Binder Twine

Jane Kean of Kleinburg

The winner of the 2010 Treemendous, Red, White and Green Christmas Sampler Quilt is Jane Kean of Kleinburg Ontario.

This year’s winner is Anna Travierso from Kleinburg. Congratulation Anna!

The Binder Twine Quilt Raffle is one of the Festival’s longest traditions. Since 1968, at the second annual Festival a quilt has been displayed at the Quilt Booth. The first Binder Twine Quilt was won by an auction. For the following years it was decided to sell raffle tickets, with the winner being announced during Binder Twine Day.

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.