Fortunately there were lots of helpers to hold up the quilts at our February meeting, there were so many on show. Click on any image to have a closer look.

First up new committee member Wendy who is our Library Coordinator. While she is a newish member, she explained that she is not new to quilting. She started very young thanks to a grandfather in the textiles industry. Her first attempt at patchwork was as a young child, piecing hexagons cut from her grandfather’s samples.

This was followed by a cushion made in high school, a hanging made with Margaret Rolf patterns and then away she went with many full size quilts.

Wendy has lived in a number of countries due to the demands of her husband’s work. She has found quilting to be an excellent way to meet people and get involved in the community where ever that may be. The patterns and fabrics came in parcels sent from Australia, but with some local touches. The butterflies on the above quilt are beaded brooches made in Tanzania.

This quilt is very special, a member of the guild in Sweden designed a block each month to share with the group.

Wendy also made quilts in Singapore before finally returning to Melbourne. She is still using some of the special fabrics from her grandfather and has obviously inherited a love of textiles.

Guest Speaker: Karen Martin

What a treat to have the very entertaining Mrs Martin visit our group. Mrs Martin’s Quilt Shop opened 15 years ago, but was fully planned in Karen’s head long before that. The name comes from her primary school class who knew she was planning to open a shop. Living and working in the same community means that these students are now regular visitors to the shop, with their own children in tow.

The shop is now in her home, open three days a week and true to her community commitment, the shop visits as many events as possible, taking her treasure trove of patterns, fabrics and notions to where quilters gather. So of course the shop came to Waverley too.

Quilting seems to occupy all Karen’s waking hours, as well as running the shop and stitching days, she organises the Monbulk CFA Quilt Show.

More recently she has added taking tours to the US to her suite of quilting activities, all of which she loves.

And of course she makes quilts too.