RED DEER, Alta. – For pioneer women, making patchwork quilts used to be labor. Now, for many of their descendants, it’s a labor of love.
“Quilting gets my creative juices flowing,” said Sue Kemble, president of Alberta’s Dalemead and Beiseker Quilting Guild. “It’s a way of expressing myself, while producing something both beautiful and useful. Besides, it’s a lot of fun.”
For Kemble and the 25 other women in the guild, a good part of the fun comes from the sense of community and fellowship offered. Since the late 1970s, members have been meeting throughout the year to exchange ideas, share tips and techniques, and work together.
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“Most of the time we work on our individual projects,” said Lorette Vanstaalduinen, vice-president of the guild. “But we also work together on group quilts. Last year, as a service project, our members made 39 quilts – for the Strathmore women’s shelter and the RCMP – they use them in their patrol cars, especially when they pick up children. And we’ve made quilts for play schools and the childrens’ hospital.”
Kemble and Vanstaalduinen agree a hand-made quilt does more than keep a person’s body warm.
“We call them wellness quilts, and they really do seem to help people who are going through bad times,” Kemble said. “A hand-made quilt shows the love and devotion that went into it.”
Though the women meet regularly at home, for the last seven or eight years they’ve also organized occasional gatherings at a bed-and-breakfast or small resort. About 10 at a time, they pack their sewing machines, fabrics, cutting boards and tools and head off for a weekend of quilting and relaxing, away from family, chores and interruptions.
Quilting retreat
“The last few times, we’ve been going to the West-Wind Resort (near Hillspring, Alta.),” said Carol Tanton, an instructor with the guild and organizer of the weekend getaways. “Because we go in the winter, we can just take over the place … and they treat us like queens. It’s really nice not to have to cook or do anything else but make quilts.”
Tanton said quilting has had a resurgence in the last decade. “I think it’s become more popular all over the world. The fabric companies are now making the most beautiful cottons, just for quilters, and it’s so easy to find exactly the pattern or colors you want.”
The women agree that shopping for fabrics is one of the best parts of quilting.
“Different colors and patterns help you express your feelings and moods, so it’s important to find the right fabrics,” said Kemble. “I love traveling and finding a new fabric shop, with a different selection. I can spend hours shopping for fabrics whenever we go on a trip.”
In fact, Vanstaalduinen said collecting fabrics for future projects is probably her worst fault.
“I’ve got fabric hidden all over the house, and most of the quilters I know have the same problem. My husband doesn’t complain about it any more, but I’m not sure he knows how much fabric I really have.”
