Pinkham quilters’ work displayed at Regina exhibit

By Joan Janzen

Beautiful quilts created by the ladies at Pinkham, Saskatchewan were on display at The Corner Gallery at the University of Regina during the week of April 11th to 19th. An evening reception was held on April 17th at Riddell Center.

The quilts spanned an extensive period, beginning in the 1930s and continuing to the present. Pinkham may be a tiny community, but these industrious women have kept their club going.

Quilts on display were the work of Marion Besharah, Beryl Near, Geraldeane Paulhus, Ellen Veldhoen, Louise Honecker, Marlene Lockwood, Carol Near, Rena Pincemin and Dawn Schmaus. Dawn’s daughter, Shelby Schmaus, was the curator for the display.

This Bridal Bouquet quilt is very old and was made by Marian Besharah many years ago. Photo by Rena Pincemin

Shelby Schmaus, curator, pictured at the Pinkham quilt exhibit in Regina. Behind her on the left is a quilt made by Rena Pincemin, and on the right is a quilt made by Beryl Near.

Marlene Lockwood stands in front of her quilt, which is a modern work of art.

Shelby’s project idea was chosen as one of four displays to be presented by the University of Regina throughout the year. She had selected quite an assortment of quilts but had to narrow it down to a dozen to be included in the display.

Carol Near, Marlene Lockwood and Rena Pincemin travelled to Regina to view the display at The Corner Gallery. “We wanted to support her,” Rena said. “The University only has four displays all year, so it was pretty cool for Shelby’s idea to be selected.”

The styles of the quilts ranged from the “make-do” attitude of early Pinkham settlers to the elaborate decorative pieces of Pinkham’s modern homemakers. Marlene Lockwood recalled learning how to quilt in the mid-1960s. She had admired a friend’s quilt and asked if she would make one for her. “She said no, but she would show me how to quilt,” Marlene said.

“We would get together in the winter, set up, put a quilt on a frame, and do it by hand.” At that time, they didn’t purchase material but used scraps to make their quilts, and the experienced quilters shared their knowledge with the beginners. There was never a set date and time to get together; it was all done spontaneously.

Shelby, the curator of the exhibit, noted the materials used decades ago ranged from old clothes to flour sacks, and quilts were used for warmth during Saskatchewan’s cold winters. Many of these quilts became precious heirlooms.

Some of the quilts were made as gifts for weddings and baby gifts; others were displayed as wall hangings, but all were made with love and countless hours of work.

“Quilting has changed a lot over the years,” Rena Pincemin said. “Quilters used to do all their own top stitching; now it’s done with a long arm sewing machine. It was neat to see the quilts hanging up, representing so many years of people quilting. Some are professionals at it, and some of us just tinker at it.”

Shelby summed it up quite well in her curatorial statement. She wrote: all the quilts are made through countless hours of planning, cutting, ironing, and sewing that can only be endured by those with a passion for the art form and the knowledge of the satisfaction gained by making something useful by one’s self for someone else.