There are many beautiful hand-crafted quilts completed and in progress at the Elliot Lake Quilt Guild that will eventually be donated to various programs in Canada.
The quilt guild regularly donates quilts made by their members to programs such as Quilts of Valour, where quilts are given to veterans; Quilts for Residential School Survivors, where quilts are given to Indigenous individuals who have survived attending residential schools; Fidget Quilts, where quilts are given to those suffering from Alzheimer’s; and a local program, First Baby Quilts, where quilts are given annually to the first baby born in the area.
Quilts for Residential School Survivors usually have the colour orange worked into the design, said Monique Fourcaudot, president of the Elliot Lake Quilt Guild, adding that the colour orange is used to represent the philosophy that “every child matters.”
Fidget quilts are made for those suffering from Alzheimer’s to have something tangible to hold and caress. The quilt is usually small enough to hold on their lap so they can run their hands over the different textures and oddities sewn onto the quilt, such as moveable beads, pearls, furry textiles and other noticeable textures, such as velvet and corduroy.
The guild is dedicated to teaching new quilters the skills of the craft and has an educational program called Block of the Month, which runs from September to May. Each month, the beginner is shown how to do a specific skill required in quilting. For instance, in the first month, they are shown how to cut fabric into small squares. The second month’s class is about sewing the small squares into blocks; third class, sewing cotton backing to the blocks; fourth class, sewing the blocks together, and so on.
“Each month, we learn new skills and by the end of it (the monthly classes), it will be a full-size quilt,” said Mandy Kadziolka, a new member. “The ladies here have been so amazing.” She adds that the Block of the Month class “is not only educational, its also therapeutic.”
Periodically, a member will bring a quilting project in for show and tell, and if the members are interested, they will have a class to make the project. A recent item was retreat bags. Heather Porritt brought in a completed bag and members decided to make them. They were able to go on-line and get the pattern free from Emmeline Bags and buy fabric and zippers; Heather obtained the wire frames that were inserted inside the bags to keep them sitting upright. The bags were completed in one class.
Members of the public will be able to see samples of the guild’s work this fall as the guild plans to participate in Arts on the Trail.“The arts club has invited us to have a booth at Arts on the Trail, this year,” said Fourcaudot. “We will have a booth hosted at the new Elliot Lake Arts & Heritage Centre on Elizabeth Walk.” She said they will have quilts and other projects on display, as well as a hands-on project for members of the public to participate in, by placing one of their hands on a sheet of fabric and getting their hands traced. The sheet will later be made into a quilt. They also plan to hold a raffle, this year, and the prize quilt will be on display at the booth, with tickets available.
The guild meets every Tuesday at the Gentle Shepherd Christian Church from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., where members work on personal or group projects. They have a permanent classroom where they can work and store their equipment, supplies and completed quilts. The room is colourfully decorated with fabric samples, patterns and completed quilts on the walls.
There are presently 33 members. Annual dues are $30 for meetings from September to June, but anyone joining at this time only has to pay $15.
The guild is a member of the Canadian Quilters Association, which produces a monthly newsletter.
For more information, contact Monique Fourcaudot at 705-827-0218.