A Patchwork of Activities at this Weekend's Quilt Show

Quilting enthusiasts will want to head out to Upper Canada Village this Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27, as the historic site hosts a Quilt Show, one of a variety of celebrations in the Village’s “Flavours of Autumn” event series being offered this year . 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, an old-fashioned quilting bee and special guest speakers.

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 four eastern Ontario Quilting Guilds: Common Threads Quilters Guild, Cornwall Quilters Guild, Highland Quilt Guild and Thousand Islands Quilters Guild.

Visitors will find a Merchants’ Mall selling and displaying related quilting merchandise, including such vendors as Julee’s Homecrafts, Kelly’s Kreations, and the Quilter’s Rack. The Merchants’ 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 exhibited at other locations throughout the Village. This year, the exhibit will focus on “wholecloth” quilts.

Crysler Hall will set the stage for two guest speakers at this year’s event. Esther Bryan will be giving a talk at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday about the exciting plans which are ahead for “The Quilt of Belonging: On Tour.” This marvelous tapestry of Canadian culture recently celebrated a 10th anniversary from the time of its conception. Since completion in 2005, the Quilt of Belonging has toured widely, and a book about the project has been published and is now in its third printing (available at the Village Store). The Quilt of Belonging is highlighted on You Tube (see the link on "www.quiltofbelonging.ca"). Perhaps most exciting, this Quilt will be a guest at the Cultural Olympiad at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Among her many talents, Esther is a watercolour artist who has exhibited widely and won several awards for her work.

On Sunday, Alicia Boutillier will be speaking in Crysler Hall at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. about the history of “The Heritage Quilt Collection” at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. Alicia holds a Master of Arts in Canadian Art History. She has curated a number of exhibits for galleries across Ontario and authored publications of the history of early 20th century Canadian Art. Since May, 2008, she has been the Curator of Canadian Historical Art at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre at Queen’s University in Kingston.

What would a Quilt Show at a 19th century village be, without a Quilting Bee taking place? Several ladies 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 in our collection. Raffle tickets will be available for both the Upper Canada Village Quilt and a Victoria’s Quilt Canada quilt as part of the Quilt Show.

All Quilt Show-related activities are included in the regular admission to Upper Canada Village. Visitors wishing to come for both days may purchase a special 2-day pass at the gate for only $20 per adult/senior, $10 per student/youth and $5 per child.