The low hum of sewing machines and the crisp sound of scissors cutting through fabric can be heard in Grimsby in the northeast to Fort Erie in the southwest as Niagara's quilting enthusiasts continue to carry on the hundred-year-old traditions of making everything from placemats to bed covers.
While the pandemic brought the Niagara Heritage Quilter's Guilds in-person activities to a dead stop, the roughly 150 members, mostly seniors, are keeping active at home with the help of the community around them.
Much thanks to the guild's latest project;
A mystery quilt, with 'clues' to the pattern posted on the guilds' website every month that doesn't reveal what the final product will look like until it is done.
The final piece of the puzzle, the fifth lead, will appear on the website in a few weeks, revealing what the complete pattern will look like, and who designed it.
"It was a way we thought of to keep our members active, aside from their own projects," said guild vice-president Debbie Hipple to Thoroldnews.com.
"We can't meet of course, and as the vice-president, I would normally issue something like a competition to make a small two-color quilt to judge it, but you can't do that very easily, so this was something we came up with, and we hope that when all of this is over, we can meet and look at all the quilts."
With a majority of the members being over 65, and many over 80, the hobby of quilting is not only helping the members to stay occupied but also keeps them connected through others in the group.
Around 25 percent of the guild's members don't have internet and get the regular newsletter sent to them by snail mail.
The guild is also keeping busy through its many donations to charitable causes in the region.
Since last March, Community Outreach has processed 154 finished quilts (not counting quilts in progress), and the guild made over 119 baby quilts for Project Noah, a Niagara Family Services initiative that ensures all newborns return home well outfitted for their first months of life.
"Quilting has really taken off. We are getting lots of inquiries about how to do it, and we are sending out instructions to people who are interested. Stores and suppliers are just overwhelmed with requests for thread. Certain colors they can't even keep in stock," said Debbie Hipple, who views quilting as a community endeavor as much as a hobby.
Aside from her role in the guild, she also runs a specialty quilting business that eats up most of her time, but she says the guild is always hoping to recruit more members.
"I think it is a great hobby to have! We welcome anyone who wants to join us."
To check out some of the guild's quilts, visit their Show & Tell page.
For information about the mystery quilt, and to get the pattern for the project, click here.
