Pieces of history will be laid out for the public to see during an upcoming quilt show in Chilliwack.
The Chilliwack Quilters’ Guild holds its biannual show ‘Sew’d to Joy’ on Oct. 13 and 14 at Chilliwack Alliance Church.
It is the group’s first post-COVID show.
Guild members are calling one new attraction, an old-fashioned bed turning, a “special treat.”
“What they would do years ago… the women would gather and they would put all their quilts on a bed. They would take them off, layer by layer, and talk about the quilt and the history behind the quilt,” said guild president Shirley Square-Briggs.
Think of it like layers of history that are unveiled one at a time. Each one is held up for the audience to see and one member will speak of its history and who made it.
The 22 bed-turning quilts are mostly vintage pieces and the oldest one is more than 100 years old.
The bed turnings take place in the chapel inside the church at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, and at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14. They will be bringing a bed into the church for the bed turnings.
In addition to the 22 bed-turning quilts, nearly 200 other quilts, plus quilted bags and wallets will be on display.
They will be displaying the quilts in a new way this year. Instead of hanging them, each quilt will be draped over the pews in the sanctuary.
In the foyer, folks will find the quilted bags and wallets, plus 10 ‘serendipity’ quilts and 18 ‘challenge’ quilts.
The theme for the challenge quilts this year is ‘name that tune.’ A different design has been quilted into each piece representing a song. The public will have a chance to guess which song is depicted in each of the 18 quilts, plus they can vote for their favourite.
The quilt with the most votes will result in a gift certificate for the person who made the quilt and “bragging rights,” said show co-chair Donna Hilton.
The queen-size raffle quilt for this year’s show was sewn by about six to eight members and quilted by Beatrice Rieske.
The quilt has a “cozy flannel backing,” Hilton said.
Raffle tickets for the quilt are $2 each. There are also 10 raffle baskets at the show and tickets for those are $1 each.
Other features include the merchants’ mall where 10 retail vendors will be selling new items, the members’ boutique where folks will find handmade items for sale made by the members, and the white elephant table where second-hand sewing items will be for sale that have been donated by guild members.
Demos of quilting techniques will take place throughout the weekend.
There will be a food truck on site and people can bring their food inside where there will be a seating area with tables and chairs.
The guild will also have an info table set up so people can sign up to become a member. The Chilliwack Quilters’ Guild meets once a month and sometimes when they gather, they make quilts for charity.
In the past year, the group has donated more than 220 quilts as part of their ‘We Care’ program. They also make heart-shaped pillows for breast cancer patients, and stockings for Chilliwack Community Service’s annual Christmas hampers.
The funds raised at the quilt show and raffle are used to purchase the necessary materials to support members in making and donating these items.
The guild meets on the third Monday of the month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Community of Christ Church (9845 Carleton St.). Drop-in guests are welcome.
The Chilliwack Quilters’ Guild’s biannual show Sew’d to Joy is on Oct. 13 and 14 at Chilliwack Alliance Church (8700 Young Rd.). Hours are 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is $8; children under age 15 and spouses get in for free.