It’s tempting to start this announcement with a flourish, like Extra! Extra! Read all about it: Cranbrook Quilters Guild History & Gallery.

Our excitement is that for the past two years the Guild has been partnering with the Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History to create a virtual quilt show. This show celebrates the rich history of the guild through quilts and stories of its members.

As we say in quilting, “it’s better to be done than perfect,” and we are finally done! This achievement is a testament to the hard work of many volunteers and the funding provided by Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) – ReDi Grants and Heritage BC – Heritage Legacy Fund, as well as some generous personal donations.

This virtual quilt registry is the first of its kind in British Columbia and, perhaps, even in Canada.

The site boasts over 85 stories of local quilters and their activities, showcasing the diverse talents and passions of the quilting community. It also documents over 170 quilts, created by members or their kin, providing a tangible glimpse into the guild’s legacy and to quilts as heritage resources.

The quilting stories feature seasoned members like Lisa Sharpe and Dominique Drummond, the guild founders, along with Wendy Litz, Peggy Salvador, Erika Schulz. Their stories offer a wealth of knowledge and insight into the history of the guild and the quilting tradition.

On the other hand, the “young members” stories and quilts, featuring Stephanie Kastelan and Jennifer Ham, bring a fresh and modern perspective to the collection.

In our minds, the last 40 years is the “gilded age of quilting”. It spans the time when guilds were forming across our Kootenay valley to now, when members are “aging up” and fewer younger quilters are joining guilds.

Guilds brought in quilting instructors “from away” to teach novices and make them the best they could be. They held biennial Quilt Shows in local auditoriums to showcase members’ creations and they donated quilts to social and health agencies. It was the gilded age when quilting was coming back into fashion with an ever expanding array of affordable tools as well as selection of fabrics.

From the new fangled rotary cutter in the early 1980s, to the multitasking sewing machines and ending with the home-size mid-longarm quilting machines many of us have in our basements, quilting has come a long way.

You can be a “traditionalist” in your approach or a “modernist” and make bed quilts or art pieces. There isn’t a limit in how you use quilting as a creative process. It truly is like being a child and experiencing the joy of a package of 64 Crayola crayons and a blank canvas to colour.

This virtual quilt show is a “feast for sore eyes” that will captivate your imagination and may inspire you to take up the needle. So, snuggle up on a cold and frosty evening, and embark on a journey through the Cranbrook Quilters Guild History & Gallery.

Access the site at cranbrookquiltersguildhistory.ca, basininstitute.org, or scan our QR code found on our posters and greeting cards.

Cranbrook Quilters Guild

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