Helping those in need has been stitched into the fabric of the Westshore Quilters Guild since its inception more than 10 years ago.
So when Westshore Quilters Guild founder and current president Jan Peever heard that a store in Alberta was collecting quilts to assist people dealing with devastating loss due to the fires in the Fort McMurray area, she thought the guild would try and come up with 50 or 60.
B次元官网网址淢y daughter and her family live in Alberta, so I have been to LoriB次元官网网址檚 Country Cottage quilt store in Sherwood Park 10 times in the past five years,B次元官网网址� explained Peever, who was in the midst of packing up the last of the boxes of 187 quilts collected within a few weeks. B次元官网网址淲hen I saw the notice from LoriB次元官网网址檚 in a newsletter, I talked to a couple of our members and phoned to see if the store wanted anyone to collect quilts for them on Vancouver Island.B次元官网网址�
After getting the green light, the guild formed a committee, including Peever and members Patti Haney and Lynda Hasanen, and got to work. They put up signs at a Victoria Quilt show and at the Westshore Quilters Guild booth at the MotherB次元官网网址檚 Day paint-In at Royal Roads.
B次元官网网址淭he response has been truly amazing,B次元官网网址� Hasenen said. B次元官网网址淚t really just kept mushrooming.B次元官网网址�
Peever got a call from the Nanaimo Quilters Guild saying they had 40. B次元官网网址淏y the time we arranged to pick up the quilts in Duncan it had grown to 87,B次元官网网址� Peever said. B次元官网网址淚 think Fort Mac really touched everyone deeply.B次元官网网址�
Someone who had just started quilting donated her momB次元官网网址檚 quilting blocks in memory of her mother.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 seems to be a story behind every quilt and some have brought tears to our eyes,B次元官网网址� said Haney, who is photographing the quilts and the names of who made them to post on the guildB次元官网网址檚 website.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 always gratifying to help someone,B次元官网网址� Hasanen noted. B次元官网网址淭he generosity has been overwhelming.B次元官网网址�
Peever was scheduled to take a truck to deliver the quilts they have collected to Alberta on June 2. Haney, Peever and Hasanen were all quick to add that B次元官网网址渢his is one of the most rewarding things weB次元官网网址檝e ever done.B次元官网网址�
reporter@goldstreamgazette.com
The Westshore Quilters Guild
The Westshore Quilters Guild, which has 135 members, will celebrate its eleventh anniversary in September. It is a licensed charity under the Society Act of B.C., and the majority of funds raised during their annual quilt show goes toward assisting others.
The guild donates up to 150 quilts a year to the Cridge Transition House for Women, which assists women and children dealing with relationship violence and abuse. They also sent 40 quilts to help people in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
"We are always looking for new members," president Jan Peever said.
"It's a great way to make new friends and keep your love of quilting alive," guild member Patti Haney noted.
Lynda Hasanen added, "You're always learning something new because everyone's happy to share what they know."
Membership costs $40 a year. Visit for more information.
