January
Wed. January 8 7 - 9:30
Thurs. January 9 9:30 – noon
Gladys has been an Oxford Quilters Guild member for 30+ years and has been quilting since 1984. She has so many stories to tell of classes she has taken, people she has enjoyed and quilts she has made .
At the beginning, Gladys had no sewing background at all. She didn't even know how to run a sewing machine. She credits her quilting expertise to all of the teachers that have instructed and influenced her over the years. In this Trunk Show, Gladys pays homage to those teachers. We don't always appreciate how many opportunities we have to take classes from accomplished quilters locally. Gladys' quilting journey emphasizes how important the local quilting scene contributed to her expertise. Her first teacher, Rosemary Schaefer (of Kirkton) introduced Gladys to hand piecing and hand quilting. You could see the evolution of Gladys' quiltmaking displayed around the room and in the trunk show. Many of the teachers that Gladys names are associated with the Oxford Quilters' Guild and the Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre, such as, Carol McLean, Jean Hillis, Gwen Tracey, Julie Martin, Vicki Bisset, Kathleen Bisset, and Linda White. The Oxford Quilters' Guild is a teaching guild and Gladys is a part of that tradition as she teaches classes in quilting to both members and non-members.
Gladys advises all to take as many classes as you can. She has taken a number of workshops/classes from visiting artists as well as travelling to take advantage of classes offered elsewhere. Gladys has had the opportunity to study from Lydia Quigly, Helen Fujiki, Elaine Quail, Cathy Tisdale, Karen Henry, Karen Stone and Heather Bennett.
Expertise comes from experience. Gladys participates in numerous challenges put on by our Guild and by her quilting friends. Each challenge expands her repertoire. Gladys' quilting friends made the mistake of letting Gladys pick the challenge on one of their retreats...let's just say, they have not repeated the offer. I'm sure if you ask for the story, they will be more than happy to share.
I'd like to close this blog by sharing what a pleasure it was to hear Gladys' quilting story. She is part of a regular quilting group here at the ICAC on Thursday evenings that has inspired me to quilt. We quilt, we laugh, we eat and laugh some more, then we quilt and laugh... I always leave in such a great frame of mind and spirit. Gladys is part of that quilting journey for me.
The Quilt Muse
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