Patchwork crafted to perfection

Press, 19 December 1985, Page 10

Patchwork crafted to perfection

In our own small country we produce, and export, many talented people. We have world famous singers, dancers, musicians, artists, and sports people. Perhaps those who do not receive as much credit as they should are our artisans. Recently I was pleased to accept an invitation from the Canterbury Patchwork and Quilting Guild to their Christmas morning tea and display of work. The guild was begun by Edna Butcher and Betty Glanville. It has more than fulfilled their expectations. Stimulating meetings and discussions are held once a month. Members are invited to join after completing classes by acknowledged tutors.

Ages at the gathering varied from the young to the not-so-young. Enthusiasm was abundant.

I talked to one young woman who had small children. She had grown up with her mother’s enthusiasm for patchwork and quilting, and is now teaching the art herself at night school. The majority of the work on display was hand worked. I was impressed by the colours, and the originality of the designs. A child’s quilt depicting 12 different owls on a natural, quilted background was shown by Betty Glanville. The owls were separated by small, brown, floral quilted strips. My favourite owls were mother and father watching baby owl fall from a tree. The quilt took Betty 12 months to complete. A traditional album patterned quilt by Barbara Bevis was worked in subtle tonings of green, turquoise, and browns. A particularly charming

quilt by Gail Warwick depicted the sky and colours she saw during her 25-min-ute drive to work very early in the morning.

The moon and stars were still in the sky, the sun was rising. Stars were quilted all around the navy blue border, highlighting the main colours of navy to pale blue, lavender, grape, and the very palest of pink. Ana Kortekaas showed a dramatic wall hanging, “Kaleidoscope.” Primary colours of yellow, red, and blue were followed by the secondary colours in the pattern of the kaleidoscope she remembered looking through as a child. A doll’s quilt of miniature hexagons in the colours of creams and tiny florals was also shown by Ana. The quilt covered a hand-made mattress and pillow on the charming dolls’ double bed, which was wood-turned and constructed by her husband. On display were exquisite patchwork lussif. Inside, each compartment was embroidered with small flowers, the details stitched to perfection.