The Evolution of Quilting and Embroidery
Once considered a traditional handcraft generally passed down from one generation to the next, the art of quilting and embroidery is today attracting a younger, broader audience. More artists are taking up the craft to create one-off pieces of art, using fabric, paint and a range of embellishments as a form of storytelling, self-expression and mindfulness.
A New Generation of Artists
Musician Kate Ceberano is hooked on this creative process. Guiding her needle through thick linen fabric, celebrated singer/songwriter Kate Ceberano adds sequin after sequin to her embellished artwork. This latest piece, named Gaudi, is one of her own paintings printed onto fabric, and the embroidery has taken almost a year to complete.
In between music gigs and work commitments, Ceberano tries to spend time each day in her home dressing room adding extra stitches and beading to her masterpiece. It is a labour of love and a chance to create something beautiful and long-lasting, like the textile artisans of her ancestors.
This is a side of Ceberano few see. The Aussie rock icon has been a staple on the Australian music scene since the 1980s and is about to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, but she is also a passionate visual and textile artist.
“My favourite medium will always be music. Music is like breathing to me,” she said. “But I ache to come home to get my fingers to cloth and needle to thread. When I’m sewing, there is no noise, it’s just the simple act of doing something in present time with each thread and every stitch.”
Inspiration and Heritage
Ceberano said the birth of her daughter 22 years ago inspired her “creation series”, which she had printed onto fabric to make embroidered wall art. “When Gypsy was in my belly, suddenly there was a tsunami of creativity, and this particular design represents life within me,” she said.
Ceberano believes her love of quilts stems from her Hawaiian and Filipino heritage, where documenting stories on fabric has cultural importance. She even had a large quilt specially made and embroidered to use as the backdrop for her Australian Made tour last year. “It was like the fourth member of the band, with three of us on stage,” Ceberano said.
She also embroiders song lyrics onto some of her quilts. “If a poet, an author or a songwriter has committed the energy to writing something meaningful, it seems a wasted opportunity not to give them life in another form and let them live,” she said.
Sharing the Passion with Others
Tricia Garrett’s love of quilting sees her run weekly classes teaching the art form to other women at the She Shed in Cairns. While she likes to use the traditional quilting patterns and designs that have been passed down for generations, she has noticed younger quilters are being more adventurous.
“A lot of the younger girls are making quilts a bit more avant-garde. They are quite spectacular,” she said. Ms Garrett said many quilters were also painting onto quilts and then stitching over the top, as well as adding buttons and other embellishments. “It’s becoming more of an artistic expression,” she said.
Ms Garrett is more of a traditional quilter, who first fell in love with sewing at school but stopped when she had children. It took almost 20 years for her to pick up her sewing machine again, when she became a full-time carer to her adult daughter who became ill. Now, sewing is her creative outlet. “It’s very relaxing and you always get something out of it,” she said.
New Life into an Old Craft
Linda Steele from national organisation Oz Quilt Network, said quilting had become popular with younger people as a form of self-expression and mindfulness. “Quilting has become more of an art form, with quilts becoming pieces of art,” she said. “There’s no rules anymore and no quilt police. You can do what you want.”
Ms Steele said many young quilters still liked the old-style patterns but were breathing new life into them, making them more modern with fresher, brighter colours. She said the social and relaxing aspects of quilting also made it good for mental health. “It’s almost like a form of mindfulness, where you can forget about all the stresses of the world,” she explained.
Oz Quilt Network holds exhibitions every year to showcase the quilts members make, with many pieces travelling to different galleries around Australia. “I just wish I could travel as much as my quilts do,” Ms Steele said.
Storytelling Through Art
Ceberano said she loves that quilts tell a story. “Storytelling extends beyond music for me, and can be expressed and shared through all art forms, including creating beautiful quilts,” she said.
