Retrospective quilting exhibition attracts interest and praise
Retrospective quilting exhibition
“Simply overwhelming” was an example of the general comments from people coming out of the retrospective quilting exhibition held in the Collingwood Memorial Hall over Labour Weekend.
Hung out in all their splendour, the 180 quilts represented the best combined work from 30 Golden Bay quilters. Most of the self-confessed “quiltaholics” have been at it for years, but for others, like Pauline Wilkens who put in “Snapper Happy”, it was a relatively new interest.
The largest displayed was Liza Eastman’s six-metre high by three-metre wide Antarctic scene quilt, which comments on the Erebus crash and is emblazoned in part by the words “So much to learn, too much to lose”. Made for the Antarctic Quilt Challenge back in 2003, it took Liza three solid months to produce, using myriads of recycled fabrics and multiple quilting techniques. Two layers of woven batting were used to portray the diverse marine life, much of which was inspired by photos by authors Tui de Roy and Mark Jones.
Daily quilting demonstrations at the retrospective exhibition were also given by Chizuko Hoy, who resided in the Bay for 12 years but has now moved away and made a name for herself in Auckland quilting circles.
A special evening session held on the night of the fireworks pulled in large numbers to view the quilts.
Gerard Hindmarsh
