WOW! What a Conference

The show is over, but all the wonderful memories of what went on in Lethbridge, AB this year at Quilt Canada 2015 will live on.
 

Beach Sculptures by Judy Leslie

A record number of people went through the National Juried Show to see all the exciting quilts. Of course, everyone just had to see the BEST of Show. This quilt, Beach Sculptures, was made by fibre artist, Judy Leslie.


All the winners of the NJS are available to be seen on the CQA/ACC website. There are some amazing quilts there - absolutely stunning - by some talented quilters.

Elaine Quehl

And talking about talented, CQA/ACC Teacher of the Year (or TOY as we call it) was presented at the AGM to Elaine Quehl. Elaine has been a teacher at our Quilt Canada conferences, a quilt artist, designer and is well-known for her fabric dyeing and hostas. Congratulations Elaine!

Presentation of cheque to Children's Wish Foundation

A cheque was presented to Ginny from Children's Wish Foundation (Western Canada) at the final banquet. From all the quilts and cards sold in the travelling show, It's Time for Colour", we were able to present a cheque for $10,000. Amazing! Thanks to all who helped with this show, and in particular, those who purchased the quilts and cards. Good Job!



A big thank you to all the sponsors and quilt guilds who donated prizes and money to this conference. We really appreciate your commitment to quilting and quilters in Canada. 

A special thank you to the LOC (Local Organizing Committee) from Lethbridge, AB. The LOC and all the volunteers helped to make this year's conference a big success. They've been working hard for the last two years to make sure this year was a wonderful show.

A huge thank you to the University of Lethbridge. There were many positive comments about the staff and the facilities.

And finally to all of you who attended, in being a part of bringing quilters together from all across Canada and beyond, and also for supporting quilting in Canada!

Travels with Herbie (and 18 little quilts) - aka The Traveling Quilt Show

Meet Herbie
Photo by Jaynie Himsl SK-RR

For six weeks Herbie and the quilts traveled across Manitoba, from Kenora to Brandon and points south. The quilters (and non-quilters) at every stop were enthusiastic in their welcome, wowed by the beautiful little quilts, oohing and ahhing over the workmanship and imagination that had gone into the design of each quilt. Many were also amazed at how compact the show was, neatly fitting into the little blue suitcase! Each group that saw the show was very appreciative of the chance to see the quilts, definitely pleased that the show had been brought to them, for many would not have been able to see them otherwise. It was an excellent chance to meet with members of several guilds.

January in Manitoba can be terrible. This year was somewhat different. Yes, there were storms and freezing rain, but overall, the bad weather kindly appeared in days when the show was not on the road. On only one day were there any problems, and that was the day to visit Brandon. There had been freezing rain, and on the morning of the show, more rain and fog. As the month was nearly over, rescheduling would have been a problem, so the decision to try to get to Brandon was made. It was a slow trip, given the state of the highway.  Seeing a vehicle in the ditch is always a little unnerving, but in this case it was a semi (or at least what was left of it - no cab in sight, just the trailer with boxes strewn about in the ditch), and elsewhere some sort of highway equipment, with a row of tow trucks and cranes trying to extricate it from deep in the snow. The fog and rain disappeared halfway to our destination, and  slow and steady got us to Brandon and a very warm welcome. (Returning home, the highway was in slightly better shape, though there were more tow trucks and cranes still trying to get something out of the ditch, causing about a two mile long back up of vehicles that couldn't get by. Farther on were a very battered trailer and an equally battered sanding truck, both being towed). It was really quite amazing that the weather was as good as it was.
 

During the six weeks that Herbie and the quilts were in Manitoba,  there were showings at three different retreats, seven guilds, four small groups, and at the Manitoba Prairie Quilters and Winnipeg Embroiderers Guild meetings.

It's Time for Colour Hits the Road!

The long-awaited "It's Time for Colour" travelling quilt show is now officially on tour across Canada. A total of 36 quilts have been split up and half has gone to the Northwest Territories and the rest to Manitoba (see below for a specific schedule).
Although many of these gems have been sold, they remain on display with the tour, along with cards of these amazing quilts that are also for sale.

Isla Marsh, CQA/ACC Regional Rep for Manitoba, is really excited about the arrival of the quilts in Manitoba.

She's says "I'm beginning to feel like some sort of a celebrity - whenever I show up, people get so excited!  Okay it's not me. It's the quilts they're excited about. And everyone raves about the quilts."
Turn out to see the display has so far surpassed expectations and there have been lots of good comments.

Isla seems to think that the little "blue suitcase (that the quilts arrived in) needs a name. When I opened the door to find the little suitcase standing there, with no one in sight, it looked like a little orphan. Made me thing of the little robot that hitch-hiked across Canada last summer".

Or perhaps another "Flat Stanley"??

The other half of this show is currently up north in the Northwest Territories (see also their schedule below). Of course, here's a picture of the “little blue suitcase” that arrived for Shona Barbour, their CQA/ACC Regional Representative.

Sounds like a show not to be missed when it comes to a location near you. Keep posted. There will be a monthly schedule here, and of course, a full schedule.








Schedule for Manitoba:
December 30 - small group, Winnipeg - for visiting embroiderer from Ottawa
January 7 - Anglican-Lutheran Centre - Winnipeg
January 9-11- St Benedict's Retreat Centre - Middlechurch
January 12 -  Kenora Quilters - Kenora Ontario
January 13 - Frayed Edges quilt group, Winnipeg
January 19 - Country Lane Quilters Guild - Portage la Prairie
January 22 - Manitoba Prairie  Quilters - Winnipeg
January 27 - Little Britain Quilting group - Little Britain
January 28 - Nifty Needlers quilt group, Brandon Embroiderers group - Brandon
January 29 - February 1 - Quilting Jewels retreat - Winkler
February 2 - Barnswallows - members only meeting - Morden
February 4 - Barnswallows open house - Morden
February 5 - Winnipeg Embroiderers Guild - Winnipeg


Schedule for Northwest Territories:
Inuvik - Jan 16-18 - Centennial Library
Yellowknife Javaroma - Jan 23-25
 

It's Time for Colour - Our Tour

It’s Time for Colour!   

We are pleased to present a Gallery to showcase the quilts in our first-ever travelling quilt show called It’s Time for Colour!   The quilts will crisscross Canada, travelling to most provinces and the Northwest Territories from January 2015 until May 2015.

The quilts are being assembled in Victoria, BC for the cross-country tours. While waiting for all the quilts to arrive, a few pre-tour viewings have been arranged on Vancouver Island.

The travelling quilts were made and donated by CQA/ACC members who have won awards at the National Juried Show within the last three years. Without their generosity – and creativity - we would not be able to host this event.
 
 


In the Gallery you can view the travelling quilts, meet the quilters and see if a quilt is still for sale.  You will also find information on how to purchase the quilts and greeting cards. Touring schedule will be available soon as more details become firm.

Proceeds from the sale of the quilts and greeting cards will be donated to The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada at Quilt Canada 2015 in Lethbridge.  We plan to grant the wishes for several children with life-threatening illnesses.


You can get to the Gallery anytime if you go directly to our blog and press the tab "It's Time For Colour - Gallery" in the pink bar.

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