It’s the kind of project that can only be patched together with love. A group of about 30 local Morinville residents each contributed panels towards a substantial 214-centimetre-by-305-centimetre quilt. The artistic craft was designed to help the community of 8,500 wrap up its ongoing celebrations to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its founding in 1911.
Alberta MacAulay helped to get the ball – of yarn – rolling. She said that a centennial is just as good a reason as any to show everyone that Morinville has a glorious past and a bright future. What better way to demonstrate the texture of the community culture than with illustrative textiles?
“Through casual conversation it came up that a quilt would be nice. I said, ‘hmm … I could do that,’” she laughed heartily.
With the help of a centennial grant, she and three of her best quilting friends helped organize and promote the effort. These four individuals weren’t part of an official organization, however; they just wanted to knit one and purl two. For the paperwork to go through, they needed a sponsor of sorts.
“In order to get the grant, we had to go through the Friends of the Library. They were behind us,” explained Kim Gosselin. That connection also demonstrates the strength of the social fabric in Morinville.
To make it even more relevant and impactful, they figured that the finished product should look like it belongs as an official emblem. For that they used the colours of the town’s new branding effort. Each contributor was given a kit with strict instructions to stick to the colour scheme.
The quilt was presented to the town last night. MacAulay is pleased to have accomplished something that shows how fond she is of her home, but that it also represents the spirit of the community as well.
“Oh my goodness,” she replied with a combination of relief and plain old satisfaction. “I watched the blocks come in and get arranged with all the gals. I’m just flabbergasted how nice it is.”
“We’re honouring our past through a very textile medium and just the fact that so many people from basic learners in quilting to someone who’s done it for 50 years … that we can all pull together and come up with a project to be displayed at the Community Cultural Centre. I’m pretty wowed over it!”
