Painted quilt bees

Shannon LeClair
Times Contributor

 

In June the Hope Bridges Society won the ‘Let’s Make a Pitch’ contest with their idea of painted quilts. These ‘quilts’ will be put on the outside of local buildings, and will be a way of helping the Town of Strathmore with their revitalization efforts.
“Thanks to the Town of Strathmore and many sponsors including W. Brett Wilson, Ron Renaud and Beerd Beekman, the Painted Quilt Project is free to the public,” said Wanda Reinholdt, Hope Bridges coordinator.
The project, which is officially called ‘Painted Quilt Bees,’ will start in January.
“Participants have two bees to choose from – daytime or evening. Each bee takes two to three weeks to complete depending on the quilt design so be sure to schedule a few weeks in your schedule for this exciting adventure,” said Reinholdt.
The daytime option starts Wednesday, Jan. 21 (1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.) at the Hope Bridges Studio, continuing for two to three more weeks at the same time on subsequent Wednesday afternoons. The evening option starts Wednesday, Jan. 28 (7 p.m. to 9 p.m.) at a location to be determined, and continuing two to three weeks at the same time on subsequent Wednesday nights. Transportation assistance is available.
The workshop will be happening in Strathmore only and will be facilitated by local artist Johanna Jackins. Any adult is welcome, and participants will be sanding, learning about the history of quilting, designing, taping, and of course painting. While the paint is drying, there will be opportunity to connect with the other participants.
All participant hopefuls are asked to pre-register by calling 403-983-3640. The project is free to participate in, and all supplies are provided.