Isolation Quilt

History

In 2020 during the period of lockdown due to COVID the National Wool Museum asked their volunteers to make and donate blocks made from a variety of materials found in their homes, for an ISO quilt. The NWM reached out to the patchwork and quilter community to find a local quilter to sew the donated blocks together. The quilt is sewn together and quilted by Judith Oke, 2020-2021. Judith is a local patchwork and quilter and a member of Geelong Patchwork & Quilters Guild.

Through the process she was inspired by the tradition of wagga quilts, where bits and pieces are stitched together, sometimes lined with whatever the sewer found available, such as clothing and sacking, to provide warmth. In construction of the finished quilt the challenge was combining 10 inch blocks made from a variety of materials, with uneven sizing. The aim was to combine these very different blocks into a harmonious whole. To this end a light and dark pattern was planned, with the blocks to be sewn onto a blanket. The choice to layer the blocks over each other, rather than sew an even seam was aimed at emphasising the make do nature of these ISO blocks.

Due to the weight of the blanket a decision was made to sew the blocks onto a base before the whole was stitched onto the blanket. The blanket was sourced from NWM donations. The rich, red of the blanket provides a bright, warm background for the colourful squares. Some of the light weight blocks were backed with iron-on interfacing to strengthen them for sewing. The edges of two of the woven squares were blanket stitched with knitting wool. The 10 inch donated blocks/squares were machine sewn to a cotton sheet base, with liberal use of blanket stitching, as the blanket was too heavy to sew the blocks directly onto the blanket. The base with squares was then machine sewn onto the red blanket backing.

Contributing Artists:
Pam Hammer
Pat Warren
Mrs Jean Inglis
Margaret Bufton
Glenda Cullen
Margaret White
Joyce Gray
Stephanie Rosestone
Padraic Fisher
Prue Tonwley

Description

Various multi coloured and designed patchwork squares sewn onto a red woollen blanket.

Acknowledgements

National Wool Museum Collection