Centuries ago, women stitched scraps of fabric and discarded clothing together to keep their families warm at night. Today, quilters combine new textiles, tools and techniques to create quilts for decorative and practical purposes.
Local quilters and fabric artists have provided many of the quilts on exhibit. Some of the works combine traditional designs with modern methods, while others are the product of pure imagination. Cat hair, charms, beads, burnt fabric and even a wasp nest have been integrated into some of the original quilts.
Visitors will be introduced to long arm quilting, which uses a high-tech sewing machine that can be operated by hand or by computer. Also on exhibition are some of the tools and materials, both old and new, used to make quilts of all sizes.
A selection of quilts from the Kelowna Museums’ collection are also on display, including a traditional yo-yo patchwork quilt, crazy quilt, and log cabin quilt. The museum’s quilts provide historical context for some of the contemporary quilts.
Needle and Thread: The Art of Quilting runs from February 19, 2018 to May 25, 2018 at the Okanagan Heritage Museum, 470 Queensway Ave, Kelowna, BC.
Special thanks to the Orchard Valley Quilters Guild for their contributions to the exhibition.
Crazy Quilt, HG-991-141-001Okanagan Centennial Quilt, 2005.053.001