It doesn’t happen once in a blue moon. No, it’s even more rare than that.
The members of the St. Albert Quilters’ Guild like to take their own sweet time in preparing their works for an exhibit like the upcoming show called Patchwork Garden, starting this weekend. Five years is just right for such an event and now, they have a doozey of a display of fabric arts unlike anything you’ve seen coming from local craftspeople.
“What does that mean?” you ask. Well, have you ever seen a bedspread with Darth Vader’s mug on it?
“I thought it might intrigue people,” suggested Liz Henderson, one of the organizers and one of the fold. She has been quilting for more than a decade but that hasn’t stopped her from breaking out from traditional subject matters to boldly go to a galaxy far, far away … when the Force is with her.
The methods are still traditional, she noted. The piece features a yearbook of mug shots of at least a dozen of the most popular characters from the Star Wars series.
But quilts aren’t about pop culture, at least not necessarily. There is a centuries-old custom of quilting not just for functional bedding but also often for marking important family or community moments in time or other symbolic gestures such as the AIDS Quilt, a 54-ton piece with more than 48,000 panels. It’s the largest and still growing piece of community folk art.
‘Folk’ meaning ‘people’ is what quilts are all about. The whole point of these creations is to make people feel good.
Yes, Star Wars makes some people feel good but the same is true for any pattern on a quilt. Quilters are well known for wanting to share their works with others, and do so for many charities. A quilt in a time of need is a most welcome gift indeed.
With all of that good publicity and ‘warm fuzzies,’ quilting is seeing a resurgence in momentum. Quiltessential, for instance, has grown four-fold in a decade.
“With the new, modern quilting, a lot of younger people are getting into it. It’s quite different.”
Patchwork Garden marks the 35th anniversary of the guild and its 80 members are certain to put their best faces forward for the occasion. More than 100 quilted items will be on display for the exhibit, and some will even be offered for sale.
The quilt show will run Fri., Sept. 25 to Sun., Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The Little White School is located at 2 Madonna Dr. Admission is free.
At the same time, the Quilters’ Guild is also hoping to stretch a few legs by getting fabric arts enthusiasts to participate in its Quilt Walk. There are 36 locations from Mane Attraction on Muir Drive to a number of places up and down Perron and St. Anne Streets to the MusĂ©e HĂ©ritage Museum and St. Albert Public Library right in the heart of St. Albert Place. Each has a quilt made by guild members on display. Watch for the distinctive ‘QW’ sign in the windows to find a location on the fly. That’s where you could pick up a passport.
Each participating location will put its stamp in your passport. Collect 21 or more stamps and you can enter a draw. There are numerous prizes to be won.
The Quilt Walk runs until Sat., Oct. 24. The draw takes place at 2 p.m. on Oct. 25.
For more information, call 780-418-2814.
