History of the Bluewater Quilters' Guild
Our Founders and Early Days
The Bluewater Quilters Guild was formed in April 1987 by Sylvia Harvey, Noreen Smale and Carol Seaman. On our 1st Anniversary we had 32 members from Grey & Bruce Counties, meeting at Lee Manor to learn more about the art of Quilting.
An Open House in November 1988 and a Show and Sale in conjunction with the Owen Sound Fall Fair in 1990 saw a big increase in our membership and a wide variety of experienced quilters ready to share what they knew. A newsletter was started to keep everyone informed and it continues to be a vital part of our Guild. A library was begun and is still an important feature for our members. Our guild made several raffle quilts for the Local Hospital Auxiliary and also made numerous crib quilts for the Women’s Centre and Salvation Army in Grey & Bruce Counties. We once staged a Quilt-In at the Grey County Mall and put a Log Cabin quilt together in a day. By 1990, we had outgrown Lee Manor’s auditorium and moved to our present location at the Bayshore Community Centre.
Quilt Shows
In 1990 Guild members were kept busy quilting and participated in a winter quilt show at the Bruce County Museum. Bev White organized a Challenge in conjunction with this show and soon quilters were creating quilts alongside potters, painters, photographers and other craftsmen! Many enjoyed these challenges, and the results were enjoyed by many.
Our membership reached 100 and we put on our first Quilt show for our 10th Anniversary “Bedthreads and Other Masterpieces” was the name of our show for 10 years! Our quilt shows became known as “Quilts by the Bay” and took place every three years. For a number of years, a quilt show was held in conjunction with the Owen Sound Fall Fair called the “Fruits of our Labour”. It was a competition open to quilters across Ontario and the show was judged with some nice prizes. Since 2022 we have held a quilt show in conjunction with the Owen Sound Fall Fair.
In 2014 there was an opportunity to rent a storefront at 769 2nd Avenue East in Owen Sound. This allowed us to make our quilts there. Many of our quilts are made from donations of cotton fabric from the community and our members. In 2015, when Pauline McCutcheon passed away from cancer, it was decided to name this place “Pauline’s Place” as she had been instrumental in organizing our Community Outreach Committee.
Our Community Outreach group meets twice a week at Pauline’s Place to create beautiful quilts for those in need. Pauline’s Place is also used for executive meetings, committee meetings, workshops, beginner quilting classes.
Move to Zoom during COVID
When COVID prevented us from meeting in person for our guild meetings we moved to Zoom meetings. It was very much appreciated and is still used during the winter months when many of our members don’t want to be travelling to our in-person meetings.
The guild has been active for 37 years now during which many members have generously contributed quilting organizational expertise to grow and strengthen our guild. Members and program guests continue to inspire others to develop their knowledge, skills and creativity.
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