Made with Love, A Quilting Junky Story
Often feel-good stories start with a small and modest beginning and this story is no exception. When I first started volunteering at the Thrift Shop, I began to notice some most amazing things, one of which was a group of women who met on Wednesdays at the Seba Seniors Centre. As the new Communication Director, I decided I wanted to learn more about this small community of ladies, so I sat down with Sally Turco, whom the ladies call their Grand Poobah, to see what makes them tick.
Sally told me it all started about 15 years ago when they met at a quilting retreat. You see, these ladies had one thing in common and that was “quilting was their drug of choice”…their words! Thus, they decided to start their own quilting community. The Fallis Community Hall was where they began their meetups, but then moved to the Pavilion in Seba Beach, and finally ended up at the May Hall in the Seba Seniors Centre. Seba Seniors were more than happy to take the quilters under their wing! After all, this is what Seba Seniors is all about…helping their community!
One of the most wonderful things I learned about this quilting community is they make what some refer to as “charity quilts”. The first Wednesday of every month, starting around February, the quilters donate their time to make as many quilts as they can throughout the year, and then in December, they hand them over to a non-profit of their choice. Although most of the fabric for these quilts is provided by the quilters themselves, the Seba Seniors Thrift Shop is also a source this group leverages to get fabric for these quilts. Last year, they gave away 10 quilts to Ukrainian families in need. This year, they were able to make another 10 quilts which they chose to donate to the Be Brave Ranch which is affiliated with Little Warriors.
Every year they have a couple of retreats where they come together for the entire weekend and focus on the art of quilting. They do this by learning new techniques such as fibre arts and shibori indigo dyeing Throughout the years, they have grown from making quilts to so much more. Some examples of other things they’ve made are fibre bowls, teddy bears, bags, artwork made from sewing small pieces of fabric together, mittens, and junk journals to name a few. To help showcase all the amazing quilts and fiber arts created by this group of women, one of the quilter’s husbands built a display case in the Seba Seniors May Hall. Come by and check it out!
Now, although this coven of quilters focus primarily on quilting, they welcome any person, of all ages, who is interested in any form of needle art, including knitting, crochet, wool felting, etc…to come join them and honour their inner child. They will begin meeting again in the new year on January 8 at 10:30 a.m. and continue every Wednesday. Even if you’re just starting out, they don’t mind taking new folks under their wing. After all, that’s what community is all about…isn’t it? If you are interested or have any questions, contact Sally at 780-993-2936 or sturco03@gmail.com.
Tracey Stewart
Communications Director