by Deborah Grant
This month I talked with Brenda Pakkala who resides in Gore Bay. She started quilting about 10 years ago when she moved to Manitoulin Island. She was invited to Happy Quilters where she found she knew some of the people who went there. Brenda says it was a nice way to meet people.
She then joined the Island Quilt Guild seven years ago, and has been both vice-president and president, in charge of workshop planning, taking care of the guild’s library as well as planned programs for the guild members to try out new techniques at the monthly meeting. Currently she is once again vice-president.
Last year Brenda entered the Providence Fair quilt block competition and her block won first prize. The block theme was stars, machine quilted, and contain an orange fabric that was provided to everyone who participated. The resulting quilt will be raffled off for a fundraiser for the fair
Free motion quilting is what Brenda loves to do, she likes the freedom she has, as well as the creative challenge. ‘Free motion’ quilting is done by not using the sewing machine tension to guiding the fabric through the needle, but instead guide the fabric by hand which lets her make curved lines, circles or intricate shapes with the thread used in quilting. Thread painting is also among her favourite things; this involves using thread and her sewing machine instead of a paint brush to shade and color areas of fabric to bring a flat coloured fabric to life. She also uses embroidery stitched on her sewing machine to enhance her quilts, and also paints on fabric with Inktense pencils and Inktense blocks. She also uses watercolours mixed with fabric medium to produce fine details and shading.
She suggests that new quilters should start with small projects that are easy to complete, which will give them a sense of confidence when completed.
Brenda says her favourite quilt is one that she made for her niece after Brenda’s brother passed away, using t-shirts of all his favourite bands as the fabric.
The quilt she is sharing with you is one made for the TrendTex Challenge for Quilts Canada 2023. This year the theme was waves, and five fabrics were provided which had to be incorporated into the front and border of the quilt, and the total size around the edges of the quilt could be no more than 120 inches in total. Her quilt finished at 76 inches and is titled “Through the Porthole” She used extensive thread painting for the sun’s rays and reflection in the water, as well as adding embroidered anchors along the binding and waves in the water and a cord with a fancy ring to the outer edges of the porthole
