Kingston Heirloom Quilters

established in 1979

Creating Tomorrow's Heirlooms

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KHQ Group Quilt:
International Round Robin Millennium Quilt Project

Kingston Heirloom Quilters, along with groups from five other countries, participated in a Millennium Project that had quilts under construction circumnavigate the globe. The Alington House Quilters of Durham UK, who instituted this ambitious Round Robin quiltmaking exchange, connected to Kingston Heirloom Quilters through a member who had joined them during a sojourn in England.

Groups from six different countries would each make a centre panel, 24 inches square, to represent either the country o r region of origin, and to which all of the other groups, in turn, would add a border. The quilts in progress traveled in a given cycle that took them completely around the world.

All quilts to arrive in Kingston were mailed from New Zealand . We added a border, then sent them across the Atlantic Ocean to the "Arlington House Quilters" in Durham, England.

They added another border, then shipped them across Europe, and over the Kattegat almost up to the Arctic Circle to "Quilting Group Lapphexorna" of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Then the ever enlarging quilts traveled due south, to "Table Mountain Quilters" of Wynberg, on South Africa 's southern Cape. From there, they crossed the Indian Ocean en route to "The Prolific Quilters" of Sydney, Australia. Then a short trip across the Tasman Sea brought them to the quilting group, "In Stitches" of Christchurch, New Zealand.

A flight across the Pacific Ocean, from as far south as we are n orth, brought them through Vancouver, and across Canada to Kingston.

In spring 2000, each quilt top returned to the group that had created its centre panel. We rushed to get them quilted, bound, and sent off to circumnavigate the globe again.

First to the UK to be featured at "Alington House Quilters Show" in June, and also at "Quilts UK North" at Harrowgate in August. From there the collection traveled to Japan to the prestigious "Quilt Week Yokohama 2000", where the Canadian Quilt, "Maples Leave s in Autumn" by the Kingston Heirloom Quilters was chosen to be featured on their souvenir pins. (90,000 people attended this three day show!) The people of Japan kindly forwarded them on to Kingston, where they were shown at Kingston Heirloom Quilters' "Festival of Quilts V" in 2001. They were also on display that summer at the "Quilting by the Lake " conference in New York State, USA, after which all of the Quilts were shipped back to their home groups.

The Canadian quilt "Maple Leaves in Autumn" was juried into " Quilts=Art=Quilts" at the Shwienfurth Memorial Art Centre, Auburn, NY.

Through this exercise, we've gained a number of friends around the world, along with some insight into their world of quilting. During this time, one of our members on sabbatical in Sydney Australia worked with the group involved in the project; our President managed to meet up with the Christchurch group, while on holiday in New Zealand ; and an Alington House quilter got in touch during a brief stopover in Kingston .

For a more detailed picture, click on quilts and scroll through the file to see details of all the quilts..

Send questions and comments to: khq at quiltskingston.org
Last modified by dhh: November 16, 2006