Although Thomas Wolfe wrote that one cannot go home again, actually one can go home again; provided it is to the Quilt House in Parksville, British Columbia, Canada. While the actual "House" - in reality, a garage - has long ago passed into the pages of history, the spirit that flowed from the ladies who sat and quilted under the direction of Flo Conconi remains, alive and resplendent in the many, many who came afterwards.
Back in the mid-1970s in Parksville, Flo organised a group of ladies and then taught them the finer stitches of quilting. At about that time, quilting had passed from being a necessity learned and practised by Prairie women more out of need than out of any desire to grace the family parlour with wall hangings or to clothe the bed with warmth. After lying dormant for decades, the art of quilting peeked through the thousands of scraps of material that for many had lain dormant somewhere out of sight and long forgotten. Then, as if magically, quilting with all its wondrous stitches and designs and hundreds of hours of painstaking [and eye-straining] finicky work, quilts began to blossom.
From a small group of six or seven willing pupils, Flo Conconi brought forth a desire to create something of lasting value - thus, the Parksville Quilt House quilters was born. As the pupils bent to the task at hand, and as they gained knowledge and learned the difference between a bears claw and a log cabin and a Dresden plate and a star and double wedding rings and tumbling blocks plus myriad other wonderful designs, they realised that they were on to something of lasting value. They understood that as they sat huddled around a piece of material made taut on a wooden frame, that while they were modern ladies living in a modern world, their fingers were following the same patterns that their grandmothers and great-grandmothers had followed so many years before. A love of quilting was born and once born, not forgotten nor discarded.
In 1979, while a seasoned reporter for a community newspaper, I covered the aforementioned birth of the Parksville Quilt House and its neophyte quilters. The enthusiasm of the group coupled with the expert teaching of Flo Conconi was magic; the ladies met weekly, exchanged stories and learned how to design a pattern that was 'new and personal' but at the same time, old.
As they were put through their paces, Flo instilled in each aspiring quilter the necessity of straight lines of stitching and a minimum of eight, closely spaced stitches to the inch. No large looping stitches but small, tight ones that resembled a carefully lain, almost invisible line. Later, appliqué was added and the squares took on a life of their own - vibrant and full of explosive expression.
In time, the squares were sewn together into a large beauty that any homemaker would be pleased of and proud to display on her own bed.
Along the way, the quilters held various shows to which new and experienced quilters assembled. The first such 'show' - a weekend workshop really - took place in Parksville and was housed in the now-destroyed Parksville Community Hall. The group was nervous about the undertaking but with due diligence and a lot of hard work, they pulled it off. It was the first quilt 'show' on Vancouver Island and featured quilts from various homes, some quilts were one hundred years old. The ladies were so concerned about the wealth of quilt history in their midst, that they slept in the Hall alongside the quilts. Undoubtedly, a good many 'quilt' stories were passed around.
As time passed, so too did the initial group; as some departed for other places others moved in to sit and share and learn and quilt masterpieces all under the expert tutelage of Flo Conconi. In time, Flo grew a tad old for teaching and retired to Victoria, BC.
Twenty-five years later, the current Parksville Quilt House group warmed to the idea of celebrating their 'silver anniversary.' Hence, in late June, 2006 a three -day show - "Silver Threads Quilt Festival" was held at the new Parksville Community Centre. In addition to the more than 400 quilts that were on display in the Centre, other quilts were available for viewing at the Craig Heritage Museum, just to the southeast of Parksville. Additionally, other sites were Oceanside Art Gallery and 'Quilt Walks' in both Parksville and Qualicum Beach. By all accounts the Quilt Festival was a smashing success.
Ensuring the show's success were two well-respected quilters: Cathy Miller of Victoria, BC and Sharon Pederson of Black Creek, BC. Both ladies are quilters of renown as well as well-known, world travellers who have graced quilt shows in Canada, the USA, England and Australia.
On opening night, the initial group of intrepid novice Parksville Quilt House quilters was introduced to the full house. I am pleased to report that my bride was among that group. Later, Cathy Miller accompanied by her husband John Bunge, entertained the crowd. Cathy's talent lies not only in her sweet singing voice and her adroit guitar playing but also in her ability to relate songs to quilts, or as some might prefer, quilts to songs. Her repertoire included quilters' favourites such as 12-Step Plan for Quilters, I need another Wagga, Sweaters for Penguins, When the boys were thirsty plus many more. Incidentally, for those who do not know what a 'wagga' is, it is an Australian term for quilt and known in other places as "Pennsylvania Haps." Cathy's three CDs are: A Quilter's World, One stitch at a time and A Quilter's Embrace.
The next night at the same venue - Knox United Church - Sharon Pederson presented her "Trunk Show." This entertaining demonstration moved from Sharon's first attempt at quilting to her masterpiece. Along the way, she displayed various other quilts -each successively more successful than previous attempts. At each juncture of the show, she showed her comedienne abilities to the full. The crowd was more often in stitches [no pun attended] than they were sitting stoically. Sharon Pederson is a published author with three books to her credit: Reversible Quilts, More Reversible Quilts and Sensational Sashiko.
Both ladies added tremendously to the "Silver Threads Quilt Festival."
The quilts displayed at the various venues included wall hangings and bed covers, some measured 10 feet by 10 feet. Not displayed in Parksville but certainly worthy of respect is the 120 feet by 10 feet quilt - a textile art piece from all 263 main aboriginal and world nationalities found in Canada. For a picture of this remarkable quilt refer to "The quilt of belonging" at www.invitationproject.ca.
Inasmuch as quilting has been around for hundreds of years and inasmuch as it is known worldwide, some interesting facts about its existence in Canada might be in order.
The "earliest pieced quilt in North American is in the collection of Montreal's McCord Museum. It is inscribed 1726 and is pieced from silk (including brocade and damask), velvet, linen and cotton." [Quote from The Patchwork Planet: Quilting in Canada by Nancy Cameron Armstrong.] Clearly, then, quilting is not a recent fad but an art of longstanding fame.
In Canada's cold climate and rather primitive conditions, quilts were necessary for survival. Additionally, for Black-Canadians escaping the shackles of slavery in the USA, quilts held additional meaning. Reports suggest that these slaves encoded maps and instructions within the patterns of their quilt. And you thought only Dan Brown of the Da Vinci Code fame knew how to use encryption. These quilt-maps aided the slaves to escape via the Underground Railway to Canada.
From Generations CanConnect we learn that "Canadian families typically had two types of quilts. Utility or 'everyday' quilts were used on a daily basis and washed regularly. Eventually, they would become worn and need to be replaced 'from a supply washed and waiting in a blanket box.' In addition to these utility quilts, most women always had a couple of quilts that were much more elaborate. Saved for special occasions, these quilts were treasured and passed down through generations. Young women would start work on their own collection of quilts at an early age so that they would be ready to start their own household when they married."
Some of the quilts at the Parksville show were such quilts or were squares made by grandmothers and set aside to be sewn together by the granddaughters.
Not only the wonderful women who braved the wild Canadian countryside but also famous ladies of times past turned their hands to quilting. Most women know of and have read Jane Austen books but might be surprised to learn that Jane Austen made a quilt. She was also good at needlework. According to research for this column, I learned that in May 1811, Jane Austen wrote a letter to her sister, Cassandra, and asked "have you remembered to collect pieces for the Patchwork - we are now at a standstill." In her quilt, Jane used 64 different fabrics and worked using two sizes of lozenge diamond and a rhomboid shape of black-and-white spotted fabric for the light coloured 'trellis' effect diving the diamonds. For those who live in Chawton, Hampshire, UK, Jane Austin's quilt can be viewed at Jane Austin's House museum.
Most people have heard the term "patchwork quilt." They often ask what is a patchwork quilt. Originally these quilts were made by classes who had the time and the money. Before long, other women got in on the act and began their own crazy quilts. Women adapted the crazy quilts using flannels, denims and other cottons. Standard patterns were not considered, hence, the term 'crazy quilt.' Some were made with silk but sadly, these quilts will soon be a thing of the past.
Today, computers are much in use in the quilting world. Software programmes are used to design all manner of patterns and coupled with the modern sewing machine, intricate designs/patterns are easily produced.
While modern conveniences and technologies have taken root in Canadian households, the old-fashioned method of quilt-making remains. From a personal perspective, the old-fashioned quilts with their standard patterns as seen in 'grandma's quilts' hold much respect . Modern might be nice but old-fashioned holds the key to success.
What began in the mid-1970s in Parksville, British Columbia has spawned a wealth of dedicated quilters - some modern types and some old-fashioned types - who scour the bins at fabric stores, search out patterns, hoard their stash and hope that they never have a UFO.
If I may be permitted to add an addendum, I wish readers to know this story from Cathy Miller, the singing quilter.
"In 2005 at Christmas time, I received a most wonderful gift from my brother John. Although we had agreed not to exchange presents, a largish box arrived in the mail a week or two before the Day and sat there piquing my interest. I hadn't a clue what was awaiting me in that nondescript box."
Of course, it was a quilt, but not just any quilt.
"On Christmas morning, I opened it to find a quilt. A Double Anchor patterned quilt in red and white; it was covered with well over three hundred embroidered signatures." [During the Parksville show, Cathy told her audience that in actuality there are more than eight hundred signatures. Having seen the quilt, I can attest to that fact.] "Yes, there was a date - 1905. Now, I don't usually like signature quilts to tell the truth but the story behind this one has me enthralled."
And so it goes, a wonderful Christmas gift revealed a trail that told the story of a lost quilt, then found, later sold and eventually recovered to be returned to its rightful family. Quilts have that magic to not only confound but also to enthral. For Cathy Miller of Victoria, BC a surprise Christmas gift brought much pleasure and knowledge of a quilt that she did not know existed.
The final words are Cathy's, "I can honestly say it is the most precious gift I have ever received. And it sure has changed my opinion about signature quilts!"
Bob Orrick is a retired private tutor of English grammar, literature, poetry and Canadian history to off-shore youngsters. His pupils hail from such places as Taiwan, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Venezuela. He was previously in international marketing, was a ministerial assistant to a provincial cabinet minister, spent a few years as a reporter then editor of a community newspaper and enjoyed a career in the Royal Canadian Navy.
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