The York Colony Quilter's Guild's annual From Pieces to Masterpieces Quilt show gets bigger every year. This year's event, held in the St. Mary's Cultural Centre, attracted over 150 entries from Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Dianne Holfeld, show chairperson, describes this year's event as the first big show the guild has held. While the group began showing their work in the Western Development Museum a few years ago, the show has expanded to include quilters from other areas, along with vendors and classes to help quilters get a look at new techniques and tools of the trade.
Holfeld says that interest in quilting has grown in the past few years, and quilting is becoming more popular as new methods are introduced and people can take different approaches to quilting. She says that while the hobby nearly died out years ago, there has been a resurgence in popularity as people discover it and the different ways they can create through quilting.
Categories for hand quilting, machine quilted by owner, and machine quilted by professional - where the quilt is put together by the quilter and a professional does the final machine sewing - showcase the different ways people quilt. There were also some unique categories, including one for using recycled materials and one for wearable projects. The show also embraced those just starting, with a category covering beginners.
The guild is not just about showing their work, but also about giving back to the community. The guild is donating quilts to the Red Cross this year, after donating quilts to groups like the nursing home, the Canadian Cancer Society, and Shelwin House in previous years.
"We know that because of the flooding, both what's going on now and what happened last year, people really need them," Holfeld concludes.
