A group of Kamsack area women who from September to December met regularly to use each member’s crafting skills, primarily to benefit cancer victims, has begun a new series of weekly meetings.
They’re the members of the Heart and Home Quilt Club, and although they meet at the Westminster Memorial Church basement each Monday for camaraderie and to share patterns and techniques and such tips as where to buy their materials, the bulk of their time together is spent making covers for quilts.
The patchwork quilt covers are then delivered to Bobbi Wanner of Madge Lake who uses her long-arm quilting machine to complete the process, said Colleen Koroluk, leader of the quilting club. Once completed, the quilts are boxed and sent to Climax where each one gets a registration number as a Victoria’s Quilt and is marked as to the originators.
The all-cotton quilts are then donated to cancer victims.
Last year the group of eight Kamsack quilters sewed 24 quilt covers, using materials they and others had donated and in the past three years, the group has been responsible for the creation of about 50 such quilts.
“We’ve been told there’s a need for quilts for adults so we’d like to focus on making quilt covers using colours suitable for men,” Koroluk said, explaining that an adult’s quilt usually measures 50 inches by 70 inches.
Becoming a member of the Heart and Home Quilters Club would be great for anyone learning how to make quilts, she said. Only three or four of the members are actually sewing each week, the rest are ironing and cutting and learning.
“We need more hands,” she said.
The Kamsack quilters’ season began September 11, and will end in December when Koroluk leaves to spend the rest of the winter in the southern USA.
In addition to making the covers for Victoria’s Quilts, members attend quilting shows and share quilting experiences and help one another out with particular difficulties encountered in their quilting projects.
Victoria's Quilts Canada (VQC) provides handmade quilts to people living with cancer in Canada, says its website. “By providing these quilts, we hope to bring physical comfort to those dealing with cancer as well as spiritual comfort in knowing that they are not alone in their struggle.
