UNITY — After a two-year hiatus, the two quilters’ clubs in Unity had a chance to get together in the Unity Community Centre for their annual retreat, Quilt 'Til You Wilt, April 1-3. This year the Unity club hosted; next year it is the Round Valley Quilters’ turn.
Forty women gathered to cut, stitch and press, sharing tips with each other, offering suggestions and helping to hold up finished quilt tops to show off. Members of the United Church even took their quilts to Sunday morning’s service for show and tell. Sisters, mothers and daughters and old and new friends came together to create large and small quilts, and even a rag rug was being sewn together. A lot of scraps and lint are accumulated in the process, and these are saved for stuffing pet beds. There were several steam irons around the hall, and cutting tables large enough to arrange partially constructed quilt pieces.
Many quilts were on display, but sadly the public was not invited to come in for a viewing. Veronica from Black Orchid Quilting brought half a store full of fabrics and patterns for sale. Marcella Pederson was on hand to perform healing reflexology. There were many silent auction items, door prizes of flowers from Hollyhock’s Greenhouse and a basket of fabrics contributed to by each attendee, which meant one lucky seamstress went home with 40 pieces of co-ordinated blue and white pieces, fodder for another project.
The retreat offers quilters a chance to work uninterrupted — no cooking or childcare tasks, no needy family members taking them away from their hobby. Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon the whir of machines was steady, and the sound of friends reconnecting and laughing was steady as well. Delicious meals were prepared by Kraft’s and Jan Taylor, and coffee and tea were at the ready.
Both Friday and Saturday nights the group gathered around a long table to play Strip Poker: each brings four strips of fabric in a particular colour group, and each rolls the dice to see whether she gets to keep her strips or throw them into the centre, and the last person with a strip left gets the whole pile. This year those piles were well over 100 strips, enough to make more than one project. The level of competition and the shrieks of laughter would surprise a non-quilter; for even though there was no alcohol consumed, the party is pretty wild.
Next year’s event already has more than 50 quilters registered, so the fun goes on.
