Dubbo Patchwork and Quilters group show over 100 new quilts at biennial exhibition

"We're looking for younger members, because we're not getting any younger," club president Nola Jones told the Daily Liberal.

"It's always exciting seeing younger generations coming through. I used to work on the craft tours for Craft Alive and other groups and you'd see grandma and the grandkids but mum was never there, it tends to skip a generation

"It's really really good to see the interest from the younger people, it really is."

READ ALSO:

On Saturday, the Dubbo Patchwork and Quilters group held their biennial quilt exhibition at the St Brigid's Catholic Church hall in Dubbo. Over 100 colourful quilts were on display for the first time ever at the exhibition.

"We have beginners and we have people who have been doing it for many, many years, so the quilts aren't judged," she explained.

"And there's a variety of ways people can do it. If it was all the same it wouldn't be interesting, would it?

"One young woman with two young kids came to us for her first quilt - she had no idea how to do it so we helped her - she made a memory quilt from her kids' clothing and then the backing was one of the baby's blankets.

"She's only been in the group for eight or nine months and she ended up with five quilts in the show."

At the exhibition, three quilts were raffled off with all funds going towards buying materials to make gift quilts for local organisations helping people in need. Over the 38 years the group has been around they have donated over 2,500 quilts to good causes.

"The money we get from our raffles we put towards materials and we make what we call gift quilts which go to different organisations like ones which support kids in crisis, women's refuges, WestHaven and Macquarie Home Stay," Ms Jones said.

READ ALSO:

"At Macquarie Home Stay they love them because they have them all in the rooms and when people come there to stay for their medical needs they don't feel like they're in a motel room, they feel as though they're home.

"When people are having cancer treatment they get extremely cold, so they can choose which quilt they'd like to have on them to keep them warm - and if they pass away that quilt goes home with the family, as a form of remembrance."

Ms Jones said making a single quilt is a labour of love and takes patience and creativity.

"It can take months, it depends. Occasionally we will get together and do a workshop where one of our members has cut all the quilts out - it takes her months and months - and it's materials we've had donated to us or our own scraps," she said.

The Dubbo Patchwork and Quilters group meet at the old Pipe Band Hall near Victoria Park oval number one on Darling Street. They gather on the second and last Saturday of every month from 9am to 4pm.

Ms Jones said anyone interested in joining the group is welcome to come along to any of their meetups, no sign up necessary.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: