The Leading Light Award

Not many people have heard of the "Leading Light Award" and I am not surprised! Let me go back a bit. In the late 1970's our provincial craft organization, NSDCC, began to plan a national juried exhibition of fine Nova Scotia crafts that would be called "Profile '81". The committee organizing this exhibition was made up of mainly women from quite a few different craft mediums from the fibre arts (weaving, quilting, needlework) to metal arts to pottery etc. We had such a great time at our meetings that they also became social events which would usually involve a pot luck lunch or dinner. Soon after that one of the committee members moved to her own apartment after her marriage ended so we had a surprise shower for her to stock her kitchen with a few necessities.

Most of the "Brunch Bunch".

Next thing we knew we were making plans for another get-together for someone else's birthday, as if we needed an 'excuse"! Next thing we knew we had a name "The Brunch Bunch" and now 30+ years later we are still gathering for birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's Day and just whenever we feel a need to see one another. Over the years we have lost Marian (our matriarch) and Sandra and we miss them both terribly. But hardly a gathering will go by without their names coming up. They both had a great influence on all of us.

"The Leading Light Award" was Marian's wonderful idea, though some hold it in higher regard than others! It is the epitome of tacky! We have accomplished a lot, we have been recognized by our peers for our craft, for our volunteer efforts, for our dedication to our provincial and national organizations. We have had solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, invitational exhibitions and we had a Brunch Bunch Exhibition at the Lunenburg Art Gallery. Many of us have had our work published and many of us have written about our craft for publication. A few have written or are writing books abut their craft.

I received "The Leading Light Award" when my quilt, Waternish Star was awarded an Honourable Mention for Bed Quilts at the Canadian Quilters Association annual juried exhibition. This quilt was hand pieced (the 2 outside broders were machined sewn on to the quilt), hand quilted and it has over 4,000 pieces. I was thrilled with both awards!

"The Leading Light Award" comes with one criteria - it must be displayed! It is awarded when one of our bunch accomplishes something, does something extraordinary. The person who has it can decide who gets it next, there is no time restraint. I have had it for some time. It was displayed in my sewing room, on a shelf in full view! I really did cherish having it, to be so honoured by such a gifted, creative and supportive group. I recently passed it on to Jamie for her dedication and determination to provide students and artists with the best paper available from the Japanese Paper Place and for her amazing handmade books (and quilts). Jamie will get to enjoy this award for a while then it will be her turn to decide who gets it next. Can't wait to see who it is!

Catching Up Yet Again!

Every two years my Guild has a quilt show. It is held during the Scarecrow Festival weekend at the end of September. It is a busy time getting ready, not only for my entries but I do the show labels and signs or I should say I do it with a lot of help from Peter. He is a whiz when it comes to using Pagemaker, much easier and quicker than me struggling with it and asking him questions all the time! More pictures from our quilt show can be found here.

All ready for visitors.

Peter and Brian helping to hang the show.

 Molly's quilt Pinkalicious Parade, all ready to be mailed to Calgary where they already have had snow!  

Blessings my challenge, a table runner

My bee, the Cove Quilters have taken on the responsibility for the Silent Auction of the Guild Challenges. This year the money raised is going to be donated to Christmas Daddies, a charity that makes Christmas happen for needy families through donations and a telethon to be held early December. We put together 32 kits of 5 different fabrics, all were sold and we got back 21 finished pieces. Despite the lower number of completed challenges, we made more money than we ever have before, over $1700. All in all a very satisfying Silent Auction. 

Cheryl in front of the fabric barn at Suttles and Seawinds in Mahone Bay, NS.

Inside Suttles and Seawinds

Just before the Quilt Show we had a visit from very dear friends from England who were on a cruise that took them to Norway, Iceland, Greenland, NS and then on to New York. They were supposed to go to the Hebrides and St. John's as well but the weather and the small detail of a hurricane axed that plan and they got in to Halifax a day early. So we had a wonderful dinner at the Wooden Monkey then the next day picked them up for a jaunt to the South Shore and then lobsters and a visit with 2 of our Grandchildren here. All in all a most wonderful and treasured couple of days! I don't think we stopped taking for a second. Lucky for us it was a picture perfect day and warm.

At Pier 20, Halifax waterfront, on to NYC!

Then last Thursday I was asked to do a trunk show for my "city" guild, the Mayflower Quilters Guild. Mayflower is kind of the "mother guild" for NS with about 10 chapters around the province. They began in 1974, just a year after I started quilting. I jumped right in and joined, so happy to find a group of women who also loved to do what I did. Over the years I served on many committees and did my bit by doing the program and workshops and serving as President, as well I was on both Quilt Canada committees in 1984 and 1994. So when I was asked to do the trunk show I was thrilled to gather up my 39 years worth of quilts and share them with the members of Mayflower. I was pleased to see some familiar faces in the audience, several who go back as far as I do. I felt like I was in a race - 39 years of quilting in one hour! Many of my quilts and wallhangings have been given to family and friends or sold on commission but I think I gave them a good cross section of what I have done and several quilts in progress. I just can't work on one thing at a time! If you go here you can see some of the quilts taken by the Guild's photographer (I hope that works!). Just click on the right hand side of the picture, in the middle, to see the slide show.

September 2

Fourteen years ago, on September 2 at approximately 10:30 pm our community was rocked by an event that changed us all forever. Swiss Air flight 111 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean not far from where we live. All 229 people on board died.

My memories of that night are still very vivid. The low lying clouds, the mist not really foggy but heavy, moist air. I heard a plane go over, a low rumbling sound, not alarming as we are on the trans Atlantic flight path from the east coast of North America to Europe and some say there are about 800 flights a day fly over Nova Scotia. Very soon the sirens started, fire trucks, RCMP, ambulances. They didn't let up. Soon the dreaded "breaking news" interuption came on the tv saying a plane had gone down. Local fisherman took to their boats quickly for the rescue effort but it was not to be. 

In the days and months ahead my community rallied behind the families of the victims to provide whatever they needed, rallied to support the troops who came to search our shoreline. We baked and cooked for them, we consoled them and we met some extraordinary people.

I first met Nancy through my neighbours, their connection is a remarkable story of coincidence. Nancy was a single Mom, her only child Rowenna was one of the 229 passengers killed in the crash. Rowenna was 18 years old and was on her way to school in Switzerland to study hotel management. In November of 1998, the Piecemakers Bee of the Mayflower Quilters Guild met Nancy at the Comfort and Joy Quilt Show, our annual fundraiser for the QEll Hospital. I had suggested to my neighbour, also a quilter that Nancy might like to come to our quilt show. She was in Halifax for some meetings about what had happened. Nancy thoroughly enjoyed her time at the show. While there she shared with us pictures of her daughter. Her great loss was one that touched us all and we wanted to do something for her to help ease that pain. It just seemed natural that we should make her a quilt.

I placed a notice in the January issue of the Guild newsletter asking for donations of 6” or 12” blocks. All we requested was that the pattern be a star block of any design. The blocks could be pieced or appliqued and had to be in by the end of March.

Some of the star blocks.

We received 75 blocks from 73 quilters from all over Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, New York and England. It soon became apparent that we would be making a large quilt! By using all the blocks without sashing, the quilt would measure 84”x108”, a generous queen-size quilt. The quilt all came together so well, just a few adjustments to balance out the yellows were needed.

The Piecemakers quilting Celestial Rows

Some of the Piecemakers Lenore, Madge, Viola and Ruth and frneds Diana and Debbie.

The top was then pieced and the layers basted together. The Piecemakers began the quilting using a floor model Q-Snap frame, we chose this method rather than a large frame so that we could transport the quilt easily to other groups. It worked very well and soon with the help of friends, the centre was done and it was ready to be passed on to another group of quilters. All in all 4 different groups hand quilted the quilt. A total of 98 quilters participated in this project. I had been in touch with Nancy through the summer to tell her about the quilt and to arrange a time to show it to her when she would be in Halifax that September for the one-year memorial services.

Nancy and her quilt Celestial Rows.

The label on the back documents everyone who made a block and everyone who quilted on the quilt.

On Thursday September 16, 1999, Nancy came to the Mayflower QG meeting and saw the quilt for the first time. Needless to say she was overwhelmed by the quilt and all the work that went into making it. The quilt, we named “Celestial Rows” (we named the quilt this not knowing Nancy's nickname for her daughter was "Rows" and it was also a coincidence that we used this cabbage rose print for the backing!) was displayed at the Mayflower QG “Comfort and Joy” Quilt Show. After the quilt show we sent it to Nancy. We know over the years it has brought her much warmth and comfort. 

We have remained in touch over the years as have many members of our community with the Swiss Air families. Several of us have also made children's quilts for the grandchildren of Janet and David who lost their youngest son Monte. That is another story and another wonderful friendship.

Thank you so much to all the quilters helped with this project and to Nancy, Janet and David, Darren and Yvette, Shannon and Dan, Marci and Seth and your families, you will always be in our hearts.