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Connections
FOR QUILTERS
doesnt really belong to us. Instead it is
the reflection of the intricate and vibrant lives and activities of British Columbia
quilters. Nowhere in North America is quilting stronger than in this western
Canadian province. This is constantly seen in the entry and prize lists of almost
any national or U.S. quilt competition or show.
Thats why we try to bring our news coverage from as many different sources
as possible. For that same reason we welcome our columnists.
The board is reviewing the surveys received from members indicating what they would like to work toward, and one of the items is a certified judges course, and how it could be accomplished.
The CQA has always acknowledged the need to recognize excellence in its National Juried Show (NJS) and works hard to find sponsors and support.
Has your guild considered making a donation toward an award at the Canadian Quilters Association NJS. Perhaps the funds from an in-house raffle or sale could be earmarked for the prize fund. If this is an area where your guild could help, contact vice president Johanna Alford vicepresident@canadianquilter.com at any time of the year.
While you are considering that, think about someone you know who could contribute her skills and expertise to the CQA board.
Up for nomination this year are vice president, secretary and director-at-large, a new position. See the web site www.canadianquilter.com for more details. Johanna would love to see more western Canadian board members.
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 May 24 Quilts In The Chapel Quilt Show, North Vancouver
Presented by the Grouse Mountain Day QG Hours 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. St. Martin’s Anglican Church in North Vancouver, 195 Windsor Road East, North Vancouver, five blocks north of Hwy 1. Turn north on Lonsdale and watch for the signs. See quilts displayed in both the church hall and the chapel, shop at the vendors, view the raffle quilt and enjoy refreshments. Admission $5.
Contact Cheryl Evernden cevernde@shaw.ca
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May 30, 31 Quilts In The Valley 2008, Abbotsford
By Abbotsford QG. 300-plus quilts on display, invitational displays, antique quilts and sewing machines, challenge quilts, journal quilts, merchants mall, raffle quilt, food court. Friday 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. At TRADEX- Abbotsford Airport. Free Parking. Admission $5.
Contact Marilyn Isaak, 604-850-1461, abbotsfordquiltshow@gmail.com http://abbotsfordquilters.org
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June 14, 15 Quilts In The Mountains, Whistler
The fifth show presented by Whistler Valley QG. Quilt stroll, views choice, displays, merchant mall and raffle quilt. At Whistler-Blackcomb Administration Building, 4545 Blackcomb Way, Whistler
Contact Elaine - 604-932-3496 or Julie – 604 938 1020 / champers@telus.net.
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June 21, 22 Presentation of Quilts, Peachland
Presented by Peachland QG and Pincushion QG. Quilt displays, demonstrations, lunch and tea or coffee available. Hours 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Admission $2. At the Fifty-plus Activity Centre (formerly called the Seniors Centre), Beach Avenue and 8th Street, Peachland.
Contact 250-767-0044 or 250- 767-2218
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July 26 Garden of Quilts, Mayne Island
By the Mayne Island QG. Outdoor show includes featured artists Jeanne Lewis, Mitzi Saito and Judy Taylor, members boutique, vendors market, lunch in the park available. At Japanese Garden Dinner Bay Park – Mayne Island. Admission $4.
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Second in an ongoing series in delving into the world of quilt design. For Part I refer to Connections For Quilters Vol. 10 No. 2 December 2007 or see www.mcq.bc.ca.
So how far did you get with your “First Step”? Did you make any observations? What were they? Did they involve shape, texture, colour or line? Whatever your progress, I hope you are excited about going a little further or stepping out for the “second date”! It’s OK to feel a bit anxious or apprehensive, as after all, this is very early in your “stepping out” relationship!
For the second step, you will take an in-depth look at the colours in your design study. Over the years as both a quilter, and an instructor, I believe the most frequently voiced complaint I’ve heard from quilters is, “I’m not good at picking colours for my quilt”.
While choosing colours may be difficult, it is my experience, that quilters are quite definite about what they do and don’t like. I wish I had a fat quarter for all the times I have heard comments like these at a quilt show; “Why would anyone combine those colours?”, “Oh my gosh what was she thinking?” or “I would never have thought to use those two colours together but they really work,” and the list goes on.
We all see colour differently. Sometimes our reaction is based on our culture, while at other times it’s just a matter of choice. Colour might evoke excitement, anger, sadness or calmness. I think sometimes we need to accept, just as on a date, we are not all attracted to the same partner. Of course that wouldn’t include beautiful people like Sean Connery or Matt Damon.
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 The Blue Mountain QG welcomes all quilters from the novice to the most experienced to share in a myriad of opportunities to express themselves and show their handiwork and ingenuity. Mix and mingle with people that have similar interests (patchwork, appliqué and quilting) foremost in their minds. The guild supports local groups and organizations with their expertise. Quilts made by members individually and as group efforts have been donated to such places as day care nurseries, women’s shelters, hospices and transition houses. Monetary gifts to these same organizations have at times been made to assist in areas that quilts do not cover. The guild in now busy planning Quilters’ Harvest, a quilt show to be held October 18 and 19 (See Events Calendar for details.) Contact http://www.bluemountainquiltersguild.ca Blue Mountain Quilters Guild, Box 41025 Port Coquitlam, B.C. V3C 5Z9.
Crafty Quilters of Kamloops is a small group of quilters, some beginners and some experienced, who have formed a guild and meet the second and last Tuesday of each month. Contact Gloria E. Turriff, 59-2400 Oakdale Way, Kamloops, B.C. V2B 6W7 glowen@shaw.ca.
Cut Loose Quilters in Houston have a blog for their group at www.cutloosequilters.blogspot.com and check it out. Blogs are fun to keep up with information on lots of fun things.
Dawson Creek Piecemakers QG are busy preparing for Quilting Through The Times. This quilt show will run September 8 to October 4. Dawson Creek is celebrating its 50th anniversary and the Piecemakers QG will help celebrate by including heritage blocks and quilts in this show.
Margie Davidson, a quilting instructor from Edmonton, Alberta, will teach in Dawson Creek at the time of the show. The guild looks forward to her workshop.
In the past year members have participated in classes in colour and water colour quilting technique, history of quilting and antique quilt patterns.
Any member can join in the presentations at the monthly meetings. One month each member spoke about a favorite quilting tool and many learned useful tips!
Community donations include the senior’s intermediate care facilities and quilts for patients who are going through Chemo Therapy. Georgina Ewonchuk’s mile-a-minute technique has proven very useful for this purpose.
Meetings are held the first Tuesday of the month at Central Middle School from September to April.
Ridge Meadows QG of Maple Ridge have about 100 members. Meetings are on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month (excluding July and August and the fourth Tuesday in December) at St. George’s Anglican Church, 235 Street and Dewdney Trunk Road. Contact RidgeMeadowsquilters@yahoogroups.ca.
Skeena Valley Quilters of Terrace has eight members who meet on the second and fourth Monday afternoon of the month. They present Terrace Quilt Camp April 20 at Cadet Hall. Contact Betty Doering, Cotton Pick’n Quilt Patch #101-3239 Kalum St. Terrace BC V8J 2N3
Squamish Valley QG was formed in September 1996 with a current membership of approximately 40 members. Each meeting includes business, followed by a learning program, which introduces techniques, new and old, also Show-&-Share, the highlight of the evening. Their newsletter is available on their web site www.members.shaw.ca/squamishquilters Contact SVQG Box 1304, Garibaldi Highlands BC V0N 1T0..
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Cariboo Piecemakers Quilting Club in Williams Lake has received a challenge from its newsletter editor Rosalyn Giles. She has drafted a pattern for a quilt block or a miniature quilt for each month: an apple for September, a pumpkin for October and poppies for November, etc. She plans to have one with each newsletter and challenges all members to create their rendition of each theme.
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In 2006-07 Victoria QG had a baby quilt challenge in honour of the guild anniversary year. It was a great success and produced 33 lovely quilts. This year the guild has two new fabrics and a new baby quilt contest with a theme, Fun Fun. These quilts will be displayed in the guild quilt show May 2 to 4.
In 2007 four hundred and six baby quilts were delivered to the hospital in Victoria. Many quilts came as a result of the two Baby Bees, held in January and April. Thirty-three quilts came from the Anniversary Baby Quilt Challenge. Many quilts were also made at home by individual members and groups. The baby quilt committee includes Coralie Wallace, Anne Sanderson, Bea Sinclair, Barb Strohbach, Barbara Horowiz, Lois Lockley, Nan Beall-Fahlman, Pauline Barnes, Rayne Gransey and Sylvia Burghardt.
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From the Comox Valley QG newsletter, “Creating charity quilts keeps us from spending too much money on fabric, challenges our minds to make a special quilt out of virtually nothing – scraps, and helps our community. Our efforts are appreciated as lives are nurtured and loved within our comfort quilts.”
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Wrap-a-Smile Quilts produced by the members of Copper Valley Fat Quarters QG from Logan Lake go to orphanages in Guatemala, and this year to Mexico through the Church On The Hill in Logan Lake. This year 38 quilts were produced, of which 10 went to an orphanage in Mexico, one to the local senior centre and one to a local man with disabilities, while the balance went to an orphanage in Guatemala.
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Dear Frances and Ray
Just a note to say thank you for the excellent article and pictures of the Vancouver QG show in the December issue of Connections For Quilters.
We of the guild were thrilled with accurate coverage of the show.
Judy Williams
Vancouver
Hello Ray and Frances,
When my Connections For Quilters arrived today it reminded me to get my new address to you.
The articles on pages four and five of the December issue very much interested me, having received (just yesterday) a beautiful wall quilt – appliquéd – from my Group Of 10 quilt group friends, on the North Shore, as a house warming gift. Maybe I could interest them in forming a chapter of The Appliqué Society?
Little did I expect to find my name on page eight (as the third prize winner of a raffle quilt at the Material Magic Nanaimo Quilt Guild show)!!
Glenys Rudden
Salt Spring Island
Dear Ray and Fran,
We are all raving about the wonderful changes to Connections For Quilters. Keep up with the continuing coverage of our guilds and groups.
The Merritt (Nicola Valley QG) girls moved back into the civic centre for meetings this year. Although we had a rent free place to meet at Nicola Valley Institute of Technology for two years, the desks and the classroom atmosphere did not lend itself to a warm and cozy meeting place. We voted to increase dues to $40 and return to the civic centre. We are happier being back home.
We have 44 paid members this year, down from a high membership of 70 in 2000. The same core group of gals is consistent, and we are happy to be together twice a month. We lost our second member in 13 years this year (Flo Smith died this fall and Del Reynoldson died four years ago) but with quilting books in our library dedicated to both Flo and Del, we are reminded of their contribution to us as friends and sister quilters (these are the only two members we have lost in this guild since it began in 1990).
Preemie quilts continue to flow out of Merritt to the hospital in Kamloops on a regular basis, and we have one member, Sharon McRae, who is spearheading the collection of about 30 quilts going to Africa. She has a friend who has either 20 or 30 children living under his roof.
Grannies House, the retreat house created out of the home of one quilter’s Mother, bustles with classes and quilt-‘til-you-wilt days on a regular basis.
And… you will see 10 of us at The Gathering of the Guilds in Kelowna in April.
We are a happy group of women, blessed to spend time with one another, whether we are sewing, lunching, chatting or sharing. What more could any gal ask?
Suzy Ireland
Merritt Area
Hello Ray and Fran,
The Boswell Nifty Needlers Guild has been a subscriber to your publication, Connections For Quilters for the past year. We enjoy reading about the activities and challenges of other quilters and guilds in the province and look forward to your next newsletter.
Artis Williams
Boswell
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