2013-2014 Winter/Spring Meeting Dates:
Jan 7, 23; Feb 4, 20; Mar 11 (changed from 4th), 20; Apr 1, 17; May 6, 22, June 3, 19.
Jan 7, 23; Feb 4, 20; Mar 11 (changed from 4th), 20; Apr 1, 17; May 6, 22, June 3, 19.
About The Kingston Heirloom Quilters
"learning, sharing and working together"
"learning, sharing and working together"
A group, not a guild, Kingston
Heirloom Quilters was established in 1979 by graduate students of
quilting classes taught jointly by Margaret Rhodes and Diane Berry.
Their two level program endorsed the principles of traditional
quiltmaking, every stitch by hand, every aspect of the craft executed
with care and accuracy. It was a learning and sharing experience that
the students did not want to end. Directed by our former teachers, we
worked together on group quilts, learning to build them one step at a
time, and being ever open to that unpredictable effect that would lift
them a little above the ordinary. We try the latest trends and
techniques, then return to our greatest joy, the making of Masterpiece
Quilts.
We gather twice each month in
rented space. Originally, membership in Kingston Heirloom Quilters was
restricted to former students of the Rhodes/Berry quilting course, but
after a few years, these classes were disbanded as directing the group
took up most of our leader's time. On KHQ's fifth Anniversary, that
membership restriction was lifted so that our group could continue to
grow and thrive. And that it did. Throughout the next decade we had,
occasionally, to decline applications for membership when our numbers
exceeded sixty, the maximum allowed for our space.
The Kingston Heirloom Quilters have
acquired a reputation for fine workmanship. Our quiltmaking skills have
developed through working together on more than twenty group quilts
that the members have produced during the past two decades. Each and
every one has provided us with valuable learning experience. All are
unique, and most of them simply evolved as we worked on them, one stage
at a time.
In the early years, our former
teachers actively directed the group and kept a sharp eye on the quality
of our work, offering suggestions and one-on-one help to anyone having
difficulty. We also learned from the shared experiences of other members
working on their own quilts. Much of this was acquired during lunch
hour "critiques" when we would all participate in the search for a
solution to one another's quiltmaking dilemmas. But it was the group
quilts that taught us the most. We strove, always, to do what was best
for the quilt, without being swayed by personal preference.
As a "not for profit" group,
fundraising is not a mandate. However we have raised inexcess of $30,000
for local charities through raffling six of these quilts. Four of our
quilts are included in the Heritage Quilt Collection of the Agnes
Etherington Art Centre.
Several of our group quilts, as
well as those of our members have been juried into major shows and
featured in magazines, both in Canada and the USA. The International Round Robin Millennium Quilt Project
included the Canadian Quilt "Maple Leaves in Autumn", made by the
Kingston Heirloom Quilters. It was chosen to be featured on the souvenir
pins of the "Quilt Week Yokohama 2000" in Japan. The collection
travelled to Japan where 90,000 people attend this three day show.
