A long-running quilt show celebrates cherished traditions in handiwork
Each summer, as gardens around Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick, burst into bloom, the local community hall also blossoms with colour. Inside the circa 1870s building, conversation hums as sunlight filters through curtained windows, and white-gloved volunteers guide visitors among the dozens of vibrant quilts on display.
This year, the Albert County Historical Society’s (ACHS) Annual Quilt Show and Sale celebrates “50 Golden Years of Quilting” from July 16–18, marking half a century for New Brunswick’s longest-running quilt show. The event honours a cherished cultural tradition and showcases the artistry of generations of quilters. From baby quilts, quilt tops, and wall hangings to full-size machine- and hand-quilted works, it offers a broad variety at a range of prices.
Dawne McLean, president of the society, notes the show’s importance as a fundraiser and for outreach. “It brings visitors to the museum and unites local volunteers,” she says. “Besides commissions and admissions, we sell raffle tickets all year-round on a quilt stitched by local women.”
The show began in 1975, organized by several wives of ACHS directors to highlight local quilting talent. It steadily grew in popularity, becoming a vital fundraiser for the society, which oversees and maintains the Albert County Museum and other historic buildings.
Long-time organizer Dawn Kinnie, now 90, recalls the early years with quilts draped over chairs. “Eventually, we were accepting over a hundred quilts, and it became a problem figuring out how to display them,” she says. Her husband, Pearce, and other directors devised a customized hanging system of rods, hooks, and clips — still in use today — that transformed the hall into a gallery. Tables allowed them to fully display quilts, as if on a bed.
Over time, the committee refined its methods, passing routines to new volunteers like the quilting techniques handed down through generations.
Today, the event requires a planning committee of eight and the help of 45–50 volunteers, a remarkable number for a small rural region. Once a five-day affair, the show was recently scaled back to three days, easing the strain on volunteers.
Though not a quilter herself, Dawn says,“My mother-in-law invited me to help her make quilts for my sons, but I’m sure she took out my quilting that night and redid it!” Kinnie has devoted countless hours to organizing. She also established a record-keeping system still used today.
Quilting itself has evolved. Heritage quilts were often assembled from recycled fabrics, quickly tied, or carefully cut, pieced and hand-quilted by groups of women gathered around wooden frames. Quilting bees offered companionship and productivity, with quilts serving as nostalgic symbols of community and shared labour. Designs and fabrics often carried stories, and young quilters learned from elders, adapting and reimagining techniques.
Linda Rose is a generational quilter. She grew up playing with fabric scraps under her grandmother’s quilting frame when local ladies came to help. At 16, she made her first quilt, a butterfly appliqué pieced on a treadle sewing machine, hand-quilted by her grandmother. Later, as a home economics teacher, she began making baby quilts for colleagues.
“Now I’m retired, and it’s an addiction,” she laughs.
Committee chair Marjorie Henwood has been selling quilts for 40 years from a shop beside her home. She learned from her mother-in-law and she was hooked after her first hand-pieced baby quilt. Today she produces 10–15 quilts annually, including memory quilts from T-shirts and celebration quilts from sports jerseys. “I’m doing more with machine, but still enjoy hand-quilting,” she says. “That’s how I learned and I find it relaxing. But it’s going the way of horses and wagons.”
Kinnie recalls when the first machine-stitched quilts appeared. “We were flabbergasted! We’d have to tell the buyer, then we feared the quilts wouldn’t sell.”
Technology transformed the craft. Rotary cutters replaced scissors, plastic templates replaced cardboard, and sewing machines now handle piecing and appliqué. Long-arm machines allow quilters to finish in days what once took weeks. While traditional designs like double wedding-ring and log cabin endure, quilting today looks different from the days when women gathered around a frame.
Landscape and collage designs are gaining popularity, as is thread painting using a machine. “Another thing now,” says Rose, “is the ‘modern quilt’ movement. With bigger piecing and solid colours, it’s more geometric. Overall, quilting is becoming very much an art form.”
Rising material costs add a challenge, and quilters often sell just to support their hobby. “The quilts we sell are certainly underpriced,” says Rose. “People aren’t getting anything for their work. They do it because they enjoy it.”
This year’s quilt show runs July 16–18, featuring new quilts for sale and a “Vintage View” display of historic quilts in the courthouse. Special exhibits and awards for “Best in Show” and “Viewer’s Choice” will highlight innovation and heritage.
For ACHS president Dawne McLean, the milestone is a testament to the legacy of the craft and to community spirit. “I believe it’s a real accomplishment. To do something for 50 years shows the amount of dedication … it’s an important and appreciated community event.”
Celebrating a legacy
The “50 Golden Years of Quilting” season-long celebration begins in May, featuring exhibits, workshops, teas, music, and family-friendly gatherings, culminating in the quilt show and sale on July 16–18, and a raffle in August. All events will take place at the Albert County Museum Complex, 3940 Route 114, Hopewell Cape, N.B.
Correction
Due to an editing error, the originally published version of this story incorrectly described the location of the Albert County Historical Society’s Annual Quilt Show and Sale. The text above is corrected. Saltscapes regret the mistake.