The annual spring show of the Barnswallow Quilters always serves as a showcase of the creative talent in the region.
Every year brings a varied array of work by many familiar artisans but also perhaps others who are newer to displaying their work, and that is something organizers are keen to highlight with the show.
“There is a huge amount of talent. We have fabulous quilters. We have traditional quilters and art quilters,” said Sue Nelson. “There are people who are doing very different and interesting forms of hand work and embroidery and applique. They have superb quality in their work.
“We also have beginners who show their things too, and I think that’s important because people who come to the show maybe get discouraged when they see this gorgeous, meticulous work and think they can’t do it,” she added. “We’re very happy to show a variety of work.”
The spring show has been going for over three decades, and it takes place Fri., May 3 to Sun., May 5 with hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Access Event Centre.
The show had its more modest beginnings in the loft of a barn southeast of Morden, but it has continued to grow and expand and eventually made the move to the larger space offered by the Access Event Centre.
The variety of work displayed for the show has grown to include all manner of fabric work by artisans, and group members come from a wide region taking in Winkler and Plum Coulee to the east and Thornhill and Darlingford to the west among others.
“Anybody can register a quilt for the show,” noted Nelson. “It doesn’t have to be from a member, although if we have a lot of quilts, we may not be able to hang non-members.”
A highlight of the show is the feature quilter, who this year is Allison Halstead.
“She is quite a diverse quilter. She does meticulous work, but she does a whole variety of different things and a bunch of different fibre arts too, so her display should be very interesting,” said Nelson. “Everybody will be able to relate to something in her display. There’s lots of different techniques and media that she uses for her work.”
Another feature of the show is the annual challenge where creators are given a theme to work with for the following year, and the new challenge will be ‘the view from your rear-view mirror’.
“So it could a literal view or a more artistic take on it,” said Nelson. “It’s very popular for a lot of people because they get to vote on their favorite.”
New this year as well will be a special display of work by the Fiber Arts Network, which has members from across western Canada who have created a display called For the Birds.
“There are about 50 pieces in that exhibit alone, so that will be a special side display,” said Nelson. “We have between two and three hundred pieces overall that we show for our quilt show, and I’m expecting it to be about that size again.”
There will also be the merchant mall overseen by Aspen Grove Quilting and featuring a number of vendors from across the province, and the proceeds from the rainbow auction will support South Central Cancer Resource and Boundary Trails Health Centre women’s health services.
And of course the Barnswallow’s Boutique allows members to have some of their work available for sale.
“That’s very popular with people who come to the show,” said Nelson.
Registration for the show takes place Wed., May 1, and more information is available online at the barnswallowquilters.wordpress.com website.
