YORKTON - The York Colony Quilters Guild know there’s a common thread in quilting and its combined practice of sharing the love of sewing and a creative journey that takes the sewer from vision to reality in their finished product.
These quilters know that a finished quilt is not just a blanket statement as their creative gatherings allow them to add in the bonus of being sew-cial. The members of this group know that quilting is much more than stitching pieces together. There are many benefits to this activity.
The group’s President, Sarah Sibley, tells Yorkton This Week and Â鶹´«Ã½AV.ca, “The York Colony Quilters Guild was founded in 1992 and we still have one of the founding members active. She is in her 80’s and still going strong. She has made quilts that hang in City Hall.”
Few things compare to the sense of accomplishment when putting the finishing stitches in a quilt, seeing all the collaborative hard work come together, providing pure satisfaction.
The York Colony Quilters Guild acknowledges that this activity is a perfect way to connect with others, whether participating in a quilting bee, taking a class or sharing your latest project, offering full support, advice and friendship to each other along the way.
Older generation quilters say that the timeless quality of their work, which can be passed down through generations carry stories, memories and the love that went into creating them, enabling the sewer to leave a piece of themselves behind like a handmade heirloom for their family to treasure.
Did you know quilting can offer the added benefit of improved focus? Quilting demands attention to details while cutting, piecing and stitching and this focus doesn’t just help the sewing creation but sharpens the mind too.
Never discount the therapeutic value of quilting, as it’s a way to channel the emotions into something productive and beautiful, offering a sense of calm and purpose when it’s needed most. This was never more evident than when Quilters across the country created countless memory quilts for the families and health care workers who were profoundly impacted by the Humboldt Bronco bus tragedy.
Sibley said, “We only do charity projects. We don’t sell anything we make. It’s all given away. Every year we make a quilt for the Sunrise Health Region to be raffled off and the proceeds go towards equipment for the hospital. Also, we donate one to the Mill to be raffled off and the proceeds go towards the restoring the Old Mill. We have also donated quilts to The Safe Haven, the women’s shelter, hospital, police, fire department, nursing home, Humboldt accident victims, etc., “
The York Colony Quilters Guild’s pay-it-forward actions continue as they also donate mug rugs/placemats to Meals on Wheels every Christmas. The group also donates Christmas stockings with some little Christmas goodies in them, as well as filling cosmetic bags with hygiene items and quilts and pillowcases for the women’s shelters. They also make fiddling cloths for Alzheimer patients along with comfort shawls and turbans for cancer patients in addition to slings for breast feeding. These participants have also donated school supplies to under privileged, pillowcases to Salvation Army as well as making monetary donations to Cancer Society, Sunrise Health Region and Boys and Girls Club.
Sibley notes that their group meets at the Western Development Museum every Wednesday from Sept.-May at 9:30am and usually stay until 2pm or later. The WDM doesn’t charge the group for the room usage so the group gives them a donation every year in appreciation of this generous offer.
For 2025, the Yorkton quilters are donating a quilt and wall hanging to the Threshermen’s Festival and Senior Day, which is held at the WDM every year.
Sibley says their group enjoys experiences, fun, fellowship and creating together and they have a variety of activities they undertake on a yearly basis. In addition to their charity quilts they host a show and tell, quick tips, ugly bin, exchange box, 50/50 draw, ‘Quilt the Day, birthday table, demos, classes, a summer challenge along with their annual general meeting. They also host events that encompass basic quilting, hand quilting, mystery quilt, paper piercing, jelly roll quilt and sew and slice.
As often experienced by other clubs and organizations, York Colony Quilters Guild also says their biggest challenge is losing members and finding new ones.
“Usually, each year we only get one or two new members. We have lost members because of moving away, health reasons or just old age. When I started in 2002, there were 57 members, now we only have 19 members,” said Sibley.
The club holds regular weekly meetings and you can call Sibley or any member of this Yorkton quilting group for more details on what they do, or to become part of their organization.
The industrious quilting group outlines their activities, stating, “A creative group of individuals who wish to preserve the art of quilting. Members participate in hands-on group and individual projects, plus technique workshops are regularly held throughout the year. Through the work of its members the Guild contributes to a variety of charities by the donation of quilted items.”
