Hey! Jackie White here, popping in again to guest-blog on GenQ–thanks, Melissa!–and share the latest news from the Canadian Quilters’ Association/Association canadienne de la courtepoint, or CQA/ACC for short.
The CQA/ACC is the national quilt organization that exists north of our American neighbours. We span Canada from coast to coast to coast and each year we meet at our national conference, Quilt Canada. Thousands from across Canada come each year to participate in this gathering of like-minded quilters for fellowship, inspiration and of course, to buy fabric! The event includes workshops by well-known instructors, our National Juried Show, in which the best of Canadian quilts are displayed, several concurrent quilt shows and a merchant mall. (Oh, and we had a tattoo parlour this year. If you wanted a tattoo, you just marched up to our desk and showed us where you wanted it. Let’s just say, quilters are a wild bunch!)
Lethbridge, Alberta, was the setting for Quilt Canada 2015, and the quilt show definitely did not disappoint. One crowd favorite was Echoes by Leanne Chahley, which won the Excellence For Original Modern Quilts. Now, if you want more eye candy, you simply must check out the winners of our National Juried Show, found here.
Best of Show went to Judy Leslie’s quilt, Beach Sculptures.
To see all the quilts in the show, click here:
Quilt Canada also includes the Trend-Tex Challenge, sponsored by Trend-Tex Fabrics. This is our largest fundraiser, where all the challenge quilts are sold by silent auction. The challenge entries are made using specific Trend-Tex fabrics.Members purchase 5 fat quarters using all 5 pieces of fabric following a theme. Check out the gallery.
Now, the best of events often have a glitch, but those glitches can turn out well, too. Weeks Ringle of Modern Quilt Studio was booked as our feature speaker, unfortunately she was taken ill quite suddenly. Her husband and design partner, Bill Kerr, stepped in admirably and wowed the audience with his knowledge, humour and of course, quilts!
At each Quilt Canada conference, we also run our exceptional Quilt Judge Certification Program. It is for individuals with a solid foundation in quilt making, a good understanding of design, and keen interest in sharing knowledge through constructive critiques. To become a certified judge one enrolls in this three-part program. We are proud of our certification program and welcome American students.
You can find out more about CQA/ACC at our website. P.S. We have monthly giveaways on our fb page.
Our 2016 conference will be in Toronto, Ontario, June 15-18, 2016, and we would love to have you join us!
COMMENT #1
Thanks for the info & great links to see the quilts at the CQA/ACC show!
COMMENT #2
How lovely to see my quilt here, thank you for sharing it. Quilt Canada was a great event, I hope to be able to go next year too.