This month saw our return to in person evening meetings and thankfully the weather cooperated with warmer weather and the turnout of members was high. The meetings started with a guest speaker on Zoom and some out of town members also joined in for this part. In connection with our “Quilting across Canada” theme Kate McKinnon, a member of the Calgary Modern Quilt Guild presented an overview of their activities to both the evening and day meetings. Kate, who joined the Calgary guild in 2023, has been the Programming Director since 2024. They have several meetings during the year and also hold workshops, 2 retreats in Canmore and 2 “sew-cial” meetings. Their quilt year runs from January to December and this year (2026) their theme is “The Mindful Maker”. This appears to be a similar idea to our theme last year in that it is focusing on reusing materials wherever possible. Our joint project with the Calgary guild is also aligned with this theme as our members will be partnered with a member of the Calgary guild and exchange postcards with each other in May

Kate also described their major project for last year (2025) when their theme was “The Year of Colour and Design”. During one of their Sewcial meetings the members were asked to make a design with a reference to Calgary. These designs were then made into blocks by the planning committee and were then used as a block of the month for the guild. The idea was to use them for skill building, using a palette of suggested colours. She showed us some of the finished quilts and they were certainly very impressive and innovative.

It was quite fascinating to see how other guilds organise themselves and set challenges for their members. I’m sure notes were taken by our planning committee for use in future years. Pat B is going to Calgary shortly and she will be attending their meeting to present our guild to their members. Safe travels Pat.

After the presentation the business of the meeting began with Noreen reminding everyone that many positions on the executive are up for grabs in June. The full list will be in the newsletter so don’t be shy, join the team and bring your ideas to the table. Having new people helps us to stay fresh and interesting. Other business included Christine pointing out that the library team is once again going to bring up a selection of books for each meeting so they can be taken home on loan. If you want to borrow a book from the library, find it on the website and just send the book number to the library team. Also a reminder that the March in person retreat is coming up but it is also going to be on Zoom so if you want to attend virtually please register so they know who to expect.

After the break it was Show and Tell. As usual Louise will post pictures on the Photos page of the website. Then Suzanne organised us to play a couple of games. What a great idea. First we were put in groups of 3 for an icebreaker where we had to ask each other questions such as, do you have another hobby or what suprising skill do you have? Then the same groups took part in Quilty Family Feud. There was some disagreements with the survey answers but a lot of fun was had by all and some people went home with a prize. Thank you Suzanne and the rest of the team for planning this.

On Tuesday evening, we were treated to a presentation by Judy Lyon, one of Canada’s few quilt appraisers. Judy began appraising quilts in 1999 and, over the intervening years, has come across many quilts and learned their stories. During the Covid pandemic, she wrote a book titled “Canada’s Forgotten Artifacts: 1967 – Canada’s Centennial Quilts” to capture the stories around the making and sharing of Canada’s Centennial quilts. She also gave us some background of the times and the means by which Centennial projects were devised and spread. (Expo 67 occurred the same year and while some members present remembered Centennial celebrations, many more remembered going to Expo 67, right here in Montreal!)

Judy also put a call out to anyone who has a centennial quilt, or knows of one hiding in a closet, to bring it forward and let her know. She also strongly advocated for registering quilts – in our case with the Quebec Quilt Registry. While we may downplay the importance of our own handiwork, we need to understand that our work is part of a collective that brings women’s work and artistry into the realm of recorded social history.

Click HERE to learn more about Judy and her book and/or to contact her.

Click HERE to browse the Quebec Registry

On Wednesday morning, our program was assembled by, from and for our guild members. The theme was “Panel Quilts”. Panel quilts are made from fabric that has been re-printed witha a scene or other images that often provide the focal point of a quilt. Some quilters may think this is “cheating” because of minimal piecing requirements but through the many submissions collected from members, we could see the creative of these panels. Some panels were bordered and beautifully quilted and others were cut up and rearranged for a more patchwork look. By the end, we all realized that a pre-printed panel is just one more tool in our quilting tool box. (For members, the whole presentation is available under the “Program” tab.)

And one good bit of news was shared – our Big Quilt Show has a location and date!! June 5-7 at the Baie d’Urfé Curling Club. We are more than excited!

Happy New Year everyone and welcome back to quilting after the holiday period, or maybe, like me, you have been staying cozy in your sewing room in this cold and snowy weather. With the weather in mind, the evening meeting was held via Zoom and was really well attended. Nearly 50 members joined in to hear Karyne B talk to us about barn quilts and to give us information on her forthcoming workshop. This will be held in May and a blast has already been sent to members with more details and a sign up sheet.

The business part of the meeting was brief with only some updates from Program about Karyne’s workshop and Wendy Foster’s Intermediate FMQ Workshop in April (details also in the blast). A quick poll was also carried out to see how many members would be interested in a workshop on making a quilted jacket. The level of interest appeared to be pretty high so this may be something that could be offered in the Fall. Suzanne is still willing to receive pictures and blurbs for your panel quilts for the February day meeting and we have a speaker lined up for the February evening Zoom meeting. More details in next months newsletter. There will be an online retreat on Zoom the weekend of January 17th and 18th. The program is in the newsletter and details are on the website. Finally Tool Time is in full swing so send in your wish lists to Christine H.

Karyne’s presentation on Barn Quilts followed on from the business portion and covered the history of barn quilts, their significance in rural areas, their place in the quilting community and their construction and current uses. They have evolved from representations in paint of traditional quilt block patterns to modern signage and art forms. Anyone interested in finding out more can attend one of Karyne’s workshops or visit barnquilttrails.ca, barnquiltheadquarters.com or the Barn Quilt Addicts Facebook page.

The meetings finished with Show and Tell. The zoom meeting featured a slideshow of the December S&T and the in person meeting had a selection of items made during the holidays. Pictures will be on the website shortly thanks to Louise C. As the weather continues to surprise us, it’s pouring with rain as I’m typing this with more snow in the forecast, I encourage everyone to stay warm and snug in your safe sewing space.