Stitching Bonds: Morinville Sewing Group Grows into Tight-Knit Community

by Stephen Dafoe

On Friday, May 3, the Morinville Rendez-Vous Centre was the gathering space for roughly a dozen and a half sewing and quilting enthusiasts, the first of the Sew Day group’s two monthly gatherings.

Amidst the snipping of scissors and the whirring and clanking of sewing machines, laughter swept through the hall.

The group, which Morinville resident Anita Derouin started in 2022, has grown from a handful of members to a packed house twice a month.

“From starting in April 2022, we had four members, including myself, and we’re now at 34 members. It’s just been fabulous for the community,” Derouin said, adding that the members gather to work on quilting, sewing, clothes making, hand-stitching, or any other projects they have on the go. “Our motto is, ‘Whatever makes you smile!'”

Originally, the group met once per month, but there was a demand to expand that to an open drop-in twice a month for the members to gather in fellowship and work on their respective projects.

“We’re all friends, and they all get together,” she said, noting many of the group would be attending a quilt show in Edmonton the following day. “On Fridays, we just get together and exchange ideas and help each other.”

Morinville resident Linda Ladouceur has been part of the group for a while and says he loves it mainly for the fellowship.

“I’ve gotten to know a whole bunch of new ladies, and they have been extremely generous with their time and energy to help me,” Ladouceur said. “I’m just starting, and they have given me a lot of direction and a lot of tips. It’s a really good group.”

Each year, the group did an annual three-day weekend workshop retreat, except it has become so popular that it’s now bi-annual. The next one occurs at the Rendez-Vous June 7 to 9, with the ladies working away from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Derouin said it is one of the cheapest retreats around, at $50 per person. The retreat is for members only, but one becomes a member by simply coming to the Rendez-Vous and saying they want to join.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had to close it in the last month or so. It’s been so popular. What we’re doing is when someone leaves the group, we can accept another member,” Derouin said of the weekend retreat.

“Everyone’s happy, everyone laughs. We all share, we network. If somebody is in need of a ride to a doctor, we help them,” she said. “We take care of each other.”

For more information on joining the group, contact the Morinville Rendez-Vous Centre.