Sunday, July 19, 2015

Pioneer Spirit

Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse.
Winston Churchill, British author and politician (1874-1965)

Sunglasses? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Wallets? Check. Road trip! On what turned out to be the hottest day of the summer, Mom and I headed for Black Creek Pioneer Village and the annual "Quilts at the Creek" art exhibition -- making a detour along the way to check out a recommended quilt shop in the countryside of Halton Hills. Navigational challenges licked, we enjoyed a great outing.

I haven't been to the village since I was a child and so I was seeing it with new, old eyes. Pinned throughout the village, the quilts honoured tradition while bringing out their own pioneering spirit.

The 1858 town hall, traditionally used for the circuit judge proceedings, town council meetings, concerts and other community gatherings made a perfect setting for 'trunk shows' in which a quilter presents their quilting journey illustrated with their numerous creations pulled out like magic from suitcases. Lots of oohs and aahs and inspiration shared. Robert Gutcher's use of machine embroidery amazed all.

This exhibitions has been marked in my calendar since the cold, snowy days of February or March when I spotted an advance announcement. The sun and warmth of July and the show were things to look forward to and I wasn't disappointed. Over 200 colourful and unique quilts lined the streets and yards of the historic buildings. We came away with some ideas as well as some fabric to add to the stash. ;-) I'm already looking forward to next year!


1 comment:

  1. what a fabulous setting to view the quilts. lovely
    pmc

    ReplyDelete