The York Colony Quilters Guild has been a part of the fabric that makes up Yorkton for two decades. Betsy Preston and Ellen Stakiw recently spoke to the News Review about the group and what it has done in the community.
Stakiw notes that over its time the guild has supported many different organizations. Every year, the group donates placemats to Meals on Wheels, quilts to the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Shelwin House. She notes that they have also donated to The Health Foundation, Cancer Society and nursing home. They've also made breast-feeding slings for the hospital as well as contributions to the Boys and Girls Club in Yorkton, Dreambuilders, the Arthritis Society, Telemiracle and the Red Door Society. "We're still doing it. We work on a frame at the Thresherman's Show to demonstrate hand quilting and we've got a quilt ready to go for raffle at The Health Foundation Gala," Stakiw says.
Stakiw says that the guild gives to any group which they feel has a need, and that it's a process which is decided on by all group members. It's based on who might be able to benefit from their help, noting that they can react to different events as they happen, such as when families lose their homes in events like floods or fires.
"We're always making quilts, and when something happens we have them on hand to help," adds Preston.
Stakiw says she became involved because she was interested in quilting and wanted to learn more. The guild is there to help keep the activity alive and help younger generations learn about the joy of quilting, and she says that they're always open to new members.
"That's our mandate, to keep the art alive," says Preston.
Both women say that the group is not just about making quilts, but also the social experience that comes from working on something together. Preston says that she has learned more about her friends in the guild while working on a quilt than she might in another situation, and it's a relaxing bonding experience to put something together with friends.
