Second annual Fun Friday Quilter’s show stitches together memories, colour, community

MOOSE JAW — The XYZ Auditorium at the Timothy Eaton Centre was transformed into a vibrant patchwork of colour and creativity recently, as the Fun Friday Quilters hosted their second annual quilting show — a display of both artistic skill and the joy of shared tradition.

With 75 quilted items on display — ranging from full-size bedspreads to table runners and wall hangings — the show offered visitors a glimpse into the work and passion of 12 local quilters who gather weekly at the venue.

“We sew here every Friday,” said group member Terri Florkiewicz. “We’ve got a little room over there that they (Moose Jaw and District Senior Citizens’ Association (MJDSCA)) let us have, and we sew in there. As a thank you, we put on a quilt show, and any money that we raise goes towards the centre.”

Funds raised through this year’s show will support a major kitchen upgrade at the Timothy Eaton Centre — a project that includes the purchase of commercial-grade appliances such as freezers and a cooler. The event raised $637.40 for the centre.

From classic blocks to contemporary colour palettes, each item in the show reflected personal stories and time spent together in quiet stitching or friendly conversation.

“It’s just a group of people getting together and just doing the thing we love,” said Florkiewicz. “Some bring their own sewing machine to sew. Some just do hand sewing. Sometimes, if I don’t want to quilt (that day), I’ll bring my knitting.”

Although some of the pieces were sewn in the past year, others came with deep family history. One lady, Adrienne Forsyth, exhibited quilted heirloom pieces passed down through generations. Lizanne Knox-Beam made one particular quilt, “Remembering Gerry,” to remember her husband by incorporating portions of his shirts and fabrics with the things he liked. Colleen Lawrence made a quilt for each of her grandsons to celebrate their graduations.

One quilter, Susan Kalcsits, brought 14 items to the show, and Florkiewicz brought 10.

“Some were just made in the last year, and some are a little older,” Florkiewicz said. “We have a few new members, so a lot of their quilts are out because we haven’t seen (a large sample of their work yet).”

The show’s second year featured fewer items than its debut, but many were larger in scale to balance things out.

“Last year we had a lot more smaller items … we had 100 items last year,” said Florkiewicz. “The quilts are bigger this year, so of course they’re also taking up a lot more space.”

As for the future of the Fun Friday Quilters, plans are already in the works for another show in 2026 — depending, of course, on how prolific the group can be.

“We do have three (new) members, and one lady said she may be joining us as well,” she said. “So that’ll be four new members and nobody has seen their quilts. We’ll make sure they get a lot of space for the next show.”

Although most quilts were sewn in the past year, others were gifted to friends or family long ago — lovingly retrieved for a moment in the spotlight. As Florkiewicz put it with a laugh, “Some people are going, ‘Hey, you know that quilt I gave you? Can you bring that back? I got to put it in a show.’”

The Fun Friday Quilters meet at the Timothy Eaton Centre at 510 Main Street North on Fridays. Anyone can stop by to learn more or contact the centre at 306-694-4223.