Hundreds of quilts are being hung in preparation for the upcoming Penticton Quilters’ Guild show called Picking up the Threadz.
“It’s been six years since our last show and we are so excited to show everybody what we have accomplished in the last six years,” said Marg Jacques, a Penticton Quilters’ Guild member.
Turns out there’s a lot to show off as more than 200 quilts have been selected to be hung up, each quilt taking at least a month to create.
Kathleen Noble has been a member of the guild for 20 years and says she enjoys how the group challenges her to continue creating masterpieces.
“Each one of those little squares (on the quilt), I try really hard to make sure they are exactly a quarter of an inch, you have to cut them all out exactly right and then you have to sew them, it takes a long time, then quilting itself,” Noble said.
The return to the spotlight at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre is a celebration of the club that has been in place since the 1980s and its 56 existing members.
“It’s the camaraderie of everyone, the learning, the new techniques, we just have a great time together, we are passionate about what we do, it’s almost like an addiction because we just want to do more, more, more,” Jacques said.
They are more than a quilting club. Over the years they have supported groups in need such as the RCMP Victim Assistance, the Salvation Army, emergency services and the South Okanagan Women In Need Society.
“We do make quilts for the community and its a piece of ourself with all the quilts, it doesn’t matter if they go out into the community, if they stay in our home or whether we give them to relatives, friends, babies — I have made a ton of baby quilts,” said Yvonne Mottishaw, Penticton Quilters’ Guild co-president.
The doors are open to the public Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.