A new exhibit at the pARTners Gallery in the Yorkton Public Library is a great demonstration of craft taken to a new level. The quilts will be on display until the end of September.
The following write up is taken from the poster at the gallery describing the exhibit:
The York Colony Quilters' Guild was formed in 1992 by a group of women interested in the domestic art of quilting. It is named in honour of the first settlers of the area. It offers opportunities to learn, share ideas and a place for 'show and tell' of members' projects that were completed at home. The guild sponsors a quilt show every two years as a means to display work done by members and non-members for the enjoyment of the general public. Bus trips to quilt shows in distant communities offer fun days to view the works of other guilds and a chance to add to fabric stashes. The guild has offered classes for beginning quilters and has brought in guest instructors to teach new techniques. Skilled members teach new techniques they have learned and trouble shoot problems others have encountered. The guild meets at the Western Development Museum every Wednesday at 10 a.m. September through to May and welcomes new and experienced quilters wishing to join.
Charity work is an important aspect of the guild experience. Placemats made by members are given to clients of Meals on Wheels every Christmas. Cosmetic bags are made, filled and donated to Shelwin House. Full-sized quilts are made as group activities and have been donated to the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Ronald McDonald House, the Health Foundation Gala Night and to tsunami relief in Japan to name a few. Individual members have made items that are donated to nursing homes, nurseries and Victoria's Quilts, an organization that distributes quilts to people receiving chemotherapy.
In the past, quilts were usually utilitarian, often made using what was 'on hand' to to make a bed covering that was warm and practical. Now, with a wide array of fabrics available, high-tech sewing machines and all manner of gadgets to assist in the quilt making process, a whole new world has opened allowing women and men to make sewn objects that can be artful as well as practical. There is a skill in picking the right pattern and then choosing fabric in colours and prints that blend well together to bring out the best of the pattern's design. However, it is the meticulous workmanship that ultimately makes quilts a joy to look at and a pleasure to use. Quilts are no longer found only on our beds. Quilted objects can now be seen hanging on walls; placed on tabletops; used, admired and enjoyed in many other ways. While we may have changed the way we use quilts, one thing has not changed - that it is the quilters desire to 'spread the warmth' of his or her quilts to family, friends and those less fortunate.
The members of the York Colony Quilters' Guild are pleased to share their accomplishments with you and hope you enjoy viewing them as much as we have enjoyed creating them!
