This Virtual History & Gallery was created to redefine quilting as a true art form.
With meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to excellence, we create quilts that inspire, elevate, and enrich the lives of those who enjoy them.
Our goal was to document the gilded age of the Cranbrook Quilters Guild and its
members through stories and quilts. Like most guilds, we had 40 years of
photographs and minutes meticulously stored in filing cabinets and albums, as
well as potentially the quilting stories of over 300 members. The question arose:
is this history worth preserving in a public record?
The simple answer is “yes”.
Quilts are a part of Canadian heritage, as are the stories of the quilters. We must
preserve it now while the women are still able to speak for themselves, rather than
relying on a ‘posthumous’ account that speculates about the ‘why and how’ of
the guild and the quilt-making.
Arnold, Brenda – Quilts(left to right) #060 & #061
Beaulac, Judy, L. – Quilts #084 & #085 (left top to bottom) & #104(right)
Bernhardt, Donna – Quilt #009
Bernhardt, Donna Quilt #009
Bjorgaard, Diane – Quilts (left to right)#058, #059 & #065
Brogan, Terry & Thompson, Myrta – Quilt #033
Brogan, Terry Quilt #033
Bryant, Gretchen – Quilts (left to right) #130 & 135
Buterman, Evelyn – Quilts #138(left to right) & #163
Columbo, Joy – Quilts(left to right) #010, #011, #012 & #013
Community Quilts – (left to right) #046, #047 & #048
Colorado Star Log Cabin Workshop Quilt #096
Colorado Star Log Cabin Workshop Quilt #096
Counting Quilt/Activity Quilt #200
Counting Quilt/Activity Quilt #200
Cox, Annie – Quilts (left to right) #064 & #081
Cranbrook Centennial Quilt & Individual Pieces, #080
Dear Janes – Quilt #160
de Groot, June – Quilts (left to right) #086 & #087
Drummond, Dominique Quilts (left to right) #302 & #303
Dunn, Louise – Quilts(left to right) #075 & #144
Easton, Vicki – Quilts (left to right) #165 & #166
Ekman, Tammy & Harlton, Loveday – Quilts (left to right) #110 & #111
Fedorchuk, Katy – Quilts (left to right)#024 
Fort Steele Hand Quilters – Quilts (left to right) #151 & #167
Fort Steele – NWMP (left to right) #001, #002, #003, #004 & #005
French, Joy – Quilts (left to right) #042, #062, #063,
Garvin, Tracy – Quilt #068
Gilbert, Ruth – Quilts (left to right) #097- #103 & #120 – #126
Gilbert, Ruth Quilts #097 – #103 & #120 – #126
Gordon-Hooker, Jan – Quilt #038
Group, Cabin in the Woods Quilt #108
Guido, Judy – Quilts (left to right) #142 & #143
FAQs
What is your process while working on a quilt?
One of the “jokes” about quilting is the absurdity of cutting up perfectly beautiful fabric into small pieces and sewing them back together. However, this is the process of creating a quilt top. To make a quilt top, you take yardage of complementary fabrics, cut shapes (squares, rectangles, even circles or curved pieces), and then sew the pieces together to create new patterns. Once a patterned “top” is made, you make a quilt sandwich of three layers: the top, batting, and backing. The sandwich is then quilted either by hand or by machine. After the quilting is done, the edges are usually finished with a binding or a facing. You can be a “traditionalist” in your approach or a “modernist” and make bed quilts or art pieces. There isn’t a limit to how you use quilting as a creative process. It truly is like being a child, experiencing the joy of a box of 64 Crayola crayons and a blank canvas to colour.
Who is behind the Cranbrook Quilters Guild?
The guild was founded in 1985 by Lisa Sharpe and Dominique Drummond, who initially advertised for women interested in learning about quilting to form a guild. Since its inception, over 300 local women have joined as members. Today, in 2025, 60 ‘ordinary’ women, aged 30 to 94, gather twice a month from September to June to promote the guild’s objectives: preserving the art of quilting, sharing quilting skills within a community of women, and donating quilts to social and health agencies to give to those in need of the comfort a home-made quilt can bring.
I’d like to become a quilter, where should I start?
In the past, aspiring quilters would start by taking a beginner’s quilting course offered through their town’s recreation department, a quilt store, or a guild. However, with the advent of the internet, many beginners, regardless of gender, as more men are taking up quilting, now learn through online courses. While online courses offer convenience, in-person workshops provide an advantage. Instructors can address individual learning and technique issues, and participants can connect with other students. Some lifelong friendships started while making a sampler quilt in that first class.
Should I join a guild?
Joining a guild isn’t for everyone, but if you’re willing to take on the responsibilities, it can be rewarding and a lot of fun. As a guild member, you may need to be on the executive committee, or develop a program, or take a workshop simply to ensure sufficient participants to cover costs. While there’s work involved, there are also perks. You’ll have ready access to tutors, a community of like-minded individuals to play with, workshops and demonstrations to add to your skill set, and an audience that’s delighted by your creations. Perks do make the commitment worthwhile.
CranbrookQuiltersGuildHistory 