By Callum Ludwig
Quilts for Orphans (QFO) are bringing their ‘fabric hugs’ back to the Mont De Lancey Historic Homestead for the start of November.
Opening on Sunday 2 November, the exhibition will be on display from Wednesday to Sunday up until Sunday 10 November.
President and Secretary of QFO Libby Anderson said their goal was to create 50 quilts to display at Mont De Lancey to then gift to people and organisations in need in the Yarra Ranges, and they ended up making 68.
“We had some projects running from August through to now, incorporating what we call Makers Marathons, where we had some days that we’d set aside like our Saturday gathering days and some of the Tuesdays to work on some projects,” she said.
“We used a technique called Quilt As You Go, which was a new challenge for many of us, butwe made some single and some lap quilts through those Makers Marathons and then they were community quilts where everybody was involved making a block and then would be joined together, so it was a real team effort.”
QFO gifted 520 quilts in the 2023/24 financial year and have gifted 169 so far this year to organisations including Life’s Little Treasurers, the Queen Elizabeth centre, Kirkbrae aged care, Cottage by the Sea, Open Door Community Centre, Change the One and to residents in Ukraine.
Ms Anderson said they will also have their craft sale on alongside the quilt show.
“It’s one of our major fundraisers for 2025 to help cover our costs in being at Hoddles Creek Hall and to buy the wadding that goes in the middle of the quilts and backing fabric and Mont de Lancey is very supportive of what we do,” she said.
“We’ve recently been on the Yarra Valley FM Community Radio, we had a stall a couple of weekends ago at TLC, the Truth and Liberation Church, they ran a fair market a couple of Saturdays ago with crafts and fair trade items.”
Any community groups interested in contacting QFO to access quilts for those in need can email Ms Anderson at quiltsfororphans.org.
The ‘Fabric Hugs for the Yarra Ranges’ Quilt Show and Craft Sale has been supported by the Yarra Ranges Council Small Grants program.
