The Art of Quilts & Early Candian Furniture closed August 28, 2024.
For this exhibit, beautiful quilting works of all shapes and sizes were designed and made by members of the Georgian Quilters' Guild, who take delight in all the components of quilt making: fabric, pattern, colour and texture. A quilt, by definition, is three pieces of fabric held together by stitching and can be a covering to keep you warm or a piece of art. It is found on a bed, table or wall and can be appliqued or hand/machine stitched - simply or elaborately, by one person or several working together.
Complementing this display of quilts was a collection of 19th century painted Canadian furniture from Danfield Antiques and Art. These museum quality pieces showcase techniques that brightened early homes.
The Georgian Quilters' Guild
The first meeting of The Georgian Quilters’ Guild occurred on October 10, 1996, when 25 curious quilters responded to an advertisement in the Meaford Express. Meetings were held initially at Knox Presbyterian Church but eventually moved to the Meaford Hall in 2007. The membership has grown steadily to include both beginner and advanced quilters who meet once a month to share ideas, learn new techniques and work on projects.
The Georgian Quilters’ Guild is involved with many community projects. Their members designed, pieced and quilted Meaford’s 150th anniversary wall hanging, which is displayed in the Meaford Public Library. The two Dresden Plate quilts, containing 600 signatures, which hang in the foyer of Meaford Hall and were a fundraising effort for the Meaford Hall restoration in 2006, are also products of the Guild’s efforts.
Community Outreach has always been a Guild focus with quilts being donated over the years to raffles, auction, and individuals, supporting worthy causes such as Participation Lodge, Tim Horton’s day camp, “Quilt for A Cure Cancer Research Initiative”, refugee families and Meaford Community Care.
In the last four years, The Georgian Quilters have donated 157 quilts to people in the community and to organizations such as the Oncology Department at Grey Bruce Regional Hospital, My Friend’s House and Home Horizons. They have also given Christmas stockings and placemats to the Day Away Program at Meaford Community Care. They recently sent quilts to Nova Scotia for wildfire victims.
Danfield Antiques & Art
19th Century Painted Canadian Furniture
Today when we think of antique pine furniture, we see it in its stripped-down form but, for the most part, pine and other softwoods were always painted.
The most exuberant form of this decoration was grain painted furniture, a technique intended to make the surface resemble the rarer birdseye and tiger maples or a more prized or exotic timber such as mahogany or rosewood, both of which were very expensive to transport to Ontario, Quebec. Grain painting artfully mimicked these beautiful timbers and brought a flourish of colour to early Canadian homes.
The grain painting technique was rather ingenious. The artist would first paint the piece (a blanket box for example), in a base coat; oxblood red being a popular choice. A second, usually darker coat would be applied, but before it had dried, the artist would imitate the desired wood grain by use of feathers, combs, sponges or the artists’ own fingers. As time went on, the majority of antique painted furniture have been painted over or stripped down.
The pieces in this exhibit highlight some rare surviving Canadian examples. The same enthusiasm quilters had for colour and pattern are echoed in these brightly painted objects, which brought beauty inside the stark interior of the home.
About Danfield Antiques & Art
Danfield Antiques and Art, at 207 Marsh Street in Clarksburg, is a haven of the finest Canadian furniture from centuries past, along with First Nations art, Folk art such as Thornbury’s own Erskine Brown, and beautiful Canadian paintings from the Group of Seven era.