RIMBEY, Alta. — Quilting is a way to make something practical and pretty while sewing together friendship, purpose and community.
“It’s a form of art. I love to play with the patterns and feel the fabrics,” said Carol Bailey, who operates the Wildflower Creations quilting store in Lacombe, Alta. and teaches quilting.
Bailey enjoys sharing ideas and knowledge and treasures the friendships made.
Customers seek advice on colours and patterns, she said, citing one wanting fabric to sew 100 gift bags to be stuffed with basics such as socks and toothbrushes for a homeless shelter Christmas feast.
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Bailey said quilting took off in the mid-1980s, with related magazines showcasing new patterns and ideas and quilting classes and retreats becoming popular.
The speed, convenience and countless stitch patterns available from long arm quilt machines fuelled the resurgence of this craft by replacing the labour intensive hand stitching and space requirement of quilting frames.
Many quilters like the Rimbey Quilters prefer the old method. They have been hand quilting for a half century.
“The 8 1/2 to 9 hours a week we meet to quilt is part of my life. It’s common ground. We’re all really good friends,” said longtime member Helen Anderson.
A dozen women, most of whom are older than age 70, meet twice weekly through fall and winter around a quilt frame set between rows of antique trucks in the Smithson International Truck Museum at Paskapoo Historical Park in Rimbey.
The women stitch quilts for private individuals as well as for community fundraising projects like Pas-Ka-Poo. They have also donated quilts to single mothers and families suffering losses from fire.
The current project is more personal. Lana Curle pieced a quilt top showcasing fabric her now de-ceased grandmother gave her 30 years ago as her own mother works alongside her.
Fabric is often a donated stash from locals moving or downsizing.
Another group of machine quilters meet weekly at Ponoka’s Drop-In Centre.
The place is abuzz with chatting and laughter amid the whir of machines and snip-snip of scissors. Tree skirts, table runners and quilts are under construction, with some planned for gifts or to adorn their own homes at Christmas.
“I’ve met all these wonderful ladies. You get motivated,” said member Deb Bachman as she manoeuvred a Santa wall hanging beneath sparkling gold thread.
“Then you hit the quilt shops. “
