Sew what?

St. James

Fort Garry

The Exchange

Winnipeg

It is in Anna Schmidt’s nature to sew and to teach. Now, as the Winnipeg Public Library’s first maker-in-residence of 2026, she will be doing both.

“I had a day job (as an educator) elsewhere for a very long time, but I’ve been sewing since I was a teenager,” Schmidt said.

“I got quite interested in quilting, in particular, about seven years ago, and had lots of time to focus on it during the pandemic. Since retiring, it’s been my full-time pursuit. I find it a very satisfying art form. I’m interested in it both as an art and a practical activity, and particularly interested in making it accessible to people.”

Schmidt, a resident of the Exchange District who grew up in St. James and spent the bulk of her adult life in Fort Garry, will act as the library’s maker-in-residence through May. Schmidt markets her own creations by way of Common Loon Quilts, and also takes on commission work. She said she applied for the position as a means of pushing herself past her comfort zone.

“I was at a point in my own quilting practice that I was looking for a way to expand what I do,” she said. “I am an educator by training and soul. I realized the next step was to share what I was doing with other people. This is exactly what I was looking for and am quite excited to have the opportunity.”

Her goal as maker-in-residence, she said, is to demonstrate that anyone can enjoy sewing.

“Sometimes people look at a finished quilt and think, ‘That looks complicated, I could never do that!’” Schmidt said. “One thing I’m hoping to show people is that you can break it down into simple steps. It’s not as daunting as it looks.”

During her tenure, she will be available for one-on-one consultations, as well as workshops and drop-in events.

“Part of it is there will be several workshops that people can register for, and those will be focused on learning specific skills and techniques, big focus on hand quilting and simple machine things people can do at home, and some intermediate skills,” she said.

Schmidt said she learned most of her quilting chops online.

“I like to joke that I went to the University of YouTube,” Schmidt laughed. “(But) there are some really good quilting tutorials online. I’ve looked up to and learned a lot from an American quilter named Zak Foster.”

Schmidt’s own output as a quilter includes both artier creations, which can be hung on the wall and displayed, and fully functional pieces.

“Right now I’m working on a quilt for my daughter that will go on their bed,” she said.

Environmental stewardship also plays a part in Schmidt’s practice, and is something she hopes to encourage as maker-in-residence.

“One of the things that has really been a big part of my quilting practice is re-using material,” she said.

“I will certainly go to the fabric store and buy beautiful fabric. But a lot of the time I’m looking for leftovers from other projects, or people give me fabric they’ve had stashed away, or buy fabric or sheets or old cotton shirts from thrift stores. We’ll do a project in the residency showing people how to make a quilt made entirely from things found at thrift stores.”

For more information, visit winnipeg.ca/makerinresidence