Our Guild is involved in charitable work through quilt donation, directly to various shelters and charities in the GTA. We provide quilts for the clients of the various GTA charities, to other organizations involved in emergency relief and sometimes provide quilts to GTA charities which use them as part of their fundraising efforts. We also provide quilts and tops for assistance to victims of disasters (such as the BC fires), and to Quilts for Survivors (an organization which provides quilts to survivors of residential schools).
Our outreach group is known as Community Quilting, or CQ.
The CQ Workshop group encourages members’ participation in our CQ program by preparing kits for members to piece a quilt top, by providing preassembled quilt sandwiches for members to quilt, or by encouraging members to donate a completed quilt or placemat made from their own materials. Kits and sandwiches are available at the CQ table at each in person YHQG meeting, and at specific drop off locations in the city.
Community Quilting Evening:
Each year, the Guild holds a Community Quilting evening, which is organized by the CQ groups. At that meeting, members sit in a more social setting, working on a hand sewing project which ultimately feeds into the CQ donation program. Most years, we hand sew blocks which will be used to make children’s quilts or comfort quilts. In 2024, our project was hand sewing orphan blocks to premade reusable shopping bags, which were then donated to a local charity for use by their clients.
Community Quilting Weekly Meetings:
Typically, the CQ groups meet in person on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. CQ also organizes zoom meetings (called sew-alongs) for members during two weekly 2-hour Zoom sessions, from 10:00 to 12:00 on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
In Person CQ Meetings:
Our in person CQ groups meet from September to June at community centres or other locations in Toronto. At least one of these groups continues (at a different location) during the summer months.
Members wishing to attend one of our in person CQ sessions should review the rules for Weekly In-Person Sew-Alongs for Mondays and Tuesdays
For members who would like to join one of the in person groups, please contact our yhqg.communityquilting@gmail.com to make arrangements to attend.
Mondays:
The Monday in person group meets every Monday (with a few cancellations for holidays or other events) at Stan Wadlow Community Clubhouse, located at 373 Cedarvale Avenue, Toronto, from 9:00 to 3:30. Members bring their own sewing machines, projects and supplies, but there a usually a few kits available for someone who wants a new project. There’s a kettle for tea, and people usually bring a lunch.
Tuesdays:
The Tuesday in person group meets every Tuesday with a few cancellations for holidays or other events) at East York Community Centre, located at 1081-1/2 Pape Street, Toronto, from 9:30 to 1:45. There are a few Guild owned sewing machines there, and members typically work on guild projects, like sandwiching tops, making backs, or other projects. Again, there’s a kettle for tea, a microwave for warming things up, and people usually bring a lunch.
Thursdays:
Our newest in person group (which calls itself the Madison Makers) is located at 200 Madison Avenue, Toronto, and runs on Thursdays from 12:00 to 4:00. In addition to being open to members, this meeting is open to residents of 200 Madison and neighbouring buildings, the hope being that people will come to learn different sewing techniques. There are three Guild owned sewing machines there, and members typically work on projects under the guidance of guild members. Again, there’s a kettle for tea and a microwave for warming things up.
On Line CQ Sew Alongs:
We have two on line Sew-Alongs each week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, from 10:00 to 12:00; these run throughout the year, with few cancellations. People work on personal or CQ projects at home while talking to other members…it’s amazing what one can learn at these sessions! These sessions were started during the pandemic, and were intended to be more of a social opportunity for our members; they’re a great way for out-of-town members to stay in touch and for new members to connect with other members!
All members receive a Zoom link to the recurring on line sew along meetings by email each week.
More Information?
For more information, please contact yhqg.communityquilting@gmail.com
York Heritage Quilters Guild 
