Patchwork for the people From a chance meeting of two quilting enthusiasts five years ago the Whistler Quilters Guild has grown to 35 members who meet bi-weekly for workshops, sharing of techniques and skills and the creation of patchwork quilts for some very good causes, including the Blackcomb Foundation. The Whistler Quilters Guild is currently creating a magnificent, king size quilt — a work of art — that will be one of the feature auction items at this year’s B.C. Tel Mobility Winter Classic mountain-top dinner and auction, Feb. 8 on Blackcomb. This latest project has taken more than six months and 190 hours of hand-quilting alone to create. It is expected to fetch several thousand dollars at the auction. The Blackcomb Foundation is the beneficiary of the B.C. Tel Mobility Winter Classic. In the last four years the foundation has provided more than $200,000 to a number of organizations and charities throughout the Sea to Sky corridor and the North Shore. The Whistler Quilters Guild’s first major group project was a patchwork quilt that was the featured item at a show the guild hosted last June at the base of Blackcomb. That quilt was raffled off at the show and the money raised went to several local charities, including the Blackcomb Foundation. In addition to these major projects, guild members have also been making baby quilts which the group has been quietly donating to new mothers in need throughout the corridor. The B.C. Tel Mobility Winter Classic is a two-day event that includes a corporate team ski race, coaching, the mountain-top dinner and auction and an evening of international wines and fine cheeses. Both the wine and cheese tasting Feb. 7 at the Chateau Whistler and the mountain-top dinner and auction are open to the public. Tickets for the wine and cheese evening are $25; tickets for the dinner and auction are $125.
