Marshall McLuhan’s famous phrase “The medium is the message” came to mind at last weekend’s Prince Edward County Quilter’s Guild Quilt show.

A Stitch in Time featured nearly 300 submissions. There wasn’t an inch of blank space on the Lehigh Arena floor that wasn’t covered in fabulous fabric art.

The show celebrated the talent of Guild members as well as the 40th anniversary of the Quilter’s Guild. From historical blocks to modern voices, Show Chair Viktoria Brave said this year’s show represents the vitality and diversity of styles, skills, and techniques in contemporary quilting.

“At the intersection of craft, art and design, quilts are first and foremost a way to care for our loved ones and the world we all share,” she said. 

To a regular attendee of the show, it seemed as if a lot more of the quilts displayed in Wellington were focused on  environmental and human rights issues. They are equal parts overt, ornate, and powerful.

But Ms. Brave said politics aren’t new when it comes to quilting. “There’s a perception that political quilts are new, but quilters have always been engaged with the world around them.” 

“You can go back to the times of the Underground Railroad and the quilt blocks that would be coded to help slaves escape to freedom. There were the AIDS quilts of the 1980’s…quilting has always served as an expressive art form for anyone that can use a needle.”

The show’s Crazy Times banner was inspired by the Crazy Quilt-style of the past century, re-interpreted for today. The banner features panels ranging from climate change, the joy of the Toronto Blue Jays World Series appearance, to President Trump’s threats to make Canada the 51st state.

One of those artists incorporating messaging into the medium was HanneLise Simoes, whose Lost Moments quilt quoted the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

EARTH’S CRAMMED WITH HEAVEN,
AND EVERY COMMON BUSH
AFIRE WITH GOD,
BUT ONLY HE WHO SEES, 
TAKES OFF HIS SHOES,
THE REST SIT AROUND 
AND PLUCK BLACKBERRIES.

Ms. Simoes said she was struck by how the lines resonated for our times — even though the poem was published in 1856. The quilter thought of how many beautiful moments are missed because of the pull of cell phones; social media has takes us away from our surroundings.

“I live on the Bay of Quinte and it’s so full of beauty – there’s so much happening that if you look away, you might miss a bird or a frog or a sunset. I’ve just been noticing how people seem to be transfixed on their devices and might miss those magical moments.” 

 “I was reading that quote that and I thought, it’s more relevant today than it even was when she wrote it.”

“I have to be aware myself because I’m not innocent of it either. I can fall into that trap of doom scrolling and miss what’s happening all around me in the beauty of the world we live in.”

Ironically, or perhaps fittingly, Ms. Simoes’ example started making the rounds on social media before the end of the weekend.

The show was well attended, with over 1200 people strolling through the hundreds of quilts and the Merchant Mall at Highline Hall to check out the hard-to-find fabric, as well as rare sewing and cutting instruments. Nearly 20 volunteers made the show was a success.

“The number of entries are in line with what we typically have each year, however, this year, the quilts were larger so it was a really full show floor,” Ms. Brave explained.