Quilts for everyone at show

Melanie McLaughlin placed first in the large quilt category for her entry called ‘Black and White’.

Mac Olsen
South Peace News

Quilts of many patterns and colours were on display in the St. Andrew’s School gym Oct. 18-19. The High Prairie Quilt Guild held their 13th annual show with a record 170 entries. “There’s something for everybody here,” says organizer Karen Nielsen. “It’s a chance to display your work, other than members.” This year’s theme is “A Tropical Paradise” and one quilt on display was ‘Summer Fun Flip Flops’. Guild members made the flip flop blocks, Corinne Savill pieced them together and Marla Willier did the quilting. Many of the quilts resemble art, such as Nielsen’s ‘Quilter’s Barn Framed Picture’ which has a frame made from barn wood. “Being a former farm girl that had to do chores such as clean the barn, I made this as a tribute to the barn we had on our farm,” says Nielsen in the show’s brochure. Some quilts have a Christmas theme, including Susan Broderson’s ‘Christmas Applique Quilt’. Those who like gardens will appreciate Carole Michaud’s ‘Sunflowers For Me’ quilt. Michaud bought the pattern because she was drawn to sunflowers. “Amazingly, I later found the exact material shown on the pattern,” she says in the brochure. She did the machine piecing and Marla Willier did the quilting. Pet lovers will adore Fern Nyberg’s ‘Shadow Box Animals’ quilt, which features puppies and kittens in their sweet and innocent poses. “I always wanted to try and do a shadow box quilt, so when I went looking through my material stash I came across the panel of animals and thought it would be perfect for this type of quilt,” says Nyberg in the brochure. There were also quilts with colourful patterns such as Judy Gauchier’s ‘Blue Radiant Star Quilt’. She made this one as a retirement gift. Suppliers attended the show, including Colleen Greer who runs Fabrics By Colleen from her home. She has been selling fabrics since 1978 and offers courses in quilt making. “I’m a home ec teacher by trade, so I’ve done a lot of sewing,” says Greer. “I’ve always enjoyed fabric and sewing.” A quilt very personal to Greer is one she made in memory of her son, Scott Greer, who died in a traffic accident in 1988. “It was a good tool for healing. That’s the most special quilt I have,” she says. Greer used photos of him at various ages to create the quilt. No professional judging takes place at this show. Instead, the guild holds Viewer’s Choice where the public votes for the best three large quilts and three small quilts. This year’s winners are:

Large quilts

1. Melanie McLaughlin for ‘Black and White’.
2. Michelle Zahacy for ‘Kara’s Quilt’.
3. Ellen Savill for ‘Card Trick Quilt’.

Small quilts

1. Jody Ochran for ‘Heart Bargello Quilt’.
2. Karen Nielsen for ‘Daydreams Wall Hanging’.
3. Carole Michaud for ‘Christmas Table Runner’ and Karen Nielsen for ‘Quilter’s Barn Framed Picture’.

The guild also held a raffle for two quilts and a carryall bag. Nathalie Groleau of High Prairie won one quilt. Terry Evans in England won the other quilt, but he passed away so it will be sent to his wife. Candi Phillippa-Woloy of Camrose won the carryall bag. Guild members made items for a silent auction and there was a 10-for-5 table of unique items for gift giving.

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