Patching with Petal

I'd like to formally introduce you to Petal Davies of Patching with Petal. A quilter, wearable art artist, a very popular teacher and the designer for the 2011 Springwood High School Community Quilt Show Raffle quilt, Mountain Magic. She has kindly answered some questions for us.

How did you become a quilter and how did you learn to quilt?

After being a dressmaker for 20 or more years, and making clothes for children out of combining different fabrics and appliquéing motifs on them, I decided the next step was to apply the same techniques to quilts.

I had previously bought fabric with designs on them that I could quilt around. This taught me a lot about the “do’s and don’ts” of quilting. I then attended a workshop to see if I was missing out on techniques.

At what point did you start becoming interested in different techniques and making art quilts?

Approximately 10 or 11 years ago, I did a course with Carol Wilkes at Fibre Forum. That opened up a whole new world, and I continued to attend forum each year and learnt a lot. Although, I don’t think my quilts are “art”, more pictorial, combined with the traditional. I also create “wearable” wearable art clothes.

How did you come up with the idea for the 2011 raffle quilt?

I had done the three sisters before in daytime colours and wanted to see them in sunset colours. As we live in the Blue Mountains and this is a mountain quilt show, I thought them appropriate.

Can you describe to us your design process?

This started with a background of mountains and the valley behind the sisters. Then the sisters [the girls, as I refer to them] were made as a separate unit. As I had help from some traditional quilters, I devised the 4-side triangle block so they could piece it together, for the background and for the borders.

Then the appliques were made to embellish the quilt.

You use such interesting fabrics [and ice cream wrappers]. Can you tell us about those?

I very much have recycled fabrics all my life. As long as the quality, colour and texture are what I want, then I use them, and that includes the ice cream wrappers.

Thank you Petal!

If you've got any questions to ask Petal just leave a comment or you can always leave a comment even if you don't have a question. Just say hello!