Jenni is the first person ever to have produced a quilting book in collaboration with Liberty London – the iconic British Brand renowned for their beautiful fabrics including Tana Lawn.
She is offering our Guild the unique experience of a lecture about the making of this book – which is newly released in 2021 and now selling worldwide. It comes with a cloth bound spine and beautiful slipcase and is a little bit special – here is why…

Liberty, as a company, is 145 years old and Jenni is an Art Historian by trade so each quilt in the book represents a decade in the history of one of the world’s most famous fabric manufacturers.

The lecture is a visual feast from Victorian England to the current day, celebrating art and craftsmanship via Arthur Liberty, William Morris and pioneering members of the Liberty Design Studio.

How did the son of a draper build such an incredible empire which draws people back year after year? Hear the fascinating story of the store’s construction and how this sparked some of the practical quilt patterns featured in the book.

Professional photography is used to highlight crucial developments in print technology, luxury base cloths and hear all about Jenni’s access to the Liberty archive with over 50,000 prints.

The book took over two years to produce and in this live lecture Jenni will share some of the dramas, laughter and tears along the way. Her passion for Liberty is infectious and you will gain new insights into this global brand.

www.jenni-smith.co.uk Instagram @jennismithsews

“Rachaeldaisy” has become synonymous with bold, colourful, eye popping quilts. and it’s no wonder after 20 years of being a florist experimenting and mastering colour and form.
Whilst honouring the tradition of quilting she continues to find fresh ways and new techniques to interpret conventional designs. Her use of 3D elements such as folded and gathered fabric techniques, yoyo puffs, prairie points, wool felt, appliqued and piece denim create beautifully unique textured work.

Her fresh interpretation of the art of quilting has seen her quilts awarded many prizes including Best in Show at both the 2015 and 2016 Australian Modern Quilt Show, Best in Show & Best in NSW at the 2016 Sydney Quilt Show. Most Innovative at 2017 Dare to Differ Contemporary Textiles Exhibition, 2017 Best Use of Colour Sydney Quilt Show. In 2018 her work was shown on the catwalks of Paris in collaboration with dynamic duo Romance Was Born. Rachaeldaisy’s quilts have been exhibited in quilt shows and galleries and featured in many publications both nationally and internationally. 
www.rachaeldaisy.com Instagram @bluemountaindaisy

Virtual doors open at 6.30 pm, and the meeting will start at 7 pm.

Do you have a special “treasure” that you use for sewing?  Perhaps a pin cushion handed down from a family member, or an heiroom quilt?  Anything sewing related that is special to you?  Bring it along for show and tell on June 3, 2021,which is the final Quilt Guild meeting until after the summer.  You are welcome to show your regular quilt finishes as well.  It will be fun to see everyone’s treasures!

The June 3rd meeting will also include the Annual General Meeting and a couple of other activities.  See you there!

Although we won’t be meeting formally in the summer, we will still be having Zoom Sew Days.  They will be held on June 12, July 17, and August 14, 2021.  Drop in any time between 10:00 am and 4:00pm to work on your projects and chat with other guild members.  They are lots of fun and a chance to get to know other quilters and share tips and tricks for quilting.

Virtual doors open at 6.45 pm, and the meeting will start at 7 pm.

Sandy and her husband, Peter, live in Burlington, Ontario, and she has been quilting for approximately 35 years. She has 2 sides to her quilting. One side is that she enjoys very intricate needle turn applique and wall hangings that are made entirely by hand. These take years to make and Sandy restores and uses antique lace in her creations. The other side is wild and funky where the quilts use inking, paint, free motion quilting, 3D embellishments and take months to make. She is a four time National Juried Show winner. The quilt shown here won an award at the World Quilt Competition for best Hand Workmanship. She was a judge at the NJS in Saskatoon, and has shown her pieces in many countries. Her passion is to share stories and her journey with others.

DESIGN AND CREATE YOUR JOURNEY

We all are on a quilting journey through our lives and that’s what brings us together – to share and celebrate that journey through time. Sandy explores what paths we take, what stops us and what energizes us in different directions, and showcases quilts and stories of how she has done these things by documenting family memories, travels, history, the love of a certain fabric, pattern, colour or technique, or challenges to learn new skills. What shapes your journey and what are you missing? This zoom trunk show Includes many of Sandy’s award-winning quilts, and a wonderful set of pictures from her travels to the Folk-Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, where she did research on antique chintz and hexagon quilts at the Antonio Ratti Textile Centre and Reference Library at the Metropolitan! Museum of Art A feast for the eyes – almost 100 slides, only a handful containing words!

We are pleased to host a ZOOM talk with Céleste Compion from Meerkat Shweshwe Fabrics on Thursday April 8th.  Virtual doors open at 6.45 pm, and the meeting will start at 7 pm.

Céleste’s Bio

Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, I come from a family of sewing and knitting enthusiasts. I started learning needlecrafts from the age of 5 and was introduced to quilting in 1985, when I joined a small weekly quilting group and by 1999 I started a quilting group of my own. I taught quilting and patchwork in my home and in a sewing store in Cape Town.

In 2001, we moved to Canada. Since our arrival, we have lived in beautiful Elora, on the edge of Mennonite country, and my first Canadian friends were quilters from local guilds in our region. For several years, all needlecraft took a back seat to the demands of settling and making a new life as an immigrant, but now I am immersing myself in the world of textiles and creativity as never before.

Driven by my passion for the beautiful creativity of South Africa, I aim to teach more people about it, by importing and distributing Shweshwe to North America. Shweshwe, often called the tartan of South Africa, is a heritage fabric with a fascinating story. My presentation, “The Bolt and the Beautiful: The Shweshwe Saga” is all about that story.

We are pleased to be able to Host a ZOOM talk with Lorena Uriarte on March 3rd, Wednesday, from 7-9pm.

Virtual doors open at 6.45 pm, and the meeting will start at 7 pm.

Lorena Uriarte makes quilts that span across the traditional and modern aesthetic.
She has been quilting for over 20 years and appreciates the history that informs her quilt practice today.  Her quilt designs range from simple and playful to complex and deeply technical.  Playing with different styles and techniques keeps her creative and always trying new things.

Lorena’s quilts have been exhibited in national and international shows, winning the occasional ribbon – though that is definitely not the aim.  Bed quilts, pragmatic and beautiful are her focus.

Lorena lives in Maroubra, a seaside suburb of Sydney, Australia.  When she’s not quilting she is swimming in ocean pools and growing her own veggies.  She also loves to bake!

You can follow Lorena’s creative journey on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lorena_in_syd/ and her website is https://lorenauriarte.com.

Virtual doors open at 6.45 pm, and the meeting will start at 7 pm.

World Wide Whispers – Team Canada

Do you remember that child’s birthday party game where the leader starts by whispering a sentence in the ear of the next participant and then continues around the room, evolving and changing from the original sentence? The World Wide Whispers (Team Canada) project uses the premise of this game, with a team of 13 quilters to create a collection of 13 wall quilts of which each piece evolved and changed from the previous one. The result is outstanding.

There are five World Wide Whispers teams – Team Scotland, Team Ireland, Team Netherlands, Team USA, and Team Canada. Kim is the leader for WWW Team Canada, and she invited a quilter or fibre artist from each province and territory across Canada to participate. Kim will introduce you to each of the carefully chosen teammates and unveil their unique and spectacular pieces of this magnificent collection.

Bio: Kim Caskey – Longarm Quilter, Instructor, Lecturer, Designer, Tour Host

I have been sewing and creating my whole life! My mother introduced me to sewing at age 5; I learned patience and techniques from my her in those early years, which allowed me to sail through the fiber and fashion parts of Home Economics classes in Junior and Senior High (the cooking segments were not so successful!).
I learned to knit and embroider from my Grannie, learned advanced garment construction from my mom, and picked up cross-stitching, crochet, tatting, and rug hooking along the way. Following high school, I received professional training in dressmaking and tailoring, completing the NAIT diploma program of tailoring.
​I began my quilting study with Earthly Goods Quilting (Premiere Quilt Shop, Edmonton, Alberta), in February 1992 – quite accidentally. My mother was unable to attend the Rotary Cutting class she was registered in, so I stepped in to fill her spot. I was immediately drawn to the wonderful samples and beautiful cotton and it wasn’t long before I was hooked.
I began teaching for local quilt shops and guilds in 1994 – and haven’t looked back! ​I am passionate about quilting and am grateful to have the opportunity to inspire others. My intent is to educate and enthuse in an atmosphere of fun and support. Students enjoy my relaxed way of teaching and appreciate my encouragement of confidence. I have taught classes at basic, intermediate, and advanced levels to enthusiastic students all over the world. Students describe me as entertaining, positive, knowledgeable and organized. (www.kimcaskey.ca)

January 14, 2021, 7:00 PM (Pacific) on Zoom

Get Your Motor Running

Learn how to spark creativity in yourself or in your guild with challenges that will have everyone thinking outside the box. This miniature trunk show has more ideas than you will know what to do with to get everyone not only learning new techniques but building their quilting and creative confidence.

Bio

Melissa grew up in Manitoba where she started her creative life thanks to her grandmother who lived next door. After making a couple of quilts she caught the quilting bug in 2001when she took a Log Cabin class to get rid of some fabric. This did not result in less fabric, but did result in a career in quilting. With the onset of COVID, she has developed online programs and classes and is busier than ever. She has written two books, Walking Foot Quilting Designs and Edge to Edge Walking Foot Quilting Designs. http://melissamarginet.ca/

This meeting starts at 6 pm, via Zoom

A love of fabric and quilts began the moment Valerie Wilson curled up beneath one of her grandmother’s quilts as a child.  Wilson has worked with fabrics from childhood, learning embroidery from her grandmother and garment sewing from her mother. She started out with traditional quilting, but soon decided that what she really yearned to do was create pictures from fabric. In 2002, Wilson started quilting and in 2014, fibre art became her full-time occupation. Having once been the owner of an architectural antique business, Valerie maintains a keen interest in old houses, and the people who lived in them. This is evident in Valerie’s current series; vintage portraits based on those brilliant old photos depicting the way we once were. Valerie combines a love of history and a curiosity about people from the past, to capture character in fabric.Valerie’s award-winning work has been exhibited from British Columbia to St. John’s, Newfoundland in Canada, and internationally from New Zealand to Houston, Texas. Valerie became the Fibre Art Network (FAN) Membership Co-ordinator in 2004, when she joined this co-operative of professional, Western Canadian fibre artists. And in 2016 became a Juried Artist Member of Studio Art Quilts Associates (SAQA). Valerie was born in Carberry, Manitoba, amongst the rolling sand hills. Craving change, she sampled life in the university town of Kitchener-Waterloo for a few years, but then decided that she could no longer resist the pull of the sunny climes of Manitoba, and now resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. https://valeriewilsonartist.com/

This meeting starts at 6 pm, via Zoom.

Hello folks, my name is Peter Byrne. 

I am an international award-winning, published modern quilter and teacher with a deep passion for innovation and design. My strength is maintaining a fresh approach to quilting, with original designs and technical mastery. 

My goal is innovation, my passion is creativity and I am thrilled to have opportunities to share new techniques within the quilting community. While attending QuiltCon 2020, my quilt titled ‘Starring You’ won Best in Show and my quilt titled ‘Cityscape” won Best Machine Quilting Frameless.

After 30 years working as a stylist and salon owner I retired, and then had the time to explore new creative outlets. I started making quilts in 2009 and to further my quilting experience, in 2017 I joined the Toronto Modern Quilting Guild and when I walked into that first guild meeting, I had never quilted a quilt. 

It was at this time, I became a full time student of the craft and 2 years later, I designed and made Starring You. I’m very excited to share my quilts, dreams and ambitions with you and look forward to meeting you at my Trunk Show! 

Sincerely, Peter Byrne. https://peterbquilts.com/

We will have a Guild Zoom meeting on September 17, 2020, @ 7 pm.  Our speaker will be Brandy Maslowski telling us about her quilting journey with a trunk show.  You will get further information from Janet H. prior to the meeting about signing into the Zoom meeting.

Bio
Brandy Maslowski is a Quilt teacher, speaker, judge and the author of children’s picture book Kristy’s Quilt. She has been a light-hearted stitcher for 30 years. From clumsy beginner quilter all the way to showing her fibre art in galleries, Brandy has a passion for fabric, stitch, colour, texture and everything quilting. She loves to travel the world with quilters to ignite their creativity with the tag line “More JOY, less OVERWHELM.” You can find her as the Quilter on Fire on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram or visit her website at www.quilteronfire.com.