Stories told in stitches
Yvonne Fraser, Helen Hodgkinson, Rose Rodgers, Sue Hayward and Kay Palmer are all hard at work putting the finishing touches on their masterpieces for Motueka's upcoming quilting exhibition. Photo: Elise Vollweiler
Sue Hayward’s mum always had grubby hands from the garden. Together with Sue’s grandmother, her mother began teaching her to sew at a young age – the girl’s first quilt, crafted to fit her dolls pram and fashioned out of dresses she had outgrown, was completed when she was just six.
However, because of those dirt-dusted digits, the tutorials were fairly hands-off, and the young protégé had to learn fast and be self-sufficient in her work.
“I thought later, that was a very good trick,” the Motueka woman laughs.
Sue reckons that with that foundation, her stitching journey bloomed the 1970s, when she was in the “barefoot and pregnant brigade” and making patchwork clothing for her own children.
“It progressed from there with a passion.” Over her lifetime, which has involved extensive travel through South Korea, China, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam, she has collected a wealth of textiles and fabrics. Those ethnic colours and styles still shine through in her quilting, including the five pieces upon which she is just putting the finishing touches for the upcoming quilt show.
The annual event started in 2003 and continues to highlight the work of its 30 members. Traditional and modern, handsewn and applique, piecing and improvisation will all be on display, and none of the exhibition pieces have been shown before in our area.
This year’s optional annual members’ challenge is to create a piece on the theme ‘Left Behind’. The quilt show will also host the travelling Aotearoa Quilters’ ‘Winging It’ challenge exhibition, as well as work from internationally-celebrated New Zealand quilter Lois Parish Evans. Lois says her goal is to “celebrate the extraordinary in the ordinary, to capture a moment in time, to explore, to extend, to deconstruct and reconstruct”.
The show’s annual raffle will include prizes of a quilt, a box of groceries and a goodie basket, with part of the proceeds again donated to Motueka Search and Rescue. Three merchant stalls will be offering quilting and craft supplies.
The annual quilt show is to be held at the new venue of Memorial Hall on Pah Street, Motueka, from Friday, 13 June, to Sunday, 15 June, from 10am- 4pm (3pm Sunday). Entry is $5.