Arnprior & District Quilters' Guild Newsletter - March 2025
President's Message
We are quilters! We are obsessive about fabric. We store mountains of materials in our homes. We pet our fabric. We enter quilt stores and instantly feel like we are home. Quilting tools and gadgets catch our eye. We pour over patterns, our choice of books are quilting magazines. We are the people who cut perfectly lovely, large pieces of fabric into tiny pieces, just to sew them back together into large pieces again! Our families, our friends…any acquaintance really, may be gifted a quilt. We make friends, connected by our hobby. We travel in packs, to different quilt stores, just for a day of pure enjoyment. We are delighted to see each other's creations and to share our knowledge. We are quilters…a proud bunch of wonderful creative women, that I am so very glad are in my life!
Cheers to us!
-- Anne Cruickshank, Co-President
Cheers to us!
-- Anne Cruickshank, Co-President
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March Guild Meeting
When? We hope you'll join us on Wednesday March 26, via Zoom. The meeting begins at 7 PM with "doors opening" at 6:45 PM Watch your email a day or two before the meeting for the Zoom link to connect to this meeting. How? A basic familiarity with Zoom is required by meeting attendees and can be acquired in advance of the meeting using the Learning resources on the Zoom website Since this will be a sew night (more details below), ensure that you have your meeting device (tablet, phone, computer/laptop) set up near your sewing station. Visitors We are welcoming visitors to our Zoom meetings this year. Visitors must register in advance of the meeting. How to Register Program
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This will be a key activity in our ongoing March Preemie Month - it's our preemie quilt sew night! We will be partaking, together, in the making of a Preemie quilt. Should be fun, seeing all our members sewing together. Have everything ready to go, including all your cutting done. We'll see how many preemie quilts can be completed in 2 hours.
Preemie Quilt References: Since we'll be so busy sewing, and then showing, our preemie quilts, there will not be a regular Show and Tell at this meeting.
Feel free to invite your quilting friends to join us for our Preemie Sew Night. Please direct them to the Visitor Registration information page so they can register as a guest for the evening.
Preemie Quilt References: Since we'll be so busy sewing, and then showing, our preemie quilts, there will not be a regular Show and Tell at this meeting.
Feel free to invite your quilting friends to join us for our Preemie Sew Night. Please direct them to the Visitor Registration information page so they can register as a guest for the evening.
Preemie Quilts at our 2023 Quilt Show
Charity Challenge March 2025
How are you coming along with your Preemie quilts for our March preemie challenge? Fine, I hope. Remember, I"m here to help out with flannel backing, batting and ADQG labels.
Which guild will create the most Preemie Quilts by March 31?
While the winners of our month long challenge to the Quilt Guild of Renfrew and Area will be the little patients in the Ottawa Hospital's neonatal Special Care Nursery, we hope that our ADQG will come out on top!
-- Marilyn Erskine, Charity Co-ordinator
How are you coming along with your Preemie quilts for our March preemie challenge? Fine, I hope. Remember, I"m here to help out with flannel backing, batting and ADQG labels.
Which guild will create the most Preemie Quilts by March 31?
While the winners of our month long challenge to the Quilt Guild of Renfrew and Area will be the little patients in the Ottawa Hospital's neonatal Special Care Nursery, we hope that our ADQG will come out on top!
-- Marilyn Erskine, Charity Co-ordinator
Programs
Tinners
Tins at the December meeting
Tinners participants can exchange the tins during the winter Zoom months, January to March.
-- Joyce Murray, Tinners Co-ordinator
- If you live in the Arnprior area you can exchange your tin through me, Joyce. Phone 613-623-5513 to be sure I am home. You can also just exchange with someone if you are able.
- In the Renfrew area you can contact Sue Hodgins at 613-432-2704 should you need assistance.
-- Joyce Murray, Tinners Co-ordinator
Trip Around Arnprior Block
Block of the Month
Block of the Month is continuing through the winter months. The draws for all of the December to March blocks will be at the April meeting so please keep them safe until then, and there will be a lot of winners!
Instructions for Shirley's choice, the Trip Around Arnprior block that was introduced at the February meeting are available on the Block of the Month page.
Brenda's March block will be introduced at the guild meeting and instructions will be available shortly after the meeting. Thank you Brenda for volunteering to do a second block when March unexpectedly opened up. And thank you Emma for also volunteering. Emma will give us a block in June to make over the summer and display at our September meeting.
-- Janet Brownlee, BOM Co-ordinator
Block of the Month is continuing through the winter months. The draws for all of the December to March blocks will be at the April meeting so please keep them safe until then, and there will be a lot of winners!
Instructions for Shirley's choice, the Trip Around Arnprior block that was introduced at the February meeting are available on the Block of the Month page.
Brenda's March block will be introduced at the guild meeting and instructions will be available shortly after the meeting. Thank you Brenda for volunteering to do a second block when March unexpectedly opened up. And thank you Emma for also volunteering. Emma will give us a block in June to make over the summer and display at our September meeting.
-- Janet Brownlee, BOM Co-ordinator
Nametag Challenge
There's still plenty of time to make your own nametag in time for the April meeting. In response to the rapidly increasing cost of the magnetic nametags, Lucy invited us all to design and make our own nametag to wear starting when we meet again in person at the April meeting.
Upcoming Guild Events
In-town Retreat
April 11-12
This popular in-town retreat at the Kinburn Community Centre quickly filled up.
Information for those registered can be found here.
April 11-12
This popular in-town retreat at the Kinburn Community Centre quickly filled up.
Information for those registered can be found here.
Star Strip Paper Piecing Workshop NEW!!!
Tuesday May 20
Tuesday May 20
This is a workshop run by Helen Gunn (Quilt Guild of Renfrew and Area) using Peggy Martin's Quick-Strip Paper Piecing method for doing repeat units, using material efficiently! It will take place May 20th, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Horton Community Centre in Renfrew, $40 per person. Bring your own lunch.
More news to follow with registration email next week.
-- Martha Palmer
More news to follow with registration email next week.
-- Martha Palmer
Recent Guild Events
Urban Runner Workshop
On Saturday, March 15th, 14 members of our Arnprior & District Quilt Guild gathered to attend the Urban Runners using the Quick Curve Ruler workshop given by Katrina Kahn. The workshop and location, arranged by Lucy Shorey, our program coordinator, was located in the gathering room of the Arnprior library. The room, spacious for 14 people, included tables and bright windows. We all paired up in twos and set ourselves up for learning with Katrina in the center.
Katrina, an experienced quilting teacher, was well prepared with a list of materials needed, including pre-cut instructions for creating the Urban Runner by Sew Kind of Wonderful. She not only knows the pattern really well, but she also is very familiar with the language and writing style of the pattern designer. She was able to guide us through the step-by-step instructions very clearly; one of the most memorable reminders to us was ‘use each sentence like a bullet statement’. The many steps were broken down clearly and understood by all of us.
Using the curved ruler on the precut pieces was our first big task of the class. Seeing the benefits of the ruler helped us begin to appreciate the multi-use design. It has a beautiful guided curve and allows for some additional “oops” areas. We cut and completed at least four sections of our urban runner under Katrina‘s careful guidance and tutelage, and everybody was very happy with their results. Katrina also brought a number of the quilts that she had used from this pattern and the Sew Kind of Wonderful curved ruler designs, which were extensive in both design and colour. They were an inspiration to us all. We very much appreciated Katrina‘s skills, patience, humour and dedication to creative quilting.
-- Martha Palmer
Katrina, an experienced quilting teacher, was well prepared with a list of materials needed, including pre-cut instructions for creating the Urban Runner by Sew Kind of Wonderful. She not only knows the pattern really well, but she also is very familiar with the language and writing style of the pattern designer. She was able to guide us through the step-by-step instructions very clearly; one of the most memorable reminders to us was ‘use each sentence like a bullet statement’. The many steps were broken down clearly and understood by all of us.
Using the curved ruler on the precut pieces was our first big task of the class. Seeing the benefits of the ruler helped us begin to appreciate the multi-use design. It has a beautiful guided curve and allows for some additional “oops” areas. We cut and completed at least four sections of our urban runner under Katrina‘s careful guidance and tutelage, and everybody was very happy with their results. Katrina also brought a number of the quilts that she had used from this pattern and the Sew Kind of Wonderful curved ruler designs, which were extensive in both design and colour. They were an inspiration to us all. We very much appreciated Katrina‘s skills, patience, humour and dedication to creative quilting.
-- Martha Palmer
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February Guild Meeting
Wednesday February 19 via Zoom
Our guest speaker was Bonnie Rankin, a CQA/ACC Certified Quilt Judge, and the National Juried Show Coordinator for this year's Quilt Canada in Toronto in June 2025.
In her presentation Bonnie showed and discussed the winners of the 2024 National Juried Show, outlining what judges are seeing at all levels of quilt shows. She also pointed out the most common problems quilters encounter, and provided some tips on how to prevent them. A great presentation!
Photos of the award winning projects from Quilt Canada 2024 can be found here. Click/tap on a photo for details about the maker and the project.
Wednesday February 19 via Zoom
Our guest speaker was Bonnie Rankin, a CQA/ACC Certified Quilt Judge, and the National Juried Show Coordinator for this year's Quilt Canada in Toronto in June 2025.
In her presentation Bonnie showed and discussed the winners of the 2024 National Juried Show, outlining what judges are seeing at all levels of quilt shows. She also pointed out the most common problems quilters encounter, and provided some tips on how to prevent them. A great presentation!
Photos of the award winning projects from Quilt Canada 2024 can be found here. Click/tap on a photo for details about the maker and the project.
* * * * * * Schedule of Guild Meetings and Activities * * * * * *
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Check out our Blog for posts (and lots of pics) about these guild meetings.
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Membership
Feb 19th, we had 34 participants signed onto Zoom with three people sharing on so a total of 37 attending.
Our membership is currently at 76 people. We continue to offer guests free attendance on zoom meetings, (registration required) our last of which will be Wednesday, March 26.
-- Martha Palmer, Membership
Feb 19th, we had 34 participants signed onto Zoom with three people sharing on so a total of 37 attending.
Our membership is currently at 76 people. We continue to offer guests free attendance on zoom meetings, (registration required) our last of which will be Wednesday, March 26.
-- Martha Palmer, Membership
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Sustainability Initiatives
Textile Repair Event
A Textile Repair Café will take place at the Arnprior + District Museum on Saturday, April 19th, 2025 from 2 to 4 pm.
Community members can bring and repair clothing and household textiles with support from knowledgeable neighbours. Admission to the general public is free.
This event will offer encouragement to not contribute to landfills by fixing items participants already own, while promoting skills-exchange among neighbours, and socializing, including connecting older folks who are likely to have these skills with younger generations.
Our guild members (of all ages!) have been invited to attend as the "knowledgeable neighbours", the expert sewers who will do some hands on sewing to repair the various items, while sharing our knowledge, experience and skills with the attendees. All equipment and supplies will be provided, including sewing machines.
If you are interested in helping out at this event please contact Emily at the museum by email or phone (613) 623-4902.
Our guild has a long history with the museum with various members volunteering their time to repair the museum's quilts and other fabric items, and in the pre-Covid/Zoom days, our guild executive meetings were held at the museum.
Community members can bring and repair clothing and household textiles with support from knowledgeable neighbours. Admission to the general public is free.
This event will offer encouragement to not contribute to landfills by fixing items participants already own, while promoting skills-exchange among neighbours, and socializing, including connecting older folks who are likely to have these skills with younger generations.
Our guild members (of all ages!) have been invited to attend as the "knowledgeable neighbours", the expert sewers who will do some hands on sewing to repair the various items, while sharing our knowledge, experience and skills with the attendees. All equipment and supplies will be provided, including sewing machines.
If you are interested in helping out at this event please contact Emily at the museum by email or phone (613) 623-4902.
Our guild has a long history with the museum with various members volunteering their time to repair the museum's quilts and other fabric items, and in the pre-Covid/Zoom days, our guild executive meetings were held at the museum.
Textile Recycling
I suspect that quilters are the original low-waste people with our inclination to hoard our leftover (and unused!) fabrics, and to use up even the smallest scraps in our projects.
This Our Social Fabric post recently caught my attention, and I decided to look into this endeavour.
This Our Social Fabric post recently caught my attention, and I decided to look into this endeavour.
Here's the impressive history of Our Social Fabric.
And while there was no quilting cotton currently available in their online store when I checked just now, they have an impressive quantity of other fabric and various items available.
-- Janet Brownlee
CQA Activities
Photos of the award winning projects from Quilt Canada 2024 can be found here.
Click/tap on a photo for details about the maker and the project.
You can monitor the evolving plans for Quilt Canada 2025 here.
The Canadian Quilters' Association is very active on social media and you can follow along on Facebook or Instagram.
Dates are June 18-21 2025. More info on our website here.
Browse the CQA Events Calendar for information about quilting events across Canada by province, territory, or date.
Click/tap on a photo for details about the maker and the project.
You can monitor the evolving plans for Quilt Canada 2025 here.
The Canadian Quilters' Association is very active on social media and you can follow along on Facebook or Instagram.
Dates are June 18-21 2025. More info on our website here.
Browse the CQA Events Calendar for information about quilting events across Canada by province, territory, or date.
Are you interested in this bus trip to Quilt Canada next June?
Upcoming Quilt Shows
I try to track down any upcoming shows in Eastern Ontario, and when requested, I publish information about shows that are further afield.
Here's a rather lengthy list of the upcoming shows that I'm aware of.
Here's a rather lengthy list of the upcoming shows that I'm aware of.
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Location |
Dates |
Guild |
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Etobicoke ON |
March 28-29 |
Etobicoke Quilters Guild |
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Cornwall ON |
April 11-12 |
Cornwall Quilters Guild |
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Whitby ON |
April 25-26 |
Kindred Hearts Quilt Guild |
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Napanee ON |
April 26-27 |
Heritage Quilters Guild |
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Ottawa ON |
May 9-10 |
Ottawa Valley Quilters Guild |
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Millbrook ON |
May 9-10 |
Millbrook Needlers Quilt Guild |
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Lindsay ON |
May 30-31 |
Lindsay Creative Quilters Guild |
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Petawawa ON |
May 31- June 1 |
Pembroke Log Cabin Quilt Guild |
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Mississauga ON |
June 18-21 |
Canadian Quilters Association Quilt Canada |
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Smiths Falls ON |
July 11-12 |
Lanark County Quilters Guild |
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Conn ON |
July 16-19 |
Creekbank Sewing Centre |
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Almonte ON |
September 6-7 |
Mississippi Valley Textile Museum |
See the Upcoming Quilt Shows page on our website for detailed information about the shows listed above.
Tips:
Tips:
- You can find the up-to-date quilt show information at any time on our web site More... --> Resources --> Upcoming Quilt Shows
- If you know of any upcoming local shows that are not listed on our web site, please let us know so we can share that information with all of our guild members. We are often asked by quilt guilds from both near and far to advertise their shows and we are always happy to do that.
- Browse the CQA Events Calendar for information about quilting events across Canada by province, territory, or date.
ADQG Leadership Team 2024-2025
Co-Presidents: Anne Cruickshank & Joyce Murray
Charity: Marilyn Erskine charity@arnpriordistrictquiltersguild.com
Treasurer: Sandy Beach treasurer@arnpriordistrictquiltersguild.com
Programs: Lucy Shorey programs@arnpriordistrictquiltersguild.com
Membership: Martha Palmer membership@arnpriordistrictquiltersguild.com
Library: Jacquie Lavictoire
Communications: Janet Brownlee arnpriorquilters@gmail.com
**** The Secretary position remains unfilled and we continue to look for a volunteer.
Key Volunteers
Photographer: Emma Russell
Social Media: Tina Matte
Raffle Ticket Sales: Liz Gray & Jan Smith
Programs team: Brenda Kellar, Sue Hodgins
Co-Presidents: Anne Cruickshank & Joyce Murray
Charity: Marilyn Erskine charity@arnpriordistrictquiltersguild.com
Treasurer: Sandy Beach treasurer@arnpriordistrictquiltersguild.com
Programs: Lucy Shorey programs@arnpriordistrictquiltersguild.com
Membership: Martha Palmer membership@arnpriordistrictquiltersguild.com
Library: Jacquie Lavictoire
Communications: Janet Brownlee arnpriorquilters@gmail.com
**** The Secretary position remains unfilled and we continue to look for a volunteer.
Key Volunteers
Photographer: Emma Russell
Social Media: Tina Matte
Raffle Ticket Sales: Liz Gray & Jan Smith
Programs team: Brenda Kellar, Sue Hodgins
Communications
Guild Facebook Group
Have you joined our guild members-only Facebook Group yet? If not you are missing out on all the fun. This is a great way to get to know your fellow guild members, to ask questions, learn a new block, a new tip or trick. Last year we saw some lovely photos of the Block of the Month quilts being assembled and finished off, and much more.
Thank you Tina for monitoring and facilitating the activity in this group to provide this wonderful guild initiative!
Hope to see you in our Facebook group soon. Click/tap here to join the group.
Thank you Tina for monitoring and facilitating the activity in this group to provide this wonderful guild initiative!
Hope to see you in our Facebook group soon. Click/tap here to join the group.
Advertisers
Thank you to our newsletter advertisers! Your support funds our Communications budget which includes the hosting of this web site. We are very grateful for this financial support. Our advertisers for this year are:
- Bytowne Threads
- Happy Wife Quilting in Carleton Place ON
- Lori's Quilting Shop in Kanata ON
- Paisleys Quilt Shop near Carp ON
- Quilters Curve quilt shop in Combermere ON
- Sew Inspired quilt shop in Arnprior ON
- Watergirl Quilt Co quilt shop in Prescott ON
THANK YOU to Anne, Martha, Marilyn and Jane, for their guild updates, photos, and other news this month.
-- Janet Brownlee, Communications & Newsletter Editor
-- Janet Brownlee, Communications & Newsletter Editor
Our next meeting is on April 23 - in person!