Flowers for Lois,” created by Gail Hunter

A Week in Ontario:  Spending a week allowed us, in addition to the sale, to visit the Mennonite archives at Conrad Grebel as well as interview quilters and owners in the area.   
Mary Reimer shows Sharon a quilt she bought at an auction many years ago.

We tracked down the Kaleidoscope of Nations, the $44,000 quilt from last year’s sale.  It was on exhibit as a part of a show at the Joseph Schneider Haus in Kitchener featuring prize winning quilts of members of the Waterloo County Quilter’s Guild.  We were also pleased to be able to interview the quilt’s Beamsville owner who told us that she went to the sale with the intent of buying a strawberry pie.
 

The Auction:  The 251 quilts/comforters brought in nearly $168,000 in the non-stop six-hour auction.

 The featured quilt, “Flowers for Lois,” created by Gail Hunter was named for Lois Weber, her “wonderful Mennonite friend…kind and unselfish neighbour” and donated to the Relief Sale, a “very worthy cause.”   Gail’s quilt sold for $6100. 

Also selling for that price was “Magnolia Elegance,” an embroidered bed quilt by Viola Martin and Myrtle Horst (below).  

Star patterns were the most popular, but other well-known patterns, Log Cabin, Nine Patch, Irish Chain, Trip around the World, Boston Commons, Wedding Ring, Dresden Plate, Fans, and Rail Fence were also well represented. A majority of the appliquéd quilts (20 plus) were flower and garden themes.  Many relief sale auctions have a Sun Bonnet Sue—and New Hamburg was not an exception. 

Some New Hamburg quilts seemed to stretch the traditional look of relief sale quilts both in design and use of color.  Tango Tiles (right) (Hawkesville WMCEC) and Garden Explosion, (Guelph Quilters Group and the Canadian Federation of Univ. Women) (left).

Research questions for consideration:

1) Can quilters for larger sales take more risks with color and design? 

2) We became aware on this trip of several quilt collectors.  As we attempt to track the numbers of those buying quilts we noticed, perhaps at New Hamburg more than at other sales, some buyers  purchase multiple quilts, seemingly at whatever price is needed to get them.  Do you know of collectors that have Mennonite Relief Sale Quilts?

3) Where are the roots of Mennonite quilting traditions?  During this trip, we raised the question of what types quilting/piecing/needlework was brought from the "Old Country" and when and by which groups of Amish/Mennonites?  What information  can you share with us?  Do you have quilts handed down in your family?  What is their origin? 

4) Are some Mennonite quilters questioning their quilting skills or those of their church group, and feel their quilts are not “good enough” for auctions?  Does this cause some to “drop out” of making sale quilts?  If a quilt does not bring enough at the sale, is it worth donating the time? What other ways do quilters find to use their piecing/quilting skills for MCC? 

To discuss these questions, join the discussion.