Stories in Fabric Art

Millie Kikkert features her fabric art creation.

Excepts from The Guardian Feature – Fabric Artist Sharon Sawyer has seen…amazingly talented results in her L.E.A.P. Media Quilting and Personal Illustrations class at the Riverview Community Centre in Clyde River.

“I don’t do much in the way of traditional quilting at all. I’ve done a little bit, but what you’ll see here is that we’re all very free-form about this,” says Sawyer, who recently moved from Massachusetts to P.E.I.

Just working with the fabric, you get so many creative possibilities and so many ideas and it’s good working with a group, too, because you get ideas from everybody else.”

A case in free-form point would be Millie Kikkert’s piece that depicts her life in the community in which she uses paint to create blue sky and a green tree-lined backdrop and then existing fabric images and textures on top of that to form a collage that tells her farm-inspired story. Kikkert is no stranger to quilting, but this form of material art is a whole new direction.

L.E.A.P. participant Jo-Ann MacPhail says this program not only gives her an idea of what she can do quilt art-wise but it gets her out of the house in the cold winter months. “I live alone and I could go two or three days without talking to anybody or seeing anyone . . . and this way you get to come (here) and learn how to do different projects. And you get to see your neighbours . . . and learn how to do all these different techniques.”

Sawyer says the interaction between the participants is a big part of the L.E.A.P. program parcel.“The nice thing about it is it really gives people a creative outlet and  a lot of socializing,” she adds. “It’s a really fun thing to do on a frozen February day and we’re really having a great time.”

Participants of the quilt art L.E.A.P. program will be having an open house on April 10 at 2 p.m. at the Riverview Community Centre in Clyde River. Also included will be paintings from students from Julia Purcell’s art class. The quilt art will also be on exhibit at the Cornwall Library Gallery from April 20 to mid-May.

(Excerpts from The Guardian feature by Mary MacKay on February 20, 2010. Full story here.) Photo credit: The Guardian


No Comments

  1. clyderiver on February 21, 2010 at 12:59 pm

    What a nice article Mary MacKay did on the LEAP program !
    This is the second year that the Clyde River Women’s Institute have been part of this program and it has been a positive experience. Observing both the quilting art program that Sharon Sawyer taught and the stories and illustrations program that Julia Purcell is teaching, I want to make a few statements of affirmation.
    1. Both the PEI Government and the PEI Senior’s Federation are to be commended for this initiative.
    2. LEAP is a gift for Island seniors. It’s offered close to home, in mid winter and without cost- all important for success.
    3. On PEI, there are many talented artists (broad term) ready and able to teach LEAP programs and the short term committment makes it an attractive artistic pursuit. We have had two wonderful teachers in Clyde River.
    4. The real success lies in both the pride of artistic accomplishments and the fellowship that happens when the group meets weekly. In this community, the participants were from different communities so new friendships were made as well as a chance to strengthen connections with friends and neighbours.
    5. Finally, the Riverview Community Centre has been ideal for the LEAP programs. It is a bright cheerful setting and those participating in LEAP here are very complimentary.
    The Clyde River Women’s Institute maintain this building for community use and it is nice to see it used for such programs and very nice to know it is appreciated.
    Emily Bryant

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