Attendee Info

Admission is $25 for the entire day. There is no charge for members of the sponsoring guilds (Royal City, Waterloo County and York Heritage) to attend.

Mark your calendar for this fully virtual celebration on Saturday, March 21, 2026.

Some of the events for this year will include:

• featured speakers;
• a vendor showcase;
• concurrent session speakers;
• a virtual quilt show featuring work from attendees;
• door prizes; and discounts!

Would you like to make your own International Sister quilt block?

Leslie Batt showed us how at the 2021 International Quilting Day! Click here for the tutorial PDF and create your own International Sister quilt project!

Keynote and Concurrent Session Speakers

We will announce our concurrent speakers in January.

Priscilla Bianchi

Guatemalan native, Priscilla Bianchi, will be one of our keynote speakers on International Quilting Day, March, 21, 2026. Priscilla represents a unique personality in today’s fiber arts world. Her innovative, one-of-a-kind art quilts unite cultures by combining the richness and ethnic appeal of Mayan Guatemalan hand-woven textiles, colors, patterns, textures and symbolism, with American quilt making techniques, giving life to a myriad of designs that are fresh, original and contemporary with profound Guatemalan roots and identity. Her main inspiration for her geometric abstract work comes from Mayan Guatemalan traditional textiles and costumes.

World renowned, Priscilla’s prolific multicultural artwork is exhibited nationally and internationally and has been acquired by the Museum of Arts & Design (MAD) in New York City, the Hyatt Centric Hotel in Guatemala City, Hotel Museum Casa Santo Domingo in Antigua Guatemala, and many private collectors. She is invited to teach and lecture about her artwork and about Guatemalan textiles around the world, in places like the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Europe.

Priscilla will speak to us about The Exciting Life of a Guatemalan Quilt Artist. Her inspirational lecture will appeal to quilters and non-quilters alike. In it, Priscilla tells her amazing story as a quilt maker: what motivated her to start quilting and how she was hooked; the difficulties and obstacles she’s had to overcome living in a country without any quilting tradition, community or resources. Her message is simple: if, against all odds, she was able to achieve what she has . . . anyone can do it! Her slides show her sources of inspiration: the Guatemalan textiles and Mayan culture that influence her to create unique art quilts, as well as an overview of her body of work. This talk will surely please audiences with Priscilla’s humour, entertaining stories, and lots of insight.

Ben Robinson

Curious about how Makerspaces serve and empower the community? Makerspaces allow people to discover, experiment, and create in an inclusive hands-on learning environment. In this fun and informal talk, our local Makerspace supervisor, Ben Robinson, will give us a behind-the-scenes look at what equipment is available, how staff help you with your project, and why Makerspaces are such a great resource for quilters and textile artists in particular. You’ll see examples of quilts and textile projects that combine traditional skills with modern technology, and you might just walk away inspired to try something completely new on your next quilt!

Bring your questions, ideas, and curiosity – there will be plenty of time for conversation and brainstorming about how Makerspaces can open up new creative possibilities for our quilting community.

Biography

Ben Robinson has been the Supervisor of the Guelph Public Library’s Westminster Branch and Makerspace since 2021. Prior to this, Ben acted as Children’s and Teens Services Librarian. His own creative pursuits include writing stories for his three children and film criticism.

Virtual Quilt Show

Would you consider sharing photos of your quilted creations with others? Your work inspires others and is a joy to view. We encourage members of the sponsoring guilds and paying guests to submit up to two quilts to the Virtual Quilt Show.

Please be prepared to provide the following information about your quilt(s):
* Quilt name
* Pattern designer
* Quilter, if other than yourself
* An artist’s statement or brief history of the quilt (Limit of 50 words)
* Up to five photos for each quilt. We recommend an overall view of the quilt along with several closeups of interesting details.

You will be asked to upload your photos. To be able to do this, you will need to log in to your Google account. If you do not have an account, you may ask someone with an account to submit the photos on your behalf.
Virtual quilt show submissions close February 15

Virtual quilt show submissions close February 15

Vendor Info

Are you a vendor who wishes to support our International Quilting Day celebration? Please send an email expressing your interest to president@royalcityquiltersguild.ca. We will have someone contact you right away.