Definition

Noun: A quilting bee is a social gathering, traditionally of women, where people come together to work on making a quilt or multiple quilts. The primary purpose is collaborative sewing, but it also serves as an important community and social event.

Usage

The term is used to describe a specific type of community work party focused on the craft of quilting. It emphasizes cooperation, shared labor, and social interaction.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• Historically, quilting bees were vital community events where skills were shared and news was exchanged.
• The concept can be used metaphorically to describe any collaborative gathering with a shared, hands-on goal.
  • The software developers had a coding quilting bee to debug the new program.

Variants and Related Words

• Bee: (noun) An old-fashioned term for a gathering where people combine work and socializing, e.g., , .
• Quilting: (noun) The craft or process of making a quilt.
• Sewing circle: (noun) A similar social gathering for sewing, though not necessarily focused on quilts.

Synonyms

• Sewing circle
• Work party
• Collaborative gathering

Idioms and Phrases

While there are no direct phrasal verbs, the term itself functions almost idiomatically to represent the blend of work and sociability. - To have a bee in one's bonnet: This unrelated idiom means to be obsessed with an idea. It shares the word "bee" but has a completely different meaning and origin.

Noun

1. a gathering to make quilts