Love of Sewing a common thread

Close to 130 women from Porirua and northern Wellington are celebrating reaching a great age and being silver, but it’s not anything personal or physical it’s the Coastal Quilters ‘silver’ 25th Anniversary Exhibition in 2013.
A snippet of 25 traditional and modern art quilts made over the past 25 years by some of these women will be on display at a curated show hosted by Porirua’s Pataka Art + Museum from 25th of April to 16th June 2013.
For 25 years this group of women have been meeting in Plimmerton Pavilion once a month to share sewing skills and a natter over a cuppa. The idea to start a quilting group was initiated by Marge Hurst and Sue Bracken in early 1988. Marge circulated a notice around the community inviting those interested in, what was commonly known at the time as, patchwork. Now this group’s age, skills and quilting experience and work is diverse as you can imagine. There are young professionals, busy mothers, grandmothers, and no doubt a few great grandmothers, quilt judges and textile notaries, hobby quilters, novice quilters, art quilters, and those that just covet fabric!
There may be a number of ladies from the group being ‘artists in residence’ at Pataka on weekends during the exhibition. “We’d love people to come in, watch us stitch, ask us questions, and find out about joining us at our monthly Saturday meeting” says the group’s Exhibition Convenor, Ngaire Flynn.
The Quilting group provides friendship and shared learning to these women via their shared passion for all things textile. There is a saying that, ‘quilts are like old friends they provide comfort’, a sentiment not lost on these ladies.