A Stitch in Time
17th January 2012
The third anniversary of the Boolarra fires is upon us. It is magnificent to see how the bush has come back, how the birds have come back, how the houses, families, gardens and spirit of Boolarra has come back stronger than ever expected.
After the fires, new shoots dotted the landscape and a little magic was brewing among a small group of creative souls. They gathered looking for a way to tell their story, to make sense of the flames and what was left behind: a devastated, blackened landscape and a shaken and baffled community.
The result is the brilliant Bushfire Quilt. It is a beautiful document of the destruction and loss, the hope and triumphs and the joy of seeing Boolarra come back to life.
What began as a quiet effort to find comfort in others and a stitch and chat has become a significant and cherished document in history.
On December 3rd, Russell Northe, the member for Morwell, proudly unveiled the Bushfire Quilt in all its splendour, newly mounted in a beautiful handmade cabinet built by cabinet maker, Joel Chapman of Yinnar.
The cabinet itself is a marvel with its own remarkable story worthy of commemoration. It was important to the community to protect the quilt in its pristine condition but also display it as a historical record for all to enjoy at the Boolarra Hall. Linda Minter, a coordinator of the project, arranged for funding from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) to have the quilt framed. Unfortunately the size of the quilt meant finding a company to take on the big job was a challenge. Offers were made but then withdrawn. The task was too great and the quilters were left high and dry.
As a result of the Bushfire Quilt project and the vast donations, Boolarra established a keen quilting group. They received unfinished quilts as part of the donations after the bushfires. In no time the quilts were finished and three special quilts were given to three marvellous little Chapman girls in Yinnar. Kelly, 4, and twins Katelyn and Emily, 3, have a rare disease and require constant medication and trips to America for treatment. Joel Chapman, the girls’ father, heard of the framing dilemma and jumped at the opportunity to solve the problem of framing the large quilt. A talented cabinet maker, Joel built a sturdy and elegant cabinet for the admired quilt. He insisted he did not want to be paid for his work but was persuaded to make use of the money received from the FRRR grant. The quilt is beautifully housed in all Australian timbers with a relic of the fires at the foot of the cabinet; Linda and her husband Tony salvaged a piece of burned wood from The Old Mill Site after the fires and took it to Joel who engraved “A Stitch in Time”.
At the light lunch at the hall, hosted by Linda Minter, Russell Northe commended all those involved in the collaborative quilt, “It is incredible to see what can be achieved when people come together for each other. It is so important to see how people in the community can come together to make something so expressive after such a devastating event as the fires. Not only women but men as well because we all know how men express themselves differently so to see men getting in there is great.”
In response to the bushfires, the Victorian Government initiated a ‘Quick Response Fund’ to be administered by Regional Arts Victoria. Regional artists could apply for a grant that they believed would produce healing in their community. Meg Viney conceived the idea of the quilt, and wrote an application which was successful. Meg then contacted Latrobe City, who were delighted to find a recipient for the very generous donation of fabric, scissors, rulers, books and sewing machines gifted from quilters all over and as far as Wantirna and Raymond Island. Boolarra was all set to piece together something breathtaking.
Denise Schiller who took part explained, “It wasn’t about talent, but expression, about having a go, trying to depict how you are feeling.” Most of the group were beginner sewers so it was a learning process for everyone.
Lyn King’s magic was the final touch; Lyn masterfully did the quilting of the quilt bringing everyone’s story together to create “A Stitch in Time”.
A Stitch in Time, Bushfire Recovery Quilting Project was supported with an Arts Recovery Quick Response Grant funded by the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria and administered by Regional Arts Victoria.
