General News
27 July, 2023
Quilt carries special message
A heartwarming story of the determination and spirit of a local quilting group has been put under the spotlight as part of the Golden Textures Contemporary Art Quilt Award. While the exhibition, currently on display at the Central Goldfields Art...
A heartwarming story of the determination and spirit of a local quilting group has been put under the spotlight as part of the Golden Textures Contemporary Art Quilt Award.
While the exhibition, currently on display at the Central Goldfields Art Gallery, showcases art quilts from around Australia, one quilt in particular holds a special local meaning, especially for the people of Carisbrook.
It’s a quilt that represents the compassion of the Deep Creek Stitches, a Carisbrook-based quilting group that set out with a vision to gift every household affected by the 2011 floods with a handmade quilt.
The group put out calls for donations across Australia and worldwide to help achieve their vision, with tens of thousands of quilter’s blocks streaming in from countries including America, Japan, Korea, Sweden, New Zealand and more.
Deep Creek Stitches member and Carisbrook resident Wilma Ladiges said the level of devastation caused by flooding meant something needed to be done.
“I remember when the flood came through, I remember sitting there and looking up photos people had put online and I just cried,” she said.
“We had storm damage through the ceiling of our home, fences and a pump damaged but that was nothing compared to others.
“From that I thought we had to do something — I belong to an online quilt group called the Statler Sisters and said we needed materials to make quilts for people impacted by the floods.
“The response was amazing, people just galvanised. I expected a few bits and pieces in envelopes but the boxes kept arriving.
“Making the quilts gave us all a sense of purpose and that we could do something to help the community.”
In the end, the Deep Creek Stitches made and distributed more than 360 quilts and since then, have gifted over 250 quilts for fundraising, as well as to nursing homes, hospitals and for families fleeing domestic violence.
“You still hear people talk about the quilts they got and it really warms the heart, it means so much that people still have them and love them — it means a great deal to us,” Wilma said.
“We’d really like to thank everyone who helped us back then and continue to help us, it’s just marvellous and we’ve made strong friendships out of it.”
Central Goldfields Shire mayor Grace La Vella said the story of the Deep Creek Stitches is nothing short of heartwarming.
“This wonderful group of quilters have achieved so much yet remain so humble in the face of their achievements. A story like theirs keeps hope alive and reflects the good will and resilience of the people of Carisbrook,” she said.
“We pay tribute to the huge effort required by the group to achieve their goal. We thank them for their ongoing generosity as they continue to make and gift quilts to the vulnerable both locally and in surrounding communities.”
Some of the group’s work is on display at the Central Goldfields Art Gallery until August 20 and tells part of the story of how the group supported the community during the floods.