Four friends made crazy-quilt squares for an unusual baby quilt. The quilt is held together with knots instead of quilting stitches.
Siobhan’s Quilt, 1985
“I shed a few tears when I opened up the box. The quilt is so beautiful, smelling of wood smoke, that wonderful, forgotten aroma, and so brightly coloured, a relief and a joy to eyes sore from the repetitious pastels of conservative Illinois. You’ll never guess the strong, passionate feelings that quilt arouses in me. Thank you. I’m afraid it will be a long time before Siobhan will sit still long enough to listen to her mother’s tales of north coast life. But for me, that life is a constant reality, and I feel so honored and pleased to have such beautiful evidence of my life there. Your quilt has really made me happy, and caught me by surprise.”
-A note from Helen, Siobhan’s mother
Cato’s Quilt, 1985
The squares on Cato’s Quilt were made to remind his mother of Crippen Cove, where she had lived before moving to Toronto.
Wendy made a sailboat, Marie a bright rainbow, and her partner Les, a husky pile-driver, stitched a bird in flight. Carol appliquéd a white skiff with bright pink gunwales and a pink outboard motor, tied to a bright pink mooring buoy, with a smiling sea monster swimming by.
Olivier’s Quilt, 1988
This beautiful block quilt was made in Vancouver. A number of the north coast women had moved south in the ’80s and had invited new friends there into the far-flung quilting circle. Several of the squares for Olivier’s quilt were made by friends still living up north, who mailed their contributions south to be added to the quilt.
Cassandra’s Quilt, 1989
Carmel showed her friends at Crippen Cove how to quilt by machine instead of by hand. As the women recalled, “The baby was due, and the quilting was done real fast!”
The women had collected plain squares of fabric, which were combined with the many patchwork squares that Francine contributed. The result was a soft and cozy baby quilt for Cassandra.
Gabriel’s Quilt, 1990
Hear his silent song, it lingers on and we may follow
Feel his mystery, beyond all joy, beyond all sorrow!
Gabriel comes to tell a story beyond knowing
Gabriel, all is well, your message is still growing
See the glowing babe, his name is Gabriel the singer
Know the shining one, he is the sun, the message bringer!
Gabriel casts a spell, knowing he will win us
Gabriel, all is well, your message grows within us.
A song by Gabriel’s uncle Ned
Hayden’s Quilt, 1990
Half of the women who made squares for this large baby quilt were from Quebec or France, which perhaps added to the quilt’s sophistication and verve. It was made in Vancouver by the ‘southern’ Coastal Quilters.
Zach’s Quilt, 1990
This baby quilt was was created as a wall hanging and an activity board. The lion’s tail is for braiding and there are buckles, buttons, shoelace tying, snaps, a telephone to dial, and a variety of pockets, some with things already in them.
The open square at the bottom was meant to have a dowel, so Zach could hang up his wash cloth. But his mom didn’t want him to get near the quilt when his hands were dirty, so the space was left empty.
Tlell’s Quilt, 1979
This was the first group-made quilt, and it is described in a separate blog post.
Knots and Stitches 
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