A stitch in time

County quilt show returns after a five-year absence

The Wellington Arena was a forest of colourful quilts as the Prince Edward Quilters’ Guild welcomed visitors to their quilt show. There were over 300 quilts on display made by Guild members, plus another 40 quilts from the Bay of Quinte Modern Quilt Guild, as well as quilts from Quilts for Survivors and heritage quilts from the County Museums. The last quilt show was held in 2018, and the next was scheduled to take place in 2020. However, the uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the five-year hiatus, and it is only this year that the Guild’s 19th quilt show could take place. Show chair Janet Reader Day said the Guild members were thrilled to finally be able to hold the show. “Our members are very happy to be able to display their work; they take such pride in their work and the quilts look great when they’re hanging on a quilt rack—much different than seeing it on a bed. Some of our members get the opportunity to sell their quilts, as well as smaller items in our boutique, and they really appreciate that because it helps to fuel their quilting supplies shopping habits,” she said. The show is a way for the members to show their work to the public, and these quilts are much more than a bed covering. “This is an art form, and we like to show off our work, what we’ve done, what we’ve created,” she said. A walk through the arena showed the breadth of styles and the depth of talent of the creators. There were intricate designs, eyecatching colours, mesmerizing patterns and extraordinary attention to detail. One quilt, made by Deanna Gaudaur, was composed of over 3,000 tiny hexagonal pieces of fabric. Another quilt was a single piece of black fabric elevated to a work of art by intricate gold thread stitching.

One component of the show was judged section. Fifty-nine quilts from Guild members were submitted for critique by judge Bethany Garner, and she spent approximately 10 hours the day before the show opened examining each quilt in detail. She provided constructive comments for every quilt, and those she judged the best were awarded ribbons, including the award of Best in Show to Reader Day for Tamiko’s Quilt.

Geraldine Rorabeck was awarded a ribbon for her bow-tie pattern quilt that she spent almost all of last winter making. “This used up a lot of my scrap fabrics, and it was fun to do, and fun to get the colour flow in the quilt,” she said. There was also a raffle for a quilt constructed by Reader Day using 14 fabric stars submitted by Guild members, and machine quilted by Deanna Gaudaur. Half of the money raised will be donated back to the community and the other half will go the educational program for Guild members.

One of the guest artists at the show was Quilts for Survivors. This was started by Vanessa Genier, a member of the Missanabie Cree Nation in Ontario. After the discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools in several parts of Canada, she decided to make quilts for survivors of residential schools in her community. Word of her project spread, and other people joined in the effort to make quilts. To date, over 3,000 have been made and the project is continuing across Canada. Volunteers to the project are welcome, whether it is making a single quilt block or a completed quilt, or donations for thread and fabric supplies. Please visit quiltsforsurvivors.ca for more information.

The Prince Edward County Quilters’ Guild has a mandate to keep the art of quilting alive, to teach how it is done, and the increase the knowledge and proficiency of their members through workshops and educational programs. Janet Reader Day knows firsthand the advantages of joining the Guild. She started quilting in 2005 and joined the Guild in 2011. “Once I joined, I was challenged to improve and it made me grow and experiment. The Guild has an awesome library, and I went into that thoroughly to check out what I needed to know. I’d say without the Guild I wouldn’t be as proficient as I am now,” she said. “I like the designing of a quilt, planning it out and picking out the colours of fabric I’m going to use in it. The thrill for me is to make it look like I imagined it to be.”