MANITOULIN—Four Manitoulin Island youngsters will have their quilting works alongside many other talented quilters throughout Canada.
“It’s pretty cool that several kids on Manitoulin Island will be able to be part of the Quilt Canada 2023 show with many other renowned quilters across Canada,” stated Jackie White, who runs a threads club in Manitowaning and is the media contact for the Canada Quilters Association (CQA). “I’ve been involved in CQA for probably a decade on the board, and now I am in their media department. They send me to the national conference every year.”
“CQA holds a youth challenge every year where kids send a one-piece wall hanging that is then hung up for everyone to see at the conference,” said Ms. White who pointed out, “there are usually about 8,000 people that go through the conference.”
“Last year, we had two kids from Manitowaning entered in the youth challenge at the conference held in Vancouver,” said Ms. White. “I put it out to our young quilters again this year that they could participate, and we have three kids from Manitowaning and one from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory who are participating in the challenge.”
The four youngsters include Myla Trudeau of Wiikwemkoong, Chloe Moggy, and sisters Ally and Katie all of Manitowaning taking part.
The CQA posted on a recent Facebook message, “We caught up to Chloe, Allie and Katie working on their JN Harper Youth Challenges. Each has a unique spin on their piece. They are so excited, knowing their quilt will be hanging at Quilt Canada this June in Halifax.”
Ms. White has been running a threads club in Manitowaning for about six years. “Several of our quilters have been in our club since they were beginners and some are more experienced quilters.”
The four young quilters are all still working on their quilts that have to be complete by April, to be forwarded to Halifax, where they will be judged among other youth works. “About 30-60 quilts will be entered and their quilts will be among those going to the conference,” continued Ms. White. Along with their quilt pieces, each quilter has to provide an artist’s statement on their piece under this year’s show theme, ‘Sun and Sand and Sea,’ which is printed beside each of the quilts, along with a description of the quilt.
“There are between three to five other shows in the conference, one being the youth quilt challenge for those aged 5-16,” said Ms. White. “The conference is geared to adult quilters but one of the shows is the youth challenge. At the conference, the quilters basically take over a huge convention centre.”
The quilt may be any size, up to a 200-inch (508 centimetre) perimeter. It must be made of three layers and be quilted by either hand or machine. It must be either bound or closed along the edges with either hand and/or machine-stitching.
Most of the quilt must be the work of the young quilter. The quilter may use any combination of hand-and/or machine-piercing, applique, and quilting. The use of embellishments such as beads, embroidery, fibres, ribbon, paint, crayon, etc. is the choice of the young quilter.
The entry must be free of any text or images that are protected by copyright unless the quilter has written permission from the holder of the copyright.
There will be an online display and voting for viewers choice in three age categories. As well, there will be in-person voting at Quilt Canada 2023.
Entrants in the youth challenge will be divided into three age categories: 5-9, 10-14, and 15-19.
