“My Journey From Where It All Began To Now” with Pearl Braun-Dyck from Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada.

We are excited to welcome Pearl Braun-Dyck as our April guild speaker. Her topic is, “My Journey from where it all began to now: Embroidery and Handwork”. From a young age, Pearl observed her mother’s “gift of hands”, which gave her an interest in many hand activities—crocheting, knitting, wheat weaving, and ultimately, quilting. When she took her first quilting class at the Manitoba Crafts Guild in 1975 and another one with Marilynn Stewart Stothers in 1979 a whole new world opened up. Through classes and workshops in Manitoba, across Canada, and the United States, and through extensive reading, she learned many techniques and tips. While Pearl does some work by machine, her real love is hand appliqué, hand quilting and other hand stitching techniques.

Pearl loves to work with fabric and see how pieces of fabric and lengths of thread can be manipulated into beautiful pieces of art. She believes in the value of quilt guilds and is a charter member of the Manitoba Prairie Quilters, the Canadian Quilters Association, and the Barnswallows Quilting Guild. From 2004-2010 she owned a quilt shop called the Quilters' Jewel in Morden, MB. The name was significant.  When people walked into the store she wanted them to see a jewel of fabric which they could use to create their own jewel of a quilt; and most importantly, discover and cultivate the jewel that is within each one of us.

In 2008, Pearl was nominated for Manitoba Women Entrepreneur of the Year. Pearl has been commissioned to create quilts that are now across Manitoba, in Ottawa, and as far away as Germany. She has given trunk show presentations in Winnipeg, rural Manitoba, Saskatoon, Toronto, Markham, and Edmonton. She has been the featured quilter for the Barnswallow Quilters in Morden, Manitoba and the Manitoba MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) Quilt Show in Winnipeg.