Although now down to about nine regular members, the Heart and Home Quilt Club in Kamsack is pleased that it has been able to donate a total of 40 covers that are being made into Victoria’s Quilts for cancer patients.
“The most we’ve done in a year in the past was 24,” Colleen Koroluk, said on behalf of the club during a reception held December 11 in the Westminster Church lower hall where the quilters have been meeting since September.
Koroluk said that in addition to the quilt covers, members created three bags.
“Even though our regular classes in the United Church lower hall are finished, some of the members have taken fabric and patterns and will be continuing to sew at home,” she said, explaining that once the covers are made, they are taken to Bobbi Wanner of Madge Lake who adds the batting, backing and then quilts them using a long-arm machine.
After Wanner washes the quilts and sews a label onto each, she boxes them and ships them to Climax from where they are distributed to cancer survivors across Canada.
“Bobbi said that the people in Climax love seeing our beautiful, top-quality quilts and the last shipment had arrived in October just in time as they were out of quilts following the summer.
“In Climax, they said opening the box from Kamsack was always a surprise and they love to see what we had come up with,” she said. They said they were impressed with the design and quality of the quilts.
“We now have over 40 patterns to work from, which gives us lots of variety,” she said, adding that the tops are made from 100 per cent cottons or flannelettes which are mostly donated to the group.
“They’ve asked us to focus on quilts more appropriate for men,” she said, explaining that several of the members choose to stay at home to do their quilting.
Fabric used is primarily obtained from other club members and the extra non-cotton fabrics are donated to a group of women in Estevan who make pillowcase dresses, 50 at a time, for girls in the Third World.
In addition to sewing the tops for the quilts for Victoria’s Quilts, members inform others of shows, share techniques, patterns and website locations and tell one another of various sales of materials that they’ve hear of.
Members of the club who have been together since September include: Koroluk, Lynda Cherwenuk, Lydia Thomas, Marj Orr, Barbara Tanner, Bobbi Wanner, Alva Beauchamp, Carol Dutcheshen, Charlene Falkiner and Kim Lichtenwald.
