An Amazing Group of Quilters Get Ana Buzzalino

When the Board of Directors of CQA/ACC landed in Lethbridge AB back in June of 2015 we had no inkling of what was going to take place during the week of Quilt Canada.  Let me clarify that! We knew that the Local Organizing Committee  (LOC)had been working tirelessly for 2 years to prepare for this conference. We had no doubt they would put on an incredible show and be well organized.

But what we weren't prepared for was the hundreds of extras they did for CQA/ACC. They had their cars with Quilt Canada logos on them, every meeting room had their special touches added to them. And the organization blew us away. They introduced us to a 'jump sheet' where they knew what was happening minute by minute, where it was and who was in charge!

And that is not even the best part. These quilters (and Merv) were genuine, delightful and happy.  They constantly smiled and laughed, despite the hours of work they were putting in... and what I will never forget is when we finally had to say goodbye, it was like they took a part of our hearts.

Leading the LOC was Kathy Oliver, and here is what she has to say:

The Local Organizing Committee for Quilt Canada 2015 was thrilled when the CQAACC granted them a $1,500 bursary to sponsor a workshop using a Canadian teacher.  After much discussion, we decided to ask Ana Buzzalino, a well-known teacher from Calgary to come and teach two workshops on April 23 and 24, 2016.  

Some of the committee preferred more traditional quilting and some leaned more toward art quilts so we decided to ask Ana to do both. 

Ana was willing to take up to twenty students so we agreed to open up the workshops to other members of the Lethbridge Centennial Quilters Guild who had provided so many hours of volunteer work for Quilt Canada. The hall at Parkbridge Estates is our favourite venue for workshops and it was available for rent that weekend.  The bursary did not cover all our expenses but it allowed us to cover Ana’s fee and her expenses.  Each participant then paid a small registration fee that covered the rent and provided lunch and refreshments for 40 eager learners. 

Janet Thompson hard at fun.

The first day was devoted to learning Ana’s method for making a New York Beauty block that would be used for a funky pillow top.  She uses fun-dation paper to paper piece the arcs and it does not have to be removed.  Yeah! No more picking out pieces of paper forever.  

Ana demonstrating

Ana was a patient and knowledgeable instructor who guided the group through sewing curves and using partial seams to put the pillow top together. She loves free motion quilting and generously shared her expertise with us.

Wendy Bushell

The second day started with a demonstration of using inktense pencils on fabric.  Ana has a fantastic ability to blend colours and create realistic fruits and vegetables.  She provided numerous images to the group and each person worked on their preferred choice.  

The afternoon was spent learning how to use Transfer Artist Paper (TAP) and again everyone worked on different projects.  We purchased kits from Ana which contained a number of images that we could play with in the future so the fun will continue.

It was a great weekend of sharing and camaraderie which everyone enjoyed.  We had a lot of fun working together on the Local Organizing Committee for Quilt Canada and it was wonderful to get together again.  

We certainly appreciated the bursary and extend our heartfelt thanks to the Canadian Quilters' Association for making these workshops possible. 

Submitted by Kathy Oliver, Chair of Local Organizing Committee for Quilt Canada 2015 in Lethbridge, Alberta