York Heritage Quilters Guild

Hello Members,

Your newsletter is posted for Oct! Also check under challenges to review the Presidents challenge looks like we can have lots of fun with this 40 and Fabulous theme.

Quilt show season is in full swing Oct listings are on the side. I will be going to the Erie Shores quilt show  in Leamington next weekend. There should be loads of inspiration at the shows to help you decide how you want to celebrate our 40th year!

Wishing you and your family the best of Thanksgiving weekend.

Hello York Heritage Members,

Please note our first meeting is at a different location Crescent School 2365 Bayview Avenue in the Theatre (Centre for Creative Learning) we will be back to our original meeting place in October.

Map here

If you have not renewed yet,  this is the time to do it! we have a wonderful year of guest speakers/workshops and vendors you don’t want to miss. Take a seat and read your newsletter for all the exciting events for 2018-19. If you have renewed already we look forward to seeing you at our first meeting of the season.

I would like to thank Valerie for all her time/ years she has given in making the web page unique and entertaining for your on line viewing, giving you up to date access anytime.

I hope that I can do the same as I navigate through the site and by all means if you have any comments or suggestions please email yhqgweb@gmail.com

I would like to promote volunteering to keep your guild fresh and full of new ideas think about it as the year unfolds ask questions about what we do on the executive maybe by the end of the season you will get incentive and have some great new ideas for the guild that you can introduce to our guild by taking an office.

See you soon

Deb Anger Web

The 2018 -2019 program at YHQG is now available… we have an incredible line up of speakers and workshops… to see the complete list go to the Speakers and Workshops page or Program brochure 2018-2019. 

UPDATE!!!! We have added a third class by Karen Kay Buckley, Fiesta Mexico block 3… below is a photo of the project. For more information, see Karen’s website.

Lectures take place the 3^rd Tuesday of the month at The Toronto Botanical Gardens, 777 Lawrence Ave. East from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.  Guest fee is $15 per meeting.
No guests at the May meeting and AGM.

Workshops are held at the Toronto Botanical Gardens, 777 Lawrence Ave. E. (unless otherwise specified) from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.

Workshop Fees are $100 per day, $50 for half day classes. ($110/$55 for non-members). Cancellation fee of $25.00 applies. Some workshops may require a kit fee. Sign up for workshops at guild meetings or by emailing our president yhqg.president@gmail.com and she will forward your request to the appropriate person.

Non-members may take workshops once members have been accommodated.

The May meeting closes out a great year for York Heritage Guild, with thanks to the old executive and in with the new, photo below.

Then the guild viewed and voted on the quilts from the President’s Challenge. Armed with fabric donated by Rosemary Hamelin’s family, guild members made quilts inspired by Rosemary’s life- geologist, mother, world traveller and quilter. Such a great display made choosing a favourite very difficult. Click here to see all the quilts that were entered in this challenge.

Here are the lucky winners of the kimonos with their prizes:

The big reveal of next year’s lineup of speakers and workshops happened near the end of the meeting, and there was a frenzy of people getting their names on the sign up list for early registration. Looks like next year promises to be a great one!

Thanks for a great year, and see you all in September!

If you were not at April’s meeting, you missed a great time. Cynthia England gave a very funny and entertaining talk entitled “Why Did I Buy This Ugly Fabric?”. Then she showed samples of her ugly fabrics (skeletons, ghosts, vampires, etc etc), how she organizes and stores them, and how she incorporates them into her quilts. A truly entertaining presentation!

She also displayed one of her stunning art quilts so we could see other aspects of her work, and several of the quilts made from the kits she sells.

Here are a few photos from the presentation:

Ann Sutherland was quilter of the month, and she showed quilts she had made for a group of aboriginal children graduating kindergarten.

We had quite a number of Show and Share quilts this month too!

Finally, don’t forget to bring your quilt for the President’s Challenge next month!

We had a full night of quilts at our March meeting, with lots of fun things happening.

Donnaleen reminded us to let her know if you are entering the President’s Challenge (fabric from Rosemary Hamelin’s stash, due at our May meeting!) – and the size of your quilt, estimates are OK.  Valerie gave a brief history of Quilts at the Creek, and there will be volunteer sign-ups, quilt applications and workshop sign ups at the Q@C table at our April and May meetings. She also gave examples of what a challenge quilt could look like, if you choose to enter this.

Wendy Dines reminded us that Community Quilts is hoping to get back some of the quilts (and the pins…) that have been taken to be quilted. There are a few more waiting to be quilted too. And of course there was luscious fabric from Hyggeligt Fabrics to drool over!

We had lots of great quilts in our Show-and-Share session:

Our speaker for the evening was Bethanne Nemesh who entertained us with her journey to find her personal quilting style, and amazed us with her artistic and technical abilities. What great quilts! To see better details of her work, check out her website here.

See you next month!

This was a members workshop month, complete with those yummy cookies! The room was abuzz with mini-workshops, hand quilting, and LOTS of socializing, not to mention yummy fabric from Country Clothesline to purchase.

Here are some snapshots from the evening:

PRESIDENT’S CHALLENGE REMINDER:
The May meeting is when your quilts from Rosemary Hamlin’s stash are due.. how is your quilt progressing? Details can be found on our Display and Competition page..

Thanks to all guild members who cotributed Last month:

• a quilted sandwich, on a long arm machine by Erica Ray & Kathy Schofield
• a finished baby quilt by Jean Hiivala and
• two baby quilts and a quilt top left without identification
• top from a CQ kit assembled by Ashley Power.

Last month, CQ was challenged to find meeting space that also included some storage. Charlene suggested we look at the East York Community Centre. Within ten days, a large room with some storage was secured!!! How gratifying that value is placed on the continuing assembly of quilts for those in need and at no cost to the guild.

EYCC is located at 1081 Pape Ave, just south of O’Connor Drive. We will meet on Tuesdays, starting from 11:15am to 4 pm.

The format for the CQ meetings at EYCC continues as previously: CQ projects one Tuesday and one’s own work on alternate weeks. A schedule, of sorts, has begun with weekly emails to participants notifying them of the project for the upcoming Tuesday. All of the fabric, batting and assembled quilt top inventory is, by necessity being stored in various members’ households. However, storage of sewing machines, mats and the day to day paraphernalia necessary to quilting is in a locked storage closet adjacent to the meeting room.

For members who would like to join us, please contact Wendy Dines to register.

A number of people have chosen to continue to meet Mondays at Stan Wadlow alternating between CQ work and their own project. Note that ALL the items necessary to work on your project needs to be brought to the centre every week.

What was initially a trying situation has become a win-win situation because the opportunity to join CQ is now open to the membership and, with a choice of day and place.

It may be cold and snowy outside, but at our January guild meeting it was abuzz. SAQA quilts on display, fabric for sale, stimulating talk by Elaine Theriault- lots to see and do.. For photos from the evening, click here.

To see our latest newsletter (February 2018, click here.

Community Quilting has been fortunate to have the use of the room at Stan Wadlow Community Centre as well as storage for the necessary items such as fabric, batting, sewing machines and many sundry items. The City of Toronto Parks and Recreation is now renovating the building and plans eliminate this storage space.

We will continue to meet at Stan Wadlow. We will be organizing ourselves so that the necessities for quilting will be stored at volunteers’ homes and transported when specific items are required.

At this time, a search has been started to find a new location that has both a workroom and storage facilities. Suggestions from the membership would be much appreciated. Contact Wendy Dines for details of the requirements for a ‘new home’.

Our guild members have been busy completing quilts for  Community Quilting. A big ‘Thank You’ for the time and effort all of you have made in the creation of these beautiful quilts for people facing challenging situations.

Completed from CQ sandwiches or pieced tops:
Kathy and Erika (2), Sandra Barrett, Robert Gutcher (2), Kirsten Johnston, Helgard Koch, Martha Huffman, Cherie Leung  (4), Peter Byrne (own batting & backing),  Sylvia Rochetti, and Sylvia Peace

Completed quilts from their own stash:
Joan Lester, Phoebe Visser (4), Mary Hallam. Anne Coukell

There is a small re-design to our York Heritage Quilters Guild site… this front page will feature news from our guild, as well as articles online that might be of interest. Got a site you’d like to share? Email Valerie Prideaux with your suggestions. For highlights from previous quilt guild meetings, click on the Meeting Highlights in the header at the top of the web page.

The number of items that are given in at the Community Quilting table continues to astound. Despite the guild show in November, a total of 30-32 tops, quilted sandwiches and completed quilts were received. A huge THANK YOU to the following:

Completed quilts from their own stash:
Bev Newton (3) ; Phoebe Visser (5); Helen Fujiki (2); Joan Lester (2)

Completed quilt or quilted sandwich from CQ Kits:
Ana Gandolfi; Heather Black; Chris Trottier; Nancy Kee; Sheila Bieman; Helgard Koch; Val Wilson (2); Mary Ramsay; Janice McBride; Joy Takahashi; Erica Rao & Kathy Schofield together

Pieced tops from own stash:
Ann Hawkins (2)

Pieced tops from CQ kits:
Bev Moffett; Linda Hales; Margaret Whitehead; Helgard Koch; Linda Robitaille

Comfort Quilt Distribution:
HQG continues to support newcomers to Canada

A family of 5 children (age 12 to 19) from the Philippines joined their mother here in Toronto. Smiles & hugs all around when they were presented with a quilt for each family member, including Mom.

A Syrian family that is being sponsored by Fairlawn United Church arrives in Toronto in the third week of December and will find their beds adorned with 5 beautiful quilts (see photos).

Ten comfort quilts were given to the Hazel Burns Hospice – this organization was brought to my attention by Kathy Campbell, a CQ volunteer at Stan Wadlow.

Twenty quilts were delivered by Anne McLaughlin to Sojourn House whose mission statement is “To provide a safe place and create an inclusive environment where refugees are supported and empowered to pursue a life in Canada.

And, for the fourth year in a row, CQ gave two sets of three quilts (an adult, a child’s & a baby) to Sistering, a wonderful organization that offers support, care, meals and a safe haven for women & children in downtown Toronto. Each year they host two Holiday Parties at which donated items including quilts from YH are given out in a “free raffle”. Their executive director has told us that the quilts are highly prized by the recipients.

Thanks to Judy Messenger, Jane Cramer and Jacinta Bennell (who made two of the six) who gave generously of their time, talent and materials to make these quilts.

Any member interested in making a quilt for this project is asked to contact Wendy Dines, CQ facilitator.

Auction Quilt Distribution:

The following charities and not-for-profit organizations received a quilt to assist in their fundraising:

Assaulted Women’s Helpline, Breast Cancer Support Fund, Mom to Mom Africa, Macroglobulinemia Foundation of Canada, Humewood House, St Clare Inn, Toronto Intergenerational Partnership (TIGP) and the Catholic Women’s League.

Some of these organizations reached out to us to secure a donation. However, most recipient organizations came to our attention because a guild member approached the committee asking for a quilt donation. If you are a member of a not for profit organization which works in the area of supporting women, children and families, please contact Wendy Dines, CQ facilitator to see if your organization meets the Guild’s parameters for just such a donation.

We recently received a letter from Jaime Spitzer of the Assaulted Women’s Helpline, who had received a quilt from Community Quilts:

“Our 14th annual helpline gala was held on Friday November 17th, we are still tallying up the final numbers for everything, but we are very happy about the turnout.

We decided in order to maximize the proceeds from your beautiful quilt, we used it in a raffle in which we ended up raising $458.00!!

We are thrilled that the quilt brought in that much money, and we cannot thank the York Heritage Quilt Guild for their generous donation!”

Fabric is something all quilters hold dear to their hearts. Stitched in Color has an article that compares the various brands of solid fabrics out there. The author also talks about where the fabrics are manufactured, how they handle, and more. Interesting stuff!

Quilting by Prisoners? Why not? ? Tracey Chevalier has written a book called The Sleep Quilt. The quilt is made from blocks made by prisoners, on the theme of sleep.  “It sounds crazy to say that sewing can help people, but it is actually very therapeutic and calming,” says Chevalier. “And it’s an opportunity for these guys to make something beautiful and be praised for it and paid for it. She worked with Fine Cell Work, a group that teaches needlework to prisoners and pays them for the work they do. She ran a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to publish the book.

And last but not least, Pantone has announced their colour of the year: Ultra Violet (ie, purple!)

Happy quilting, see you January 16th 2018!

Now that you are in recovery mode, think about trying something new! Libs Elliott will be teaching at YHQG next week, and there is still time to sign up- email today. Your email will be directed to the right place! Libs classes are:

Rebel Quilt (Tuesday Nov 21)

Controlled Randomness (1/2 day: morning Wednesday Nov 22)
and The Wicked Hex Mini (1/2 day, afternoon Wednesday Nov 22)