Mennonite women display artistic handmade quilts
If you are in the city this weekend you will want to head to the House of Culture where the Mennonite Women's Quilting Circle is staging its annual exhibit of fabulous quilts and other patchwork pieces. The pieces are intricately woven illustrating the colorful patterns of wildlife and other interesting images. News Five's Delahnie Bain reports.
Delahnie Bain, Reporting
The Mennonite Women's Quilting Circle is putting on its seventeenth annual exhibit of handmade artistic quilts. Their years of experience are visible in the quality of the designs on display.
Susana Wolfe, Quilter, Mennonite Women's Quilting Circle
Susana Wolfe
"We have big quilts, for double and single beds, and queen and king size. Everything you need."
Delahnie Bain
"What kind of work goes into making one of these?"
Susana Wolfe
"Well, most of them is labor. But it's the material we have to cut and sew them together and later we quilt it by hand."
Delahnie Bain
"And about how long does that take?"
Susana Wolfe
"Big quilts, it could be around a hundred hours but it always depends on how big the pieces are and how big the quilt should be. The top part mostly we do it all by ourselves but when we quilt it, very we often we do it as a group."
Tanya Savery, Activities Coordinator, House of Culture
"The exhibit here today is the Mennonite Women's Quilting Circle and it is just a showcase of some of the quilts that they have made. They are available for sale to the public and what it is, is a collection that they have brought down-it's just a few because I know they have more-but it's just a few of what they have showcasing their abilities to do different designs and different styles."
Tanya Savery
Quilter, Susana Wolfe, says that aside from the quilts, they also have smaller items on sale.
Susana Wolfe
"We have pillow cases, embroidery and we have the shams and we have many other things. Baby quilts, wall hangings and more smaller things."
Delahnie Bain
"And those are also on sale?"
Susana Wolfe
"They’re all on sale. We would like people to know more about our quilts. They should see them and get more interest and come and buy."
Tanya Savery
"The exhibit is open today until four-thirty p.m. It is also opened tomorrow from eight a.m. to four-thirty as well-five o’clock give or take. It's open to the public and I encourage everyone to come out at least to have a look at what else our community has to offer in terms of different various forms of art."
Activities Coordinator at the House of Culture, Tanya Savery, says the exhibit is earlier than usual this year, to give shoppers the option of ordering quilts for Christmas gifts.
Tanya Savery
"It is a little bit earlier than they usually do come in. They come in December, a little bit closer to Christmas but we just brought them earlier to give folks time. If you see something here that you like that maybe has already been sold or that you want in a different color, they are able to recreate that for you. So it also gives you time to get something for Christmas. I do encourage folks to-they can either call and get the information from us or come on down to see it. It is amazing work that you actually just have to see for yourself. These ladies actually do everything by hand."
Delahnie Bain for News Five.
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