Best quilters in Canada found right here at home

Set in Stone full

The South Okanagan can boast some of the best quilters in Canada, as seen in the Canadian Quilters Association’s National Juried Show held in Penticton, May 16-18.

Marianne Parsons from Oliver won first place in the Original Design Abstract Pictorial category for her “Set in Stone” quilt (at left) with 5 fossil panels on it. The award came with a $1000 prize. Marianne is a member of the Fabricators, a local art quilt group, and the Double O Quilters Guild. She is also a member of the Fibre Art Network, and will participate in a curated show of work by that group at the La Conner Quilt Museum in La Conner, WA, Oct. 10 – Dec. 31, 2013. Two of her quilts can also be seen in the Grand National exhibit at the Josef Schneider Quilt Haus in Waterloo, ON for the summer.

Joan Bielun from Penticton (another one of the Fabricators) also won first prize in her category for her “Elements of Change” quilt featuring the giant Wave. It was nice to see that the first award of the evening ceremony in Penticton went to a Penticton resident! That quilt is the cover quilt on the national magazine, The Canadian Quilter, summer issue.

Maya Brouwer  Hide and Seek  TTex viewers choice

Maya Brouwer, a former Oliver resident, now a Double O Quilters Guild member living near Victoria and a Fabricator as well, won the Viewer’s Choice award for her Trend-Tex Challenge, “Hide and Seek” (at left). Her piece also earned the highest bid at the event.

Miriam March Lattice Garden

Miriam March is a Double O Quilters member and is a longarm quilter from Rock Creek. She took first place in Canada in the Bed or Wall Quilt longarm quilted category at Quilt BC with her quilt, “Lattice Garden”. (pictured foreground below, Pat Kelly photo, Boundary Creek Times)

Several other area quilters earned awards as well. Judy Harpur from Rock Creek, (who grew up in Oliver), earned a Judge’s Award for her quilt, “Picasso’s 39 Ford”, and Karen Thatcher from the Grand Forks area won 2nd place in the Original Design, Abstract Pictorial category. 

To see all of the winning quilts, go to www.canadianquilter.com then click on Galleries on the red bar, and then on NJS 2013.

Arts Jam! on tour to quilters Monday March 12

Oliver Community Arts Council members are invited to a special edition of the monthly Arts Jam! gathering of the membership. This month Arts Jam! goes on tour to visit one of the arts council’s member groups on their own “turf”. The event is hosted by the Double O Quilters on Monday 12th at 9:30 a.m. at the Oliver Community Centre hall.

Members will be treated to a special presentation of Double O talent, listen to some news from the quilters, and have a chance to share news from the various local arts groups. Goodies and beverages are graciously provided by the quilters guild.

The arts council will announce many of its own spring activities, including the Spring Arts Faire,  Arts and Culture Week events, and Showcase of Talent, in addition to a short summary of their recent AGM, and information on funding to arts groups.

A similar “tour” in the spring of 2011 (to the spinners and weavers) proved so popular that the council thought the venture worth repeating. Watch for more “Arts Jams on Tour” in the future, and find out about our members’s talents!

Arts Jam! usually occurs on the fourth Monday of every month at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre. This special tour replaces the usual fourth Monday gathering for March. The following Arts Jam will be Monday April 23 at 9:30 a.m. at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre.

Photo: A file photo from the 2011 “Quilts and Beyond” exhibit by the Double O Quilters Featuring the work of prize winner, Enid Baker.

Credit: Penelope Johnson 

 

Colour + Pattern + Texture + Creativity = WOW!

Here are some photos taken today at the Double O Quilters Guild’s Quilts and Beyond exhibit. If you don’t go, you are missing one amazing show. These fabric artists are among the best in Canada, including some national and international prize winners. Quilts, wall hangings, clothing, decorative items ,,,, all will utterly amaze you. Get on down to the Oliver Community Centre before it’s gone! 

Quilts and Beyond
Friday April 15
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday April 16
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Oliver Community Centre
FREE Admission
Exhibit, public voting, door prizes, silent auction items, concession,  merchants’ market and MORE!
 

Photo 1: Visitors take a close look at the striking Memories of Carol by Enid Baker, a montage of log cabin design variations.

Photo 2: Stars in the Universe by Myrna Allison. Paper-pieced quilt put together from the OUTside to the INside. A very challenging process with over 1300 pieces.

Photo 3: Falling Leaves by Colleen Baptiste. The leaves in this original design were traced from leaves in the yard that Colleen’s children picked up. Note the leaves in the blue fabric pieces behind.

Photo 4: Janet Retires by Enid Baker. Enid designed this with her friend Janet in mind. They taught at the same elementary shcool, Janet as a music teacher. “Trumpet in her right hand, fancy shoes in her left, [she] is off to march to her own drummer now.” Note the three-dimensional elements: wind-blown hair, flying skirt, and “props”.  

Photo 5:  Birches in the Snow by Dianne Birnie. The background is a piece of hand-dyed fabric enhanced with Shiva paint sticks and thread play. For the trees, she used commercial fabric shaded with Shiva, Crayon, netting and threads. Inspired by a painting.

Note: All photos taken with express permission from the Double O Quilters Guild for OCAC use. 

Photo credit: Penelope Johnson

Quilts and Beyond! Friday and Saturday

The Double O Quilters Guild presents

Quilts and Beyond

Friday April 15
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday April 16
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Oliver Community Centre
FREE Admission
Exhibit, demonstrations, door prizes, merchant mall, silent auction, and MORE!