Dwayne and Becky received their "Wedding Quilt" top at their wedding in 2003, and the quilt has since been finished.

As well, a quilt dubbed "Purple Passion" was presented to Brian ("Skid") and Lorna who married in the summer of 2005.

During Christmas week 2005, we made a quilt for Paul ("Paul's Quilt"), who was dying of cancer. We presented it to him in early January and he slept under it the last month of his life.

These three quilts, as well as a "Hearts" theme quilt made for Wendy from Crippen Cove when she was gravely ill in 2001, are on display this summer at a quilt show at the Prince Rupert Library. As well as these group-quilts, there are many pieces made by individual members in this stellar show: a "Kaleidoscope" made by Dolly and four quilts made by Sheila S., among others. The quilts will be on display until after Labour Day.

Just before the Arts Guild show at the museum in 2004, "Lou's Quilt" was ruined by the dry-cleaners. Unknown to us, the wool-blend quilt batt was faulty and, despite being pre-treated, had shrunk and the fibers had migrated to the surface of the quilt, a heart-breaking mess. Lou spent all fall unpicking the quilt; luckily the top emerged relatively unscathed. The quilt was completed (for the second time) in June 2007, and will be on display at the Arts Guild show at the museum in Prince Rupert from August 17 to October 12.

The group has evolved a new way to make quilts: "Kristinite Challenges". These are group quilts made by quilters that sign up and commit to working on each other's quilt tops. Every quilter provides a center, then the pieces circulate by hand or mail to the next person on the list who has a month to add borders or bands, and so on until everyone has worked on each top. Some of the quilts have had themes or colour schemes, but most have evolved spontaneously. A new round of "Kristinite Challenge" is set to begin this fall. (Jane coined the name "Kristinite" for Kristin who originally inspired the group with her medallion-style quilt method and daring use of colour and fabric.)

Jane and Sheila D. moved to Grand Forks, so we now have a new satellite group forming there, and we all hope to continue our quilting connection over an ever-expanding geography that includes Vancouver, the Gulf Islands, Victoria and now Nelson, Grand Forks and Kelowna, as well as Prince Rupert and surrounding Islands, including Digby with its small villages of Dodge Cove and Crippen Cove.

Dolly has taken over the Shibori Salon now that Jane has re-located and will be running classes in fabric dyeing and keeping the dyeing group that uses the new facility at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre, in Prince Rupert. The hand-dyed fabrics continue to play a key role in all our quilts.

After years of making quilts, some of us have actually taken classes at the Fabric Boutique in Prince Rupert and learned some of the sewing skills and techniques we lacked. On visits to Dodge Cove, Heather has given us two classes and Kristin a workshop. Heather is in Dodge for the month of August and has offered to teach a class if we wish, on the subject we chose.

"Click on pictures below to enlarge"

The "Heron" Quilt

Copyright © 2008 (Dodge Cove Arts Guild Website) Cheryl K. Ypma. All rights reserved.

Revised: June 8, 2008