Five years ago, we moved from the city to cottage country. After a bidding war over our house, we purchased the only house available to us at the time. Thus, we arrived in a community that was completely new to us.
That meant no familiar guild, no neighbours and no family or friends nearby. What do you do without a quilting community?
You turn to your computer, of course, and start searching for quilt guilds that might meet online. That’s how I discovered the Kawartha Quiltmakers Guild in Peterborough. It had an active online presence as members posted, chatted and shared their work. With its members, I found a connection.
When the group learned that I had co-curated the Canada 150 Quilt Exhibit, they wanted to do something similar.
Fast forward a few years…
Christine Barker’s Autumn Glory
Image at the top of the page: Cathy Vickers’ Autumn Splendour
Inspiration: The Beauty of Fall
Curating a quilt exhibit takes time — and patience. It begins with a call for entry, followed by the selection of a theme, then a year for participants to create their quilts. Then come the photos, artist statements and legal paperwork. Once everything is submitted, you have another long wait.
Fall in Ontario quickly became our theme. For every participant, autumn ranked as their favourite season. Thanksgiving gatherings, pumpkin patches and Halloween festivities — all framed by the crunch of leaves underfoot and the vibrant palette of oranges, reds, browns and greens.
Kathy Poplar’s Autumn Reflections on Loon Lake
This season reminds us of change, gratitude and community. These very things kept us stitching, creating and connecting through uncertain times.
We were thrilled to learn that, Fall in Ontario, was accepted to hang at the Houston International Quilt Festival 2025. After all, it stands as one of the most prestigious shows in the world. Some consider it the Olympics — and winning a gold medal — if your quilt gets chosen to hang there.
Leslie Irvine’s Time to Leave – Just Head South
Every quilt had a maple leaf somewhere in its design. This created a bit of a scavenger hunt for the school children who came from the Houston District Schools to view the Quilt and Fibre Art exhibit.
During that time, the quilting world was experiencing its own challenges — discussions about tariffs, cross-border shipping issues and even censorship concerns between Canada and the United States. A lot had changed in the two years it took to bring our exhibit together.
Shirley Challice’s Scattered Leaves
The quilts themselves
In the end, Fall in Ontario showcased seventeen quilts, representing everyone from beginner quilters to experienced Quilt Canada winners. The collection featured a wide range of styles — piecing, appliqué, pixel quilts, landscapes, traditional, and paper piecing.
The festival curators shared that one reason our exhibit’s diversity led to its acceptance. It captured a snapshot of Canadian quilters — creative, resourceful, and resilient — from a remote corner of Ontario’s Kawartha Lakes region.
Debbie Fisico’s Burnham Wood Trail
Ron and Leslie Prokop – Pieces of Fall
What began as an unexpected move and a search for a quilting community became something extraordinary. It produced a collaboration stitched together through creativity, friendship and shared purpose.
The Fall in Ontario exhibit isn’t just about quilts; it’s a story of community — of finding beauty in change, and of the resilience that creativity inspires.
Catherine Gardner’s Falling
Each artist’s work reflects the world around them. That includes the golden light of autumn, the quiet strength of nature and the joy of creating something lasting with their own two hands.
In the end, these quilts remind us that even in times of isolation, threads can still connect us. We just need one stitch, one story and one shared love of quilting at a time.
