Years of work will be on display at an upcoming quilt and craft show in Black Diamond.
The show takes place on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Griffiths Centre. It is the first show for the Griffiths Quilt and Craft group since 2019.
Quilter Maxine Nelson said quilts will be hanging on display, and that they look great in the Griffiths Centre.
“You walk in there, and you really appreciate the quilts,” said Nelson, adding they are “displayed really very nicely.”
Admission to the show is free, although the group will be accepting donations. Many of the quilts are donated to charity, and funds raised go towards the cost of materials, Nelson said.
Fabric is often donated to the group, but “there's still extras that we need to do this charity work,” she said.
Quilts are given to charities such as the Rowan House Society, the Children’s Hospital and the Calgary Pregnancy Care Centre. Scraps and leftovers are made into pet beds and given to animal shelters.
There will also be vendor tables with quilts and crafts for sale.
Since Nelson has made quilts for most of her family, she now puts her passion towards giving, and she donates much of her work.
“Now, I can concentrate on the charity quilting, as so many of our group does,” she said.
The groups meets at the Griffiths Centre every Monday, and on one Saturday per month, and would like to grow its membership.
One way it is doing that is by opening the group to people with other talents.
“We decided that we would shift from being strictly quilting to include crafters,” Nelson said. “We thought if we could get the local people in our area to come in and do knitting or needlework, or I'm not sure, any craft, that would work in our space.”
Nelson got started quilting after she learned to sew.
“From sewing, then I evolved into quilting," she said. "It's kind of natural.”
Besides quilting for charity, the social aspect of quilting is important to her, Nelson said.
“When we moved out here, that was one of the first things I had to look up. I had see if there was a quilt group in the area.”
It’s a great way to get together and have coffee and chat.
“That's part of quilt making, it’s the getting together," she said. "I could quilt at home, it wouldn't be half as much fun.
“We all enjoy quilting, and there’s so much to learn in quilting, even though it’s such an old craft. There’s always something new to learn.”
