The Niagara Heritage Quilters’ Guild is proud of the work we do, not only in quilting but supporting our community in various ways. During the 2018 and2019 season we donated 91 quilts to individuals, refugee families, The Kristen French Advocacy Centre, Gillians Place to name a few.

We love  “Making a Difference”.

Here are several ways we give back.

Community Outreach

Community Outreach quilters work on piecing, quilting, and binding quilts for charity.  We have sew days where we put together quilt tops, backing and binding, so that they can be distributed to other members of the guild for completion. We also receive donations of fabric and unfinished quilts or blocks, and our quilters are creative in sewing beautiful tops from these donations.  We sponsor a guild challenge every year, with different themes and prizes. 

Approximately 100 quilts per year are donated to local charitable organizations, including Hospice, Gillian’s Place, Kristen French Advocacy Centre, Niagara Region Mental Health, FACS for babies going into foster care, as well as refugee families, and families who have devastating losses, such as a fire.  We’ve also recently accepted the challenge of making 40 quilts for the YWCA Transitional Housing facility that will open in January of 2021. 

If you wish to get involved, contact Jennifer Dyck at jenniferk2p2@gmail.com or visit her during one of our guild meetings at the Community Outreach table.  

This is also a great way to get to know your fellow quilters.

Meals On Wheels

Meals on Wheels is an organization which provides a hot and nutritious meal once a day from Monday to Friday to the area shut ins and seniors in their own homes. The Niagara Heritage Quilters’ Guild donates ‘Meals on Wheels” Placemats to this organization, to help brighten up even a simple meal. The placemats are distributed at Christmas time. The St. Catharines/Thorold chapter distributes around 350 meals. Quite often this is the only present the recipient receives.

The following are some suggestions for making the placemats:

1. The finished size should measure about 12 “ x 18 “. 
2. Get together with a couple of friends for coffee, chit chat and sew.
3. Make a crazy quilt design with batting and backing.
4. Make it reversible with Christmas on one side and another season on the other.
5. Applique a cut out from a large print on background fabric and add borders.
6. Use an orphan block or make a log cabin block and add borders.
7. They don’t have to be Christmas themed.

Completed placemats can be handed in at any meeting from September to November.

Neonatal Quilts

Every Month we collect Neonatal Quilts on behalf of the Special Care Nursery at the St. Catharines General Hospital. We are proud to say in 2018 we delivered 193 quilts. 

To make these Quilts here are the requirements:

• Neo-Natal quilts should not be any larger than 22 to 24 inches square
• The front or top of the quilt may be made from either cotton or flannelette. You may be as creative with the top as you wish.
• The backing must be flannelette, and have no seams (there is no batting put in these quilts).

Simply lay top of quilt and backing fabric right sides together stitch around the edge leaving an opening.  Turn right side out. Top stitch around the edge.

If you’d like to make some, we would be very grateful.

RAFT

RAFT – operated by the Niagara Resource Service for Youth contributes to the welfare of our community by helping at-risk youth, families and neighbourhoods become independent and self-sufficient.

Our services strengthen the emotional and social well-being of clients and act as a portal to community resources.

Services are based on the principles of Empowerment, Quality of Life, Dignity and Respect. Services are provided in a supportive and caring environment, which encourages independence and self-reliance.

We believe that helping clients take control of their lives builds self-esteem and confidence while empowering clients to become fuller more involved members of their community.

Every November the Niagara Heritage Quilters Guild collects donations of hats, scarves, socks, mitts and gloves. Personal Hygiene items  (shampoo, soap, creams etc.) for both men and women are also collected.  

Scholarships

The Niagara Heritage Quiters’ Guild has established a Scholarship Valued at $1,000.00 to promote an interest in Fine Arts, Art History, Visual Arts or Design, with an interest in textile/Fibre Arts as a career or lifeskill.

One of the founding members of the Niagara Heritage Quilters’ Guild, Nina Stahlschmidt, began the idea of the scholarship as a way of involving the guild in the Niagara community. Nina and a group of members organized a silent auction to raise funds during the NHQG Quilt Show at Niagara College
May 18-21, 2011. Members donated items for the auction and we received monetary donations by members of the community. The monies raised are invested in GIC’S. The interest and any additional funds raised each year are kept separate and used to fund the annual scholarship.

Above is a picture of our 2019 recipient, Hannah Robertson, being presented with the scholarship by Gloria Meyer.  She is a graduate of Eden High School and is pursuing her further education at Carleton University for a Bachelor of Architectural Studies Majoring in design. Hannah is an exemplary student who while maintaining high scholastic marks, also found time to put in over 665 volunteer hours.

Qualification Requirements:

1. The student must be graduating or have graduated last year from a secondary school program in the Niagara Region.
2. The student may win only once.
3. The student must be a Canadian citizen.
4. The student must show personal growth and leadership in school and community activities.
5. The student must include a typed 350 – 500 word essay on the topic of “Textile/Fibre Arts as a Life Skill and/or Career” with their application.
6. The application must be signed by the student and student’s Principal or Vice Principal.
7. The student must provide names and contact information of 2 references.  These references should not be immediate family members.
8. The student must be registered in a Canadian Post-Secondary institution.
9. The student must indicate which Canadian Post-Secondary institution and program of study they will be attending.

Conditions:

1. To receive the Scholarship award, the student must obtain 75 merit points or more as outlined on the application form.
2. If the scholarship recipient does not attend an accredited college or university in the Fall or Spring for any reason, he/she shall forfeit the scholarship to allow another student who has achieved 75 merit points or more, to take advantage of the scholarship.  In the event that the successful applicant must forfeit and no other applicant has achieved the requisite 75 merit points, there shall be no scholarship for that year.

Applications must be postmarked by May 31st of each year.

Please send completed application with applicable attachments to:

Niagara Heritage Quilters’ Guild,
P.O. Box 284, Thorold, ON, L2V 3Y9
Attn:  NHQG Scholarship Committee

OR

info@niagaraquiltersguild.com

Subject: NHQG Scholarship