The art of quilting

PECQG president Janet Reader Day with her first place prize quilt Wonder, a portrait of her 10-month-old grandson in needle-turned appliqué.

PEC Quilters’ Guild holds biennial show and sale

The Essroc arena in Wellington was filled with hundreds of colourful quilts over the weekend for A Stitch in Time, the Prince Edward County Quilters’ Guild (PECQG) signature show and sale, which the group holds every two years. The extraordinary display showcased the dedication, craft and artistry of the makers, with quilts in an array of types and sizes, from large geometrically patterned wall quilts to whimsical crib quilts to intricately appliquéd designs. Janet Reader Day is the president of PECQG and the chair of the show organizing committee. “The quilters have been making these quilts over the past two years,” she said. “Everything is brand new work, so it’s fresh and exciting.”

While the majority of the quilts on display were the work of PECQG members, the show also featured works from two other groups. Tyendinaga fibre artists Maureen Greyeyes- Brant and Kimberley Maracle had a display of their works using textiles, beads and feathers. The Kingston Heirloom Quilters had a display of entirely hand-stitched quilts that went beyond traditional designs and techniques. There were a number of commercial vendors in the Highline Hall, offering all manner of products, including 21st-century machines for automatically cutting and sewing appliqués or for sewing a digitally controlled quilting pattern. The Women’s Institute operated a café providing lunch and refreshments.

However, the main attraction was the meticulously curated display of quilts that filled the arena. No two quilts were alike, even those that used the same traditional pattern. The creativity of the makers was evident in the array of different designs used, and although the majority were based upon a quilt block pattern, there were many abstract or pictorial designs as well. Common to each was the precision with which the pieces were laid out and sewn together.

Viewers were able to get a good close look at each of the quilts, and there were gloves available for those unable to resist touching. Some of the quilts were a collaborative effort between the pattern designer and the person sewing the pieces together, with the final quilting—that is the stitching that binds the top layer to the batting and the base—done by someone else or by a commercial provider. Those items that were hand-quilted had a subtle variation in the pattern that lent them a natural charm.

The County quilt guild has about 85 members, and the handiwork of 54 of them were on display at the show. One of those members is Bill Stearman, who started quilting just four years ago when he was convalescing due to a leg injury. “I couldn’t sit still and do nothing, so I started to sew,” said Stearman. “I discovered when I sew I didn’t feel any pain because I was so focused on what I’m doing.” He has since made about 80 quilts and has actually given away a lot of them. Quilting has now become a big part of his life, and he has entered quilt festivals in places such as Houston and Chicago. One of his quilts recently took a third place award in the prestigious Quilt Canada national juried show. Stearman also gives presentations about quilting to other guilds, and is now teaching a quilting class. He has been to many other quilt festivals, and has high praise for this one. “This is a fabulous show. There’s more quilts here that you’ll ever see anywhere. It’s one of the best shows and this is the best guild. These are my people, and they look after me,”

The next show for PECQG will be in 2020, and it’s a safe bet that a few of the members are already wielding needles for a quilt that will be displayed then. For more information about the guild, visit pecqguild.weebly.com.