Crafted creativity in Glen Alvie

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Crafted creativity in Glen Alvie

AFTER winding through the green hills of Glen Alvie, in a nook on the edge of another hill lays a treasure of rose gardens and quilts.

At the open garden event over the weekend at Patchwork Maze, visitors were welcomed by an outdoor gallery of quilts hanging on lines along the path into a home for quilters and garden lovers alike.

Senses were pleasantly overwhelmed by the smell of blooming roses of every variety in an explosion of colours, whether it was from the quilts billowing in the soft afternoon breeze or the floral combinations of the garden.

More than 200 people visited the open garden last weekend and part of the event runs as a fundraiser with proceeds from a sausage sizzle and raffle going to the Jane McGrath Foundation.

At first the combination of quilts and gardens seems odd, but for Patchwork Maze owner Jeanette Clark, the common themes are obvious.

She said gardening is a bit like patchwork, every different element and colour needs to be coordinated to flow and it is a creative outlet like quilting.

“I have the open garden because it is beautiful and I want to be able to share it. It’s a lovely place to hang the quilts,” Mrs Clark said.

“I do the same with quilting as I do with gardening. A rule of thumb with quilting is to always have a splash of yellow to bring out the other colours and I do that with gardening.

“Quilting is about friendship, about women getting together and caring for each other. It’s very rarely about the end result.”

Mrs Clark’s husband, Peter Clark who said he describes himself as a quilter’s widower, plays a major role in the upkeep of the expansive garden covering about a quarter acre of their farm.

Recently the couple finished working on the dairy farm and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and Mrs Clark celebrated her 70 birthday as well.

She said that there are no signs the quilting will ever stop and that she is busy as ever.

Dedicated quilters: from left, Lyn Brown, Lee Minns, Jeanette Clare, Mike Barnes, Angie Clark and Doreen Barnes work hard to make Glen Alvie’s Patchwork Maze’s annual open garden tea party a success.

 

Welcoming gallery: a fluttering gallery of patchwork quilts welcomed visitors to Glen Alvie’s Patchwork Maze owned by Jeanette and Peter Clark

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Posted by on Nov 21 2018. Filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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