We started off as our Janome team from Western Canada. Assembled in the pre-show buzz, outfitted in our set up clothes and comfy shoes! We even made Bill, our Operations & Warehouse manager, get in the picture. He was the muscle behind all the skids of machines and supplies arriving, including our Janome Quilt Maker Pro, an 18″ longarm machine and frame/table. Thankfully it was on wheels, and arrived almost fully assembled to the show.

Julia, Debbie, Yvonne, Liz, Erin & Bill

We teamed up with Pfaff on Granville, and Tom’s Sewing to make sure that we had as many machines from our Janome line available for people to test sew. Included were our Horizon 15000, 9400 and Skyline 9 machines, all the way to the awesome Maker models:  M100 machines (which were used in the classrooms). Also present to fill out the collection were our professional machines, like the Memory Craft 6700P, CPX 2000 and Pro-4DX Serger. Did you know that Janome also has a high-speed straight stitch machine (1600P), a dedicated embroidery only machine (500E) and a sit down quilter (Artistic Sit Down 16)? I was really excited to see all of our machines out on display, for anyone and everyone to try.

The highlight of the show for me was seeing all the quilts entered into the National Juried Show (NJS) sponsored by Canadian Quilter’s Association (CQA). I was blown away by the works of art entered this year, and snapped some quick pics of my favorites. But pictures do not do any of these fabulous quilts justice. It must have been so difficult to choose the winners! Entering the NJS means creating your work of art to the absolute best of your ability, and the rewards were amazing! There were 20 different categories that a quilt could be entered into, with thousands of dollars of prizes given away. It was such an honor to represent Janome at the Awards Ceremony, and see the “Best in Show” quilt unveiled. The quilt, “Wet Spring of 2017”, showcases amazing curved piecing, applique, and quilting on a domestic sewing machine. Colours chosen were vibrant, and came from all colours of the rainbow. It is truly a spectacular piece of art. Congratulations to Helen Fujiki from Ontario!

Some of my favorites are pictured below:

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Quilt Canada also featured the ability to take 3 days worth of classes from world-class teachers, like Melissa Marginet, Gloria Loughman and Ana Buzzalino. Janome provided sewing machines, the M100, to 3 classrooms ( plus one Elna classroom) so that students did not have to haul their machine from home,  – they just needed to bring their materials. As we circulated through the classrooms and made sure everyone had what they needed, the air was buzzing with learning and creativity.

What about the shopping though? You can’t have a quilt show without a shopping experience, can you? The Merchant Mall was full of unique and local vendors from the Vancouver area, plus some out of town vendors that made the trek to share their products and expertise with attendees. I saw so many different kits, patterns, fat quarters, notions and other must haves that I had to bring home with me. I even took a picture of my “loot” lol.

After 3 days however, it was time to pack up and say goodbye and see you soon to the amazing CQA staff and volunteers who made the show a fantastic experience. We’ll see everyone in Ottawa for Quilt Canada 2019!

Keep creating!

Janomegirl