The Queen Mary's Needlework Guild was founded by Queen Mary in August 1914 to make and supply clothes to soldiers and sailors in the First World War. Branches of the Guild were established throughout the British Empire and in many other parts of the world. The Charlottetown Branch of the Guild was established in 1918 by Mrs. A. A. Bartlett.

The primary activities of the branch were four-fold: to create babies' and children's garments for the Prince Edward Island Protestant Orphanage; to donate garments to the Protestant Family Service Bureau; to make clothing for the Unitarian Service Committee to be sent to refugee children abroad; and to prepare a box of children's garments to be dispatched annually to the Queen Mary's Maternity Home in London, England.

The Charlottetown branch of the Queen Mary's Needlework Guild also gave its support to several charitable organizations, making regular financial donations to the Canadian Red Cross and the Save the Children Fund.