20th Anniversary Kick Off
a HUGE Success!
Over 80 people attended the Monday night meeting of the Kemptville Quilters Guild and everyone was in a celebratory mood!
20th Anniversary Chairperson, Pauline Clarke.
Cutting the Cake!
Left to Right. Current President Carmen Pincott,
Past President Anne Hedberg, Anniversary Chairperson Pauline Clarke,
Past Presidents, Cheryl Mussel, Pat Kiteley and Sheila Gibson
Thanks so much to Anita Frigan for the lovely cake!
The Bed Turning was the highlight of the evening with the showing of over 20 gorgeous quilts and the telling of heart warming stories of their creation and provenance.
Bed turning was an event that women would have in the spring and summer to show their friends and neighbours the quilts that they made during the winter. All the quilts would be on one bed as the ladies gathered in the bedroom. Each quilt would be turned back to be shown off.
The quilts in our Anniversary Bed Turning showcase some lovely quilts that have been made by Guild members, or relatives or have been acquired as treasures.
They vary in age from the `other century` to our modern times of the 1990`s! They is also a variety of material, methods of sewing, quilting and border finishings.
Here's just a few of the beautiful show.
Nancy Grundy (L) and owner Bonny Jordan (R) show off "Version of a Snowball"
Maker unknown, bought at an auction by Bonny Jordan. All machine sewn except hand quilted. The white background fabric seems rough, and would probably have been flour or feed sacks. The colorful fabrics used seem to be clothing scraps as some have seams in them. It has a lovely bright red backing that is turned to the front for binding.
Owner, Anne Rankin shows a Blue and White quilt in a Dresden Plate pattern.
Made by Kate Kanse McCune, Rock Island Quebec made in the late 1940's or early 1950's.
Hand appliqued and hand quilted around the plates, it is 86 x 76. The fabric used in this quilt is from Anne's mothers nurses training uniforms from the Montreal General Hospital. Kate McCune arrived in Canada at age 8 as a "Bernardo Child" with her 2 sisters. The girls were placed in separate homes and used as farm labour. Kate received a grade 5 education which was all her adopted parents were obliged to provide. She always wanted to be a nurse. Anne inherited the quilt from her mother Phyllis Hipkin.
Nancy Grundy shows us "Bob's Quilt"
In the spring of 2019 Bob discovered 34 - 9 patch (wool) blocks and other sewing items in the back of the linen closet. He believes his Aunt Lizzie and / or her mother might have made these blocks. His father would have gotten them late in the 1950's and then his wife would have got them in 1968. They moved around the province until settling in Kanata about 12 years ago. Imagine how they could have been tossed out so many times!
In the brown paper bag along with the blocks were the templates and a calendar from 1899! Aunt Lizzie was about 10 years old at that time.
In the spring of 2019 Gwen from the Upper Canada Quilt Guild hand pieced the blocks together. The wool fabric for the backing and border was bought in Rideau Ferry. Nancy sewed the border on, and Bob helped tie the quilt. The leftover 4 blocks are on the back.
What a priceless heirloom for Bob`s family.
Thank you to everyone who brought in quilts
and told their stories.
I am inspired by nature. I am passionate about our environment and I feel an intimate connection to the landscape and wildlife of Canada. I have worked in textile arts for over 25 years and am drawn to fibre for the tactile nature and connection to the land it has. I use my sewing machine to build up layers of multi-coloured thread ‘drawing’ with needle and thread to convey the image. I begin with local wool from a neighbouring sheep farm, process it and create felted fabric to use in the detailed wildlife and landscape embroideries I create. I use combinations of local, recycled content, organic thread and materials, botanical dyes and sustainably managed, local wood in every original work. Depicting our Canadian landscape, the precious eco-systems and wildlife with eco-fibre art, I hope the viewer will take away an appreciation and connection to the beautiful, fragile aspects in nature.
