Wendy Luff can’t sew clothing to save her life, but she loves to quilt.
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It was twenty years ago when she first attending a quilting demonstration at her son’s school. She was hooked.
Now Ms Luff quilts morning, noon and night.
“I’m a diehard quilter,” Ms Luff said. “I do it through the day, then at night I might do something by hand while I’m watching TV.”
It’s the puzzle that appeals to Ms Luff, figuring out a pattern, and how to make it sing.
Vivid colours and fun patterns are her hallmarks.
“I like bright colours, and things that have a texture look to them,” Ms Luff said. “If I see a pattern that’s quite bright I’ll give it a go.
“I like to push myself, I like to try new things, if there’s a new way of doing something I’ll give it a go.”
Quilting ultimately gives her creative outlet. The mix of precision and imagination makes it an absorbing hobby.
“It’s a good way to express ones self in artwork,” Ms Luff said. “I just like my colour, and if something works, then I get a bit chuffed with that, I’m quite proud of myself.”
Her most recent triumph took home first prize at the Queanbeyan Show earlier this month. ‘Atundra’, a huge geometric elephant, pops from a saffron background in a blend of greys and blues.
Four of Ms Luff’s quilts will be on display at the upcoming annual ‘Airing of the Quilts’ in Braidwood.
It’s not her first time at this rodeo, however, Ms Luff has been involved with the Airing of the Quilts for a few years now. She loves the uniqueness of the event and the chance to showcase what she fears might be a dying art.
“I haven’t been anywhere else that had done anything like that, so it was all new,” Ms Luff said. “It’s just a shame that the younger generation are not looking towards these older crafts.”
The event is also a great chance for her to display her prized productions.
When you make as many quilts as Ms Luff does, the results do build up.
She’s yet to embark on selling her quilts, so mostly gives them away or stacks them in a box. The quilt event is a perfect chance to literally give them some air.
- The Airing of the Quilts will take place throughout Braidwood on the weekend of November 25-26, alongside the Festival of Braidwood and Open Gardens, for more information visit braidwoodquiltevent.org.au/