February 21, 2010

Two picturesque farms sit on the edge of a calm blue pond. A cluster of yellow sunflowers reach up into the orange and lavender prairie sky. This is the serene Manitoban scene stitched by Phyllis Gagne and Coreen Zerr, the winners of the Homecoming 2010 Quilt Competition.

Manitoba Homecoming 2010 is a year long celebration of everything Manitoba has to offer. Friends and relatives who have moved away are invited back to rediscover why Manitoba is a great place to live.

Homecoming 2010 teamed up with the Manitoba Association of Agricultural Societies to host the Homecoming 2010 Quilt Competition. Last January, Manitobans and former Manitobans were invited to make a quilt with the theme “Celebrating Manitoba” in mind. Gagne, from Portage la Prairie, and Zerr, a former Manitoban now living in Nanaimo B.C., took the Homecoming 2010 theme to heart.

All 17 entries were on public display at the Manitoba Legislature on December 4, 5, and 6. The quilts were judged by a panel of professional quilters and Gagne and Zerr’s quilt titled Home is a Manitoba Farm, was announced as the first place winner at the Hip 2b Square: Elevating the Art of Quilting gala in Brandon on January 8.

The intricate work of art depicts the family farms they grew up on near Rock Lake, Manitoba.

Although the women were not able to attend the gala, Zerr’s sister Doreen Stapleton accepted the honour and $2,800 prize on their behalf.

The quilt will travel across Manitoba throughout 2010 and will be set on display at select Homecoming 2010 events. It will even make its way to the Manitoba House at the Olympics in Vancouver.

- Kelly