WEYBURN – The members of the Weyburn Crocus Quilters Guild are busy preparing for their “Spring Bouquet of Quilts VIII” which will take place April 29 from 4-9 p.m. and April 30 from 10-4 p.m. at the Weyburn Curling Rink.
Over 150 works of quilting, from wall hangings to practical household items, will be on display. Admission to the quilt show is $5 for adults.
The Guild will present the work of two local featured quilters, Eva Ziehl and Eileen Wright. Both ladies are an inspiration to all the Crocus Quilters.
Eva’s mother taught her how to sew clothes as a young girl and her grandmother taught her the art of embroidery. When she became a mother herself she brought these skills together to make her first quilt, a baby quilt with satin ribbon.
As her family grew, she continued to sew most of their clothes, including their wedding dresses and suits, but also branched out to many crafts. Eva has always enjoyed hand sewing and puts in many hours of doing hand embroidery while she is watching television or riding in the car. At one time she sewed table runners, placemats and table clothes as well as quilts, but now she focuses on quilts.
Once she is finished the hand embroidery and piecing, she uses her long arm quilting machine to sew the pieced top, batting and backing together. She couldn’t even guess the number of hours she puts into making them, she just enjoys the process. Every quilt has a story. Eva’s motto is busy hands are happy hands.
The first sewing Eileen did was in her Grade 6 Home Economics class. She made all of her own clothes until 1995, when she decided to take up quilting to make her son a wedding quilt. A quilt she had planned to complete in 14 months was done in two months because she became addicted to quilting.
To share her love of quilting, she started teaching quilting classes in 1998. She enjoyed watching the women she taught develop skills in quilting and the same love of quilting she had. Eileen started creating her own patterns to use in her classes to avoid copyright infringements.
As she often had difficulty following patterns herself, her goal was to make the patterns detailed and easy to follow. Out of this goal, and her love of creating shapes in vibrant colours, she has published two highly acclaimed books, in 2009 and 2013, full of twist-and-turn bargello quilt patterns. She is inspired by nature and the fun of turning shapes into visually stunning quilts.
She will have between 10 and 12 quilts on display at the Weyburn show, and is hoping she will also be able to put on a demonstration of her quilting techniques.
Eileen lived on Vancouver Island for 35 years, and moved to Weyburn in 2019 to be nearer to her family.
The quilting supply vendors with displays at the show will be Quilter’s Haven from Moose Jaw, Gypsy Soul Fabrics from Estevan, Second Story Quilting from Torquay, and Dick and Trudy Hutchinson from Moose Jaw with their quilt ladders.
Show goers will have the opportunity to fine-tune their creative skills by attending sessions given by the vendors. Times for these demonstrations will be posted at the entry to the show.
Some other opportunities at the show will be raffles for themed baskets of items and a full sized multicoloured modern quilt; a sale table stocked with fabric, magazines, patterns, and quilted items from our guild members stashes; and a food concession will be hosted by The Lunchbox.
Those attending may vote for the People’s Choice Award after they view the quilts. The winner will be presented with a Rosette from the Canadian Quilters Association at 3:30 on Saturday by show chairs Marg Stewart and Jill Thorn.
The Weyburn Crocus Quilters Guild is pleased to give the public this opportunity to learn more about the art of quilting and to enjoy the work of its members.
