Quilt Canada Concurrent Shows

Quilt Canada features the National Juried Show every year, as well as many other quilt exhibits from across Canada. This year, in addition to CQA/ACC’s TrendTex Challenge and JN Harper Youth Challenge, there are seven additional concurrent shows to enjoy in Edmonton this June 20-22.

Yukon Visions

The Kluane Quilter’s Guild represents all Yukon quilters by offering a range of educational opportunities and social quilting events. The guild attracts teachers from other parts of Canada and the world, and supports members to teach their skills to others.

This exhibit welcomes you to explore and experience the beauty of the Yukon through quilts created by Yukon quilters.

Changing Minds Around the World

Raising Awareness of Dementia

Forty quilters from 40 different countries took part in what the Scottish call Scottish Whispers (aka Chinese Whispers). This is a when a photograph provides inspiration to a quilter to create a new quilt, and then a photo of that quilt is sent to the second quilter, and so on. Only the first quilter sees the original photograph.

This project was started by Ann Hill who sent a photograph of her local church to start the process. Each quilter had three weeks to complete their wall hanging. The final photograph was of flowers from Korea.

Ann Hill is Quilter in Residence for Alzheimer Scotland. She undertook the project to highlight how those with Alzheimers/dementia see things with the same scope of vision as everyone else. The main difference is that they have no memory of the photographic places they may be looking at, however, the photos often trigger a memory. Participants put those memories into a quilt, with the memories described and shared by others.

Resist

A project of the Fibre Art Network, a co-operative of self-defined artists based in Western Canada. Resist is an art technique that uses several layers to explore or define a design in negative space.

Resists can be created using wax, crayons, inks, paints, masks, stencils, paste, or fabric that is bound, scrunched, clamped, to name a few.

Resist can be artistic, positive, negative, frightening, or enlightening. To stand firm or hold out (against) an issue. To not yield, to fight against or for an issue.

To resist change, to refuse to accept or try to prevent an event. Resisting temptation can be a lifelong struggle.

Members of the FAN were asked to create a fibre art piece expressing their own interpretation of the word Resist, incorporating one or more resist techniques.

Colours of the Salish Sea

You may have seen the story of this exhibit in the spring issue of Canadian Quilter. This display of quilted textile art is presented by the Victoria Quilters’ Guild of British Columbia, a guild with 300 members. The intent is to encourage community spirit while celebrating the colourful natural world this guild is lucky to call home.

The Salish Sea surrounds the east and south coasts of southern Vancouver Island, and includes the Georgia and Juan de Fuca Straits, and the Puget Sound to the south. The area abounds with rocky and forested shores, sandy beaches, and many animals living near or in the deep blue salty waters.

The display is comprised of 60 individual 12-inch-square quilts depicting local scenery, each one completed by individual guild members.

Kimberley’s Heritage

A Glimpse of the—Kimberley, BC

In May 2014, the North Star Quilters Society proposed creating 14 individual wall hangings

depicting early life in Kimberley, a city nestled on the western slope of the Rockies in the East Kootenays. The idea was to represent the period 1900-1940, which followed the discovery of lead, zinc, and silver.

The Kimberley Heritage Museum provided photographs and a colour palette for the era. Together they compiled a list of heritage buildings and sites. Basic drawings and photos were available, however conversion to fabric depended upon the creativity and dedication of the 24 guild members and three professionals.

With the help of nearby Wasa Country Quilters the project was completed in 2018 and presented to the City of Kimberley, with a budget under $1000. The wall hangings are displayed in the foyer of the Conference and Athletic Centre.

Today, Kimberley is thriving with a tourism-based economy. The city’s motto is ‘a good place to be’.

Modern, Original

Presented by the Edmonton Modern Quilt Guild

Quilting has a rich history of bringing communities together to tell stories and share experiences. It is a form of art that has the power to convey emotions and messages through fabric, colour, and texture.

With the increasing need for communities to come together, the EMQG created this exhibit to support creativity, originality, inclusivity, and sustainability.

Modern, Original is designed to transport you to a world of fibre art. The exhibit showcases the design elements that define “modern” quilts: abstraction, realism, traditional piecing in modern colours, a variety of stitching techniques, as well as minimalism, maximalism, and emphasis on negative space.

The collection includes more than 50 quilts that showcase the creativity and imagination of guild members. All of the quilts are original designs made by both beginner and experienced quilters.

Guild members are excited to share their knowledge and experience as tour guides through the exhibit to highlight the techniques of modern quilting, and to create a space for education, conversation, and reflection.

Connected, Piece by Peace

Each year, the Valley Peacemakers Quilt Guild of Peace River, AB, designs a guild challenge based on suggestions from the membership. The 2024 challenge was inspired by #theconnectedproject designed by Berene Campbell of Happy Sew Lucky.

Participating members were divided into three groups. The blocks have eight segments, so each quilter was assigned one segment to make eight times in specified colours, like a customized assembly line!

The segments were then distributed to other members of the group, so everyone could complete a block using pieces made by their quilting friends. Participants pieced, quilted, and finished their own blocks ready for hanging.

Though the guild members share many fun activities, they rarely have the opportunity to work on a collaborative project. Doing so gave them the opportunity to connect with each other in order to accomplish a goal. Connecting colours visually link the blocks, and also represent their personal connections, piece by peace.