INNISFAIL – The first target was seniors.
Veterans were next.
And now sights have been set on the venerable Innisfail and District Historical Village.
In each one there is a crochet BOMB.
Seniors got thousands of crocheted hearts from the Crochet Heart Bomb Project last June 2.
The hearts were then installed on a chain link fence bordering Autumn Grove Lodge.
Veterans received close to 2,000 crocheted poppies from the Crochet Poppy Project last Remembrance Day.
The poppies were then installed on a 16-foot long by four-feet wide curtain that was draped over the Main Street cenotaph for Remembrance Day.
And the village will soon get scores and score of old-fashioned crocheted granny squares to create enough heritage quilts to cover the entire fence that surrounds the two-acre historical park.
After setting up a table at the village’s Snow and Tumbleweed festival on Jan. 20, artist Karen Scarlett officially launched her new Community Heritage Quilt Crochet BOMB Project.
“I actually plan on covering the whole town with crochet,” said Scarlett with a chuckle. “I think the historical village is a really important place in town, and I want to draw some attention to it.
“I was thrilled with my past projects with how many pieces came in, 3,000 for the heart BOMB and 1,800 for the poppy project,” she added. “I hope the community embraces this one too.”
Scarlett’s latest crochet idea is based on the simple but time-honoured granny square; a fibre art creation that came to public attention through an American magazine in 1885.
“Granny squares is one of the very first things you learned how to make when you start crocheting, said Scarlett. “Hopefully it attracts more beginners, and brings out more people to help make things.”
A big part of Scarlett’s inspiration to have the focus of her new crochet BOMB project on the historical village is a family connection.
Her grandfather Jack Scarlett was one of the village’s three founders and her dad Edwin once served as president.
She fondly remembers the village’s bandstand when it was originally located at Pythian Park, a short distance from her childhood home.
“I remember the week that the bandstand got moved. Grandpa and my dad said they remembered bands playing and parties happening around it,” said Scarlett. “It was falling into disrepair.
“It was literally on the corner from where my grandparents lived, and we felt like it was ours, because we played in it so much.”
With lifelong memories still intact and savoured, Scarlett hopes the spotlight on the historical village will raise more awareness with the public that the valued institution, which was first opened in 1972, needs tender loving care and commitment going into the future.
“If more people volunteer here that would be great. We have a huge resource with so much stuff here, and we need more volunteer manpower to really bring everything to the level it should be at,” said Scarlett. “We have all kinds of documents in storage here that don't see the light of day because there's just not enough manpower to make things happen.”
With the new project now launched, Scarlett is hoping the community at large can be mobilized to create as many crocheted granny squares as possible in time for the big quilting party in spring.
“The squares will be turned into open square blankets and then attached to the chain link fences with the plan that they will look like heritage quilts and add to the decoration and character of the Innisfail historical village,” said Scarlett.
Scarlett said a free simple crochet pattern can be downloaded from her website at karenscarlett.com/heritage-quilt/
“We'll see how engaged people get and how many quilting squares we have,” said Scarlett, adding a date for the project-concluding quilting party has not yet been set. “With the heart BOMB I was totally shocked that we got as many hearts as we did. The big thing with this is they can make any size, any color, and any pattern.
“Quite literally you can make whatever pattern you want,” she added. “And the more different they are the better the quilts are going to look on the fence.”
