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Rimbey Museum to display heritage quilts

The quilts were found recently at the Rimbey Hospital and Care Centre
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A great deal of history is painstakingly stitched into homemade quilts and it is interesting to trace the historical roots of the women who created these masterpieces.

Two such quilts were found recently at the Rimbey Hospital.

The quilts are now at the truck museum. One of the quilts has been completely redone and the other, a lovely creation with patches depicting bursts of yellow sunshine and other designs, is to be completed later.

Each square of the quilt that has been finished was originally embroidered beautifully and a name was included in each square. Among the names of the ladies who sewed the quilt are Fara Tona, Mary Trautman, Irene Hohn, Dorothy and Clara Quaife, Barbara Bennink, Stena Bennink, Mabel Marshall, Lillian Shaw and Florrie Bryanton.

Embroidered in the centre of the quilt is ‘The Country Club, Rimbey, Alta, March 1948.’

The ladies who come to the truck museum every Tuesday morning to quilt, sewed the backing on the quilt and carefully handstitched the embroidered designs in place.

Pas Ka Poo Park administrator Cheryl Jones said the quilt and pictures and stories about the ladies who sewed the quilt will be on display at the museum this year.

The Beatty House is hosting a public Heritage Quilt Documentation Day on Friday, April 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This is a great opportunity to have family quilts documented and photographed in order to preserve their history and contribution to Alberta’s quilting history.

Lucie Heins, from the Royal Alberta Museum, along with quilters from Rimbey, will look at the techniques and materials used to make the quilt and also try to collect as much history about the quilt and quiltmaker as possible.

On Thursday evening, the night before the event, Heins will speak at the Beatty House about the fascinating stories stitched into many of Alberta’s quilts.

If you own a heritage or family quilt made on Alberta prior to 1970, it may be a good candidate.

Quilts will be documented in half hour time slots.

Contact Teri Ormberg at 1-403-843-6497 to arrange a time of April 5 to bring your quilt in.

For more information about the Alberta Quilt Project contact Lucie Heins at 1-403-780-453-9176.

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