The 1970 Binder Twine Festival program is the first to mention a Festival Raffle Quilt.

2010 Binder Twine Quilt

The Binder Twine Quilt tradition is older than the famous Binder Twine Queen Contest, which began in 1971.

In the early days of the Binder Twine Festival from 1968-1982, several ladies from the Kleinburg-Nashville area made the Festival Quilts. They are often referred to as the Women’s Institute Quilts since these ladies were WI members as well.

The early quilts were hand stitched Hawaiian style and the pattern used was Friendship Plume.

For many years, the Quilters would also set up a Quilting Demonstration at the Festival.

2010 Binder Twine Quilt

In 1982, the Kleinburg-Nashville Quilt Ladies, informed the Binder Twine Committee, that they would no longer be able to provide a quilt for the raffle. Not having a quilt at the Festival was a great concern. To ensure the Festival had a raffle quilt a very unique tradition began, the Binder Twine Festival Quilt Square Contest.

Since 1983, the Binder Twine Quilt has been created by using the quilt square entries in the previous year’s Binder Twine Festival’s Quilt Square Contest.

The quilt squares that are entered in the contest have coordinating fabrics, however no two quilt squares are exactly alike. The quilt squares are sewn together, quilt batting is placed in the middle and a backing fabric is added. The three layers are then stitched (quilted) together and the result is a queen size Sampler Quilt.

Sampler Quilts are named because each square in the quilt is unique and the squares are often a combination and variety of individual quilt square patterns and techniques. The squares are as individual as their makers.

The Binder Twine Quilt has been displayed every summer at one of Kleinburg’s merchants, Jeremy’s, located on the main street, Islington Avenue. In 2010 the displaying of the quilt moved to the Kleinburg Royal Bank.

Quilt Raffle Tickets are $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00 and can be purchased at the Quilt Booth on Binder Twine Day or at participating Kleinburg merchants during the summer. The money raised goes to Community projects.

A detailed map of each year’s quilt lists the following information for each quilt square; the maker’s name, the sewing technique (Pieced, Appliqué, Pieced & Appliqué or a Special yearly category), the prize placement (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd or Honourable Mention, if applicable), and the quilt square pattern name.

The Nobleton United Church Quilters have hand quilted many of the Binder Twine Sampler Quilts.

Quilting time is approximate, however it usually takes 3-6 ladies, 5-6 days to complete each quilt. A quilting day is about 6 hours long.

The first official duty of the newly crowned Binder Twine Queen is to draw the winning ticket for the Binder Twine Quilt. Draw time is approximately 6:00 pm.

The Quilt Winner does not have to be present to collect their prize. A confirmation phone call will be made on the following Sunday.

The winner, hopefully with their quilt is also posted on www.bindertwine.ca

Quilt winners have been as close as Kleinburg and as far away as Alberta.

Recently, some of the Raffle Quilts have had a theme, including the following; Christmas (2000, 2005, 2010), for 2004 the Scrappy Sampler used 14 fabrics to help deplete the accumulating quilt square contest fabric supply, the 2006 Binder Twine Quilt celebrated the Festival’s 40^th Anniversary with a Pioneer Themed Quilt, the 2007 Binder Twine Quilt is Red & White in honour of Canada’s 140^th Birthday, the 2008 Quilt stepped away from traditional quilting and used a more modern day technique called Folded Fabric and the 2009 Quilt honoured our family heritage with a Great Grandmas Quilt.

The 2010 Binder Twine Festival’s Raffle Quilt is a red, white and green, Treemendous Christmas Sampler quilt, as many of the quilt squares have a tree design within them.

On several occasions there have been enough quilt square entries to permit the construction of two Binder Twine Quilts. The second quilt becomes a volunteer prize at the annual Binder Twine Winter Party.

The Winter Party Quilt is one way the Binder Twine Committee can thank the numerous (600) Kleinburg and area residents that volunteer their time annually for the festival.

To continue the tradition of the annual Binder Twine Raffle Quilt, the Kleinburg quilting group the Kleinburg Piecemakers suggested and organized the festival’s first Quilt Square Contest.  The contest was such a success that it has continued to this day.

In 2007, the Binder Twine Quilt Square Contest celebrated 25 years.

The contest is announced each year in the community newsletter, the Kleinburg Spirit.  Newsletter editions can also be found on Kleinburg’s webpage www.kleinburgvillage.com.

Fabric for the contest are provided by the Binder Twine Festival Committee and individual fabric bundles and information sheets are available at the main desk of the Kleinburg Public Library, around May 1^st each year.

Completed quilt squares are due mid August.

Fabric is provided to keep the colours of the quilt coordinated.  Contest regulations can be found on the Information Sheet provided with each fabric bundle. 

The contest is open to anyone who likes to sew.  Entries have been as close as Kleinburg and as far as California.

The majority of entries have come from current or former Kleinburg and area residents.  Several participants of the Quilt Square Contest are members of the local quilting group the Kleinburg Piecemakers.  This group meets on Wednesday mornings (10:00-12:00) at the Kleinburg Public Library and welcome sewers and quilters.

The Quilting Demonstration &/or the Quilting Representative at the Quilt Booth has volunteers from the Kleinburg Piecemakers and can answer many of your quilting questions.

On Festival Day, the Quilt Squares that have won a prize in the current year’s contest have a ribbon attached.

Community merchants have donated prizes for the winners of the Quilt Square Contest.

Participants can choose any quilt square pattern or technique.

Quilt Square Categories for each year’s contest are; Pieced, Appliqué and Pieced & Appliqué.

Some years have seen the addition of a separate category.  These categories have included; Beginner (no more than 3 years entered), Special Class (extra work on the square), Embellished (ribbons, embroidery, buttons and/or charms), Scrappy (6 or more of 14 fabrics), Pioneer Square (squares are those that have a pioneer name (log cabin, rail fence, mill wheel) or squares that evoke pioneer times (school house, ducks on the pond, country roads)), Redwork (use of red embroidery thread), Folded Fabric (3 dimensional sewing technique), Ode to Grandma (squares with Grandma in the name or something to remind you of Grandma) or Christmas. For 2010 the additional category is Springtime (a pattern with ‘spring’ in the name).

As an additional category for the 2004 Quilt Square Contest the Viewer’s Choice Award was suggested.  Visitors to the Quilt Booth were encouraged to vote for their favourite quilt square.  The top four quilt squares were awarded prizes and announced from the main stage.  The category was well received by both the quilt square makers and by the Quilt Booth visitors as it provided a unique activity.  It continues to this day.

The entries for each year’s Quilt Square Contest are displayed on the large folding screen at the Quilt Booth.

Each Quilt Square Label identifies each quilt square with the following information; the quilt square maker’s name, the prize placement when applicable (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and Honourable Mention), the quilt square category (Pieced, Appliqué, Pieced & Appliqué or any additional class) and the quilt square pattern name.

The quilt squares are officially judged by Isabelle Bottoms of Bolton.

Quilt Squares are judged on the following; measure size, stretching, edges, squareness, pressing, points, matching, stitch size and colour combination.

A Quilt Square Contest Information Sheet can be obtained from a Quilt Booth Volunteer on Festival day.

The quilt squares will be sewn into a queen size Sampler Quilt to be raffled at the following year’s Binder Twine Festival (held the first Saturday after Labour Day).

When the current year’s quilt squares become the following year’s Binder Twine Quilt, it is necessary to think ahead regarding milestones.  In 2006 we will celebrate the 40^th Kleinburg Binder Twine Festival.  The 2005 Quilt Square Contest began the celebration two ways.  The first is the fabric chosen for the contest.  Blue and yellow fabrics were chosen that have the famous Binder Twine motifs; a mouse, a sprig if wheat and a swirl pattern that resembles twine, bindertwine.  The second is the creation of a Pioneer Square for the quilt square contest.  The 2006 Quilt Square Contest had red and white fabrics and a Redwork (red embroidery) category to celebrate Canada’s 140^th Birthday.

Lorna Stairs

Lorna Stairs of Kleinburg accepts the Great Grandmas Sampler on behalf of her daughter Maureen Stairs of Fort McMurray, Alberta.