church. The meeting begins with social time so our members can get to know each other better or catch up with old friends. After social hour, we often have a guest speaker with an inspirational program or workshop. Our meeting also includes raffle drawings, guild business, and a Show-and-Tell presentation by our members. We enjoy an ice cream social in the summer, and a potluck dinner with a Secret Santa gift exchange during the holiday season.

The guild hosts an annual quilt show in the fall where many members display their lovely quilts for your viewing pleasure. We also have a boutique and a silent auction so our guests can take home something lovely for themselves as well. Each year, members collaborate to create a raffle quilt which is awarded to a lucky winner the weekend of our quilt show. Proceeds from the ticket sales go to a selected charity. In 2021, the donation was presented to the UNICEF organization, and in 2022, the recipient was the World Central Kitchen. In 2023, the donation will be given to the Sweet Julia Grace Foundation of Bristow, Virginia.

Members of the guild take part in several other community service projects such as a food drive for the Northern Virginia Family Services Hunger Resource Center; pillowcases and quilts for service members at the Warrior Retreat Center in Haymarket, Virginia; small quilts for children and babies in the CASA program or foster care; lap quilts to the Manassas and Gainesville Health and Rehabilitation Centers, and quilting classes at local public libraries and schools. We are extremely proud of the work that our members do in the community.