A Quilt Made of Ball Gowns

Canadian Conservation Institute

This is a big year for Canada. We are celebrating our sesquicentennial and there's lots of wonderful quilty threads that will be running through it. Here's a small sampling.

Betty recently shared a story on facebook about a quilt made of ball gowns - how romantic is that? Its 152 years old and has been carefully restored by the Canadian Conservation Institute in Ottawa. Created by dressmaker Fanny Parlee out of scraps from silk and velvet gowns that she made for ladies attending Charlottetown Confederation balls and galas in 1864, it is both a piece of history and a work of art. The Charlottetown Conference brought together reps from the colonies of British North America to discuss confederation and laid the foundation for the formation of Canada.

Canadian Conservation Institute

Sixteen large blocks and four smaller ones combine to create a beautiful crazy quilt finished with a soft grey ruffle. It was sent to Ottawa in the mid nineties but the painstaking restoration process didn't begin until four years ago. It will be on exhibit at the Kings County Museum in Hampton, New Brunswick during the summer. Road trip, anyone?

Paper piecers might be interested in sewing up the Canada 150 logo; Dana Szucs Hayden has created a free pattern for you. I want to give paper piecing a try this year but I think I'll start with something a little simpler.

There's also a 150th quilt honouring inspiring, sometimes feisty, pioneering Canadian women designed by Kathryn Wilson Tucker entitled 150 Canadian Women. Made from 6.5" blocks, it is very reminiscent of a Dear Jane quilt. This free pattern is being offered for a limited time. It looks like things started around the end of November so some of the links may have expired but if you missed any they will all will be available to you on a CD at the end of the program.

And, just because you can't spend all of your time quilting, to celebrate Canada's 150th Parks Canada is offering its 2017 Discovery Pass for free throughout the year; it would normally cost around $140 per family. It's an opportunity to visit some of the country's most famous sites, such as Banff, Pacific Rim, the Bruce Peninsula, the Thousand Islands, Cape Breton and Gros Morne. You can have it shipped to your address for free, or pick one up at a park entrance; it covers unlimited entry to national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas operated by Parks Canada. I say again, road trip anyone?

Happy 150th Canada!....M