A year's worth of design, stitching, fun and frustration came to its climax this past weekend at the annual Heartland Quilt Show, held at the Stettler Legion.
On Friday, June 12 and Saturday, June 13, quilters from the 25-member guild as well as guest quilters from the surrounding area displayed their hard work for fellow quilters and community members.
This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Quilt Show, and though the guild had ramped up their advertising efforts, they specifically chose to keep the anniversary otherwise low-key, and true to themselves.
About 80 quilts were hung on display, with viewers picking up white gloves at the front so they could handle the items without causing marks.
"I think the weather – the rain and the chill – discouraged some, and numbers are slightly down from last year," Fran Smith, one of the quilt guild members, said.
One thing she was sure about was that the simultaneously running Art Walk and Steel Wheel Stampede didn't dent numbers – if anything, it helped bring some faces from outside the local community into the show.
There was homemade baking on hand for hungry quilt-viewers, as well as coffee, tea and juice, with sitting areas set up for socializing.
This year's Festival of Lights Quilt raffle tickets were also a hot ticket item, selling quite well. Another contest offered to show goers included a guessing game, where they had to guess the age of various sewing machines on display.
"This show is a big part of what we do," Smith said. "Some of our quilters have been part of the guild since the very beginning."
Since the guild meets in the homes of members, it has a hard cap of 25 members. Unless one of those members leaves the group, no one new can join.
"When someone leaves, someone new comes in," she said. "There's never much of a wait."
Results
Viewer's Choice - Small Quilt WinnerFirst place: Leona Thorogood (Snow Buddies)Second place: Joyce Barkley (Owls)Third place: Karin Phibbs (Linked Hearts)
Viewer's Choice - Medium QuiltFirst place: Letty Docherty (Wild Flowers)Second place: May Pollock (Floral Paradise)Third place: Letty Docherty (Half Square Triangles)
Viewer's Choice - Large QuiltFirst place: Audry Hauck (Amazon Stars)Second place Jan Schulze (Color Purple)Third place Sandy King (Oh, My, Gosh!)
Door Prize winners:Blue Runner: Lexie EngelRed Placemats: Doreen BarnesBurgundy/Pink topper: Evelyn MilnerCream colored metal sign: Karen Nielsen
Raffle Prize winners:Guild Basket: Karen SprytChristmas Tree runner: Carola DovbniakBlue Hot Pad and Pot Holders: Pam BlakeBlue Snowman runner: Sylvia TelfordAntique Sewing Machine "Guess the Year" - Black/gold runner: Wanita Gauthier