The "Looks Like Spring" Quilt Show took place on Tuesday, April 23rd, in the sanctuary at St. Andrews Church. This bi-annual tradition of sharing the intricate and beautiful quilts of the community finally returned after taking a couple of years hiatus due to the pandemic.
"During COVID, there was lots of time to quilt, so people have the quilts to display. Some of them (the quilts) were displayed in our Moose Jaw Prairie Heart Quilt Show, but some of them were not, so this is just a place to bring them out and show them to people," explained event organizer Karen Mundt.
Nearly all of the pews in the sanctuary of St. Andrews Church were completely covered with lovely quilts. Walking through the pews showed the varied techniques and styles of quilts that were on display. Some of the styles shown were the traditional box pattern quilts, free-form art style, pictorial or representational quilts, seasonal or holiday-styled, and kids' quilts. All of the quilts that were brought in were made by members of our community or their family members. Additionally, the organizers provided all those in attendance with coffee and some snacks.
Originally, quilts were made for warmth and comfort. Eventually, they evolved into the complex and awe-inspiring pieces of art that we got to see at the showcase. This quilt show originated in 2011 by Karen Mundt after she attended Quilt Canada in Newfoundland in 2010. This gave her the inspiration needed to persuade her group to do the same. It began in the basement of St. Andrews Church, the first one taking place in the quilt room. Many members contributed their own quilts, including family heirlooms.
"I was in Newfoundland, at what's called Quilt Canada, which is the National Quilting Association quilt show, around 2010 or so. We had a tour of Newfoundland and we visited a few churches and they did this for us (a quilt show) ... I thought what a good idea, so when I came back I persuaded my group to do the same," said Karen Mundt.
The organizers of the quilt show did not have an entry fee required, though they were collecting donations for the Silver Collection for the United Church Mission and Service Fund. The group was hoping to break the last recorded attendance record, which was around 100 people.
The event appeared to be an overall success, with many smiling faces and happy people chatting and showing off their quilts. A true sense of community could be heard through this shared love of creating.
