If one of your New Year’s Resolutions included learning a new skill, maybe the beautiful, time-honoured tradition of quilt making is in your future. With monthly meetings filled with fascinating speakers, demonstrations, presentations and, of course, socializing, a guild is a great way to get out of the house and meet like-minded and friendly individuals, all while giving back to the community.

“Our core values are very important,” says Rebecca McAlpine, president of the Oakville Quilters Guild. “Our local, provincial and national outreach programs are fantastic and ongoing. We encourage all members to create one quilt a year to hand out to charity, and we strive for between 90 and 100 a year in total.”

Last year guild members were challenged to create 150 quilts in honour of Canada’s 150th birthday, but they managed an incredible 221, all handed out to local community programs, including Big Brothers and Sisters, The Red Cross and various children’s charities.

Founded in 1994, the guild boasts an impressive 96 members, some of whom have been involved since its inception, and are still active today. Members range from beginners to internationally renowned, and come from a wide-ranging age background, some working full-time jobs and some in retirement.  The guild puts on a large three-day weekend quilt show every four years. The next show will be spring 2020.

“We not only have monthly meetings, presentations and raffles but we also display our works in the community,” says McAlpine. “The QE Park Community Centre houses our quilts in a rotation throughout the year, and we also take part in various family and cultural days, teaching kids to quilt one on one.” Still wondering if quilting is your ‘thing’? Guests are welcome to drop in every month, for just $7 a visit. Meetings are held every third Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Central Baptist Church, located at the corner of Rebecca St. and Morden Rd.

The Halton Quilters Guild, which just recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, also embraces not only the creative aspects of the fine art, but the outreach and community involvement on a regular, ongoing basis. “Our mandate is to enhance the knowledge of quilting and to commit to community projects,” says president Jean Decaire. “Our outreach program includes making quilts to donate to various charities such as the McMaster Neo-natal unit, the Salvation Army, hospices and other organizations.”

Guild members create about 100 quilts a year, and each member tries to donate one quilt a year. Among other activities, the guild offers monthly guest speakers, an informative and up-to-date library, a newsletter and a $100 scholarship for a deserving textile student. “It’s difficult to predict how long a quilt takes to complete,” says Decaire. “It all depends on the available time of the quilter and the intricacy of the design, and many of our members are working full-time jobs as well.”

The guild also strives to preserve quilting as the enduring and beautiful art form it is, establish, maintain and upgrade quilting standards, encourage an exchange of ideas and methods, and participate in community projects. The Halton Guild meets on the first Thursday of each month from September to June at the Mainway Recreation Centre in Burlington.

So whether you’re serious about learning a stunning and timeless handicraft, or just want to try your hand at a new hobby while making some friends, a local quilting guild has everything you need, from knowledgeable members to friendship to fun nights out. Quilting is truly a labour of love.

by Allison Dempsey

Local Links

Oakville Quilters’ Guild
oakvillequiltersguild.ca

Halton Quilters’ Guild
haltonquiltersguild.ca

Guilds were originally formed in the Middle Ages in order to oversee the practice of their craft in a certain locale. The earliest guilds were like a brotherhood of tradesmen. Today they function more as social and creative outlets.

You might think you’d have to be an expert in a guild’s craft in order to join. Has anyone become a member without any experience whatsoever? “Yes, me,” kids Murray MacDougall, president of the Burlington Sculptors and Woodcarvers Guild. Just prior to retirement, MacDougall says he was worried he would have nothing to do. He was invited to come and give it a try. That was four years ago. He says the best aspect has been “Keeping the brain going. That was my goal.”

Richard Darjes, president of the Oakville Sculptors & Woodcarvers Guild, is also a retiree and a hobbyist woodcarver who’s also interested in stone carving. One of the benefits about being a member, he says, is that everyone’s more than happy to share their talent. “I’ve watched people doing stone carving and they’ve shared their tips. It’s actually a great group of people to be a part of.” He also enjoys the deliberate 3pm coffee break when anyone present can sit in the senior’s centre and enjoy a chat.  “We have a great time sharing with one another. That’s made it a very social organization. Carving (or maybe any art) can be a little solitary when you’re not part of a group.”

Oakville Sculptors & Woodcarvers Guild

The Guild was formed in 2002, and currently has 24 members who meet every Thursday at Queen Elizabeth Park Community & Cultural Centre. Members meet in the woodshop to enjoy socializing with like-minded individuals, and they exchange ideas and techniques. The Oakville guilds have a full compliment of power tools for use, though most people own their own tools. The Guild participates in wood shows and exhibitions, including Oakville’s annual Art in the Park.

Burlington Sculptors & Woodcarvers Guild

The Guild operates out of the Art Gallery of Burlington. Woodcarvers meet weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays; sculptors meet every Friday. Members whittle away their time crafting many different kinds of work: folk art, stone, spoons, birds and wildlife, intarsia, bowls, stylistic interpretations and many others. Ages of the members cover a wide range: there are a few teenagers mixed in with the older members – from about age 15 to 80, according to MacDougall. There are also some ladies involved, and some people who both carve and sculpt. The Burlington Guild runs juried exhibitions, participates in various gallery sales and area woodcarving competitions, and they also perform carving demonstrations for local schools and charitable organizations.

The objectives of both guilds are essentially the same: to bring people together who share a common interest, to provide opportunities for them to share ideas and their love of art, and to promote appreciation for carving and sculpting in the community. For example, the Burlington Guild makes canes for local veterans. “We carve the handle in the shape of a beaver. Everyone does it differently so they’re all unique. On the staff the person’s name and rank is carved,” says MacDougall.

On any given meeting day you’ll find people working on different projects and with different tools. “Carving is a great deal of fun actually,” says Darjes. “Learning to think in three dimensions has taken a little time. Being able to think about the object I’m going to make and how to represent that in wood is part of the learning curve that makes it interesting.”

By Becky Dumais

Local Links

Burlington Sculptors & Woodcarvers Guild
burlingtonsculptorsandwoodcarvers.com

Oakville Sculptors & Woodcarvers Guild
oswguild.org