Sunday 12 February 2017

Quilts and Canada 150

If you have not yet heard about the efforts being made by quilt guilds and quilters across Canada to help Ronald McDonald House by creating 1000 quilts as part of the celebration of Canada's 150th Birthday then here is a picture of a child size one.
The blocks were a few of the ones made by a group of quilters belonging the the Mahone Bay Quilters Guild a few weeks ago. Mahone Bay Quilters Guild  I volunteered to put some of the many, many blocks together.  The ladies had pieces of the Canada 150 fabric being sold by various quilt shops and the rest were fabrics brought in by the quilters.  It was a huge scrap swap and a fun day.  The blocks are called Slabs.  This is a  name coined by a Canadian quilter from Alberta Cheryl Arkison at  Cheryl Arkison .  If you have not see Cheryl on The Quilt Show  The Quilt Show or one of her books or her blog, do so.  You will be infected by her 'can do' persona.  If you want to see the show she did, there are a limited number of free shows available.

The blocks from guilds and individuals will be put together and quilted before or at the big Quilt Bee in Toronto this June.  Dates and details can be found here.  CQA  Quilt Canada Bee  I so hope to make it there.

Quilters are givers.  Doing a quilt for charitable reasons is a double pleasure; first in the making but most of all in the giving.  Quilts are for celebrations; comfort; caring and prayer where each stitch is a prayer for the recipient.

If you do not belong to a guild who is holding a day to make slabs for this cause then try to make a few yourself (great scrap busting) or get a few friends together.  For those who do not sew, they can pick out fabrics and cut and press.  It only takes one sewer and one sewing machine.  Details on how to contribute your slabs, see the CQA site above.

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