Quilt Talks, Appraisals, Quilting Bee & More at Upcoming Quilt Show ~ September 22 & 23

Quilting enthusiasts will want to head out to Upper Canada Village this Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23, as the historic site hosts its annual Quilt Show. In addition to a colourful exhibition of quilts from area guilds and displays of the Village’s own collection, the weekend’s activities will also include a merchants’ mall, quilting bee, quilt talks and appraisals.

There will be a variety of things to see and do throughout the site over the course of the weekend. The Village’s Family Activity Centre will be transformed into an exhibit area showcasing over 50 different quilts made by members of five eastern Ontario Quilting Guilds:

Common Threads Quilters Guild
Cornwall Quilters Guild
Kemptville Quilters Guild
Ottawa Valley Quilters Guild
Thousand Islands Quilters Guild

Visitors will find a Merchants’ Mall selling and displaying related quilting merchandise, including vendors such as Kelly’s Kreations, Quilte Classique and Quilters’ Rack. This year, the Merchant’s Mall will be located inside the Harvest Barn Restaurant.

Visitors will also be able to view antique and reproduction quilts from Upper Canada Village’s own collection, which will be on display at Crysler Hall and at various other locations throughout the Village. This year’s exhibit is entitled Remembering: Then and Now. The focus of this exhibit is on the signature quilts from the Village’s collection and their historical connection with both remembering and good works. In addition, Upper Canada Village is pleased to have on loan a “Story of the Lost Villages” quilt, called Beneath the Surface made by Mary Cook.

Crysler Hall will also set the stage for two guest speakers at this year’s event. Betty Giffin will be giving a talk at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday about Quilts, Community and Charity: Victoria’s Quilts Canada. Betty is the founder and President of Victoria's Quilts Canada. On Sunday, Jean Bechthold will be giving a talk at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. about Using Photo Transfer to Create Quilts that Preserve Our Past. Jean has over 20 years experience quilting and working with fabrics, with a passion for landscape designs. She has conducted workshops, and won a number of awards for her quilts.

What would a Quilt Show at a 19th century village be, without a Quilting Bee taking place? Several ladies from the Village will gather at the Ross Farmhouse to take part in a traditional 1860s quilting bee. As they visit and share news, they will be working on a reproduction quilt based on an original 19th century pattern.
Raffle tickets will be sold in Crysler’s Hall for both the Upper Canada Village Quilt and a Victoria’s Quilts Canada quilt.

Certified Quilt Appraiser Rita Rottman will also be at Crysler Hall on both days between 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. For a fee of $25, visitors can find out more about their own family heirlooms; a written appraisal will cost $50.00. Rita is certified with the International Society of Appraisers.

Upper Canada Village will be fully operational with all of its regular activities going on throughout the weekend. All Quilt Show-related activities other than appraisals are included in the regular admission to Upper Canada Village. (And for seniors, admission is only half-price, as part of a month-long “Seniors Half-Price Admission” promotion being offered at Upper Canada Village for the entire month of September.)

For additional information on this and other upcoming events such as the Village’s Fall at the Farm (September 29 to October 5) and Thanksgiving Weekend (October 6 & 7), please call 1-800-437 2233 or (613) 543 4328 locally