A stitch in time

A Needle Arts friend recently asked me to let all y’all know about the change of venue for the upcoming Quilt Show. Lyne Lusk, a quilter extraordinaire, is worried some of you might show up at the usual place for this amazing, biannual event. In the past the PEC Quilters’ Guild held its show at the Picton Arena. This year they are heading west to the Essroc Centre in Wellington for what promises to be an amazing show of quilt art, on July 7 and 8.

Did you get that? The PEC Quilters’ Guild biannual Quilt Show will be held at the Wellington Essroc Centre on July 7 and 8.

As with any venue change, the challenges of getting a huge show staged change. Lyne has a host of concerns but, no matter, on July 7 and 8, the Home of the Dukes will become the home of the quilt in 2012. According to Lusk, this will be the first time an event staged at the Wellington Essroc Centre, that doesn’t involve ice skates and an ice making machine, will take place on the rink surface. This will also be the first year the PEC Quilters’ Guild will not be hosting their own Tea Room. Now, I’m not saying the Recreation Committee for the Centre might not understand the importance of a Tea Room as it relates to quilters, but it could be a challenge for them. The Recreation Committee has taken on the responsibility of feeding upwards of 750 visitors per day for each of the two days of the show. If the committee drops the puck on this one, The Village of Wellington could be overwhelmed with hundreds of quilt aficionados who are more interested in a cuppa with a sammie and a cookie than a hot dog, fries and a fizzy drink.

As always, the highlight of the show will be the judged competition. Bethany Garner of Heritage Quilt Works in Kingston, a member of Fibreworks Kingston and the Kingston Fibre Artists Group, has agreed to judge the show. When viewing a piece, Bethany states, “I strive for a pleasing combination of balance and form so the eye roams over the entire surface. Upon close inspection, the viewer is treated to more detail. Quality in both materials and construction are necessary to create a lasting piece of art. Being a part of the women’s movement to sustain the Needle Arts is an awesome responsibility and a true honour. I hope that when you look at my body of work, you see me as an author, a teacher and a creative being…all a part of a greater destiny to which I commit my life.”

This year the show feature and focus will be “Celebrating a New Generation of Young Quilters.” The work of Tiffany Tuttle, a 20-year-old University of Ontario Institute of Technology student, will be featured. Tuttle started a small business— Quilter’s Workshop— with the help of the Ontario Government’s “My Summer Company” program. For 12 weeks, during the summer of 2009, she taught sewing and quilting to interested children and adults for the summer. At the end of the program she decided to keep her business alive, mainly on weekends, while pursuing her education, a degree in business. After she graduates in 2014, Tiffany hopes to carry on and expand her “Quilter’s Workshop.” Additionally, the young women of 4-H, mentored by Deelia Evans, will be there with their first quilting projects. Retailers will be on hand to get you started or push you to the finish knot of a project.

So, on July 7 and 8, less than a month from now, the PEC Quilters’ Guild will be hosting their biannual show at the Wellington Essroc Centre. Bring your dull scissors to be sharpened, your spare change for the quilt raffle and your appetite for fine Needle Arts and, who knows, maybe a cup of tea and a tasty treat.

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca