I am a quilter of 50 years plus and have shared my trials and successes with many like-minded people.  My mother taught me to sew, and I was always proud to have made my own clothes as a young girl.

I can remember (yes, I am playing the ‘I can remember’ game) while at Teachers College in Auckland eagerly searching for quilting groups in Auckland.  Alas none existed then.  So self-taught I am from overseas books and anyone I could glean any information from.  Quilts, runners and waistcoats were all the go then and many were made.

Shifting to Opunake in 1977 saw quilting taking a back seat. Renovation of our house, the remodelling of the garden, and children took over.  In about 1980/81 I taught a Patchwork night class. Very traditional blocks were made and accuracy a necessity to produce accurate blocks, and I still follow this rule today. (Ask Relwyn Brimlow and Bev Baylis they were students of mine back then.)  I became a member of Taranaki Patchworks and Quilters somewhere in this journey, I’m not really sure when this happened.  Then I also joined The Stratford Village Quilters and enjoy my activities with them. They are a lovely friendly group and we all have lots in common.

I am still following on with something I love.  I was pleased with my isolation and developed my own style for Art Quilting.  I now dye all my fabric for these quilts and rarely do I use commercial fabric. This journey has taken many hours and dedication to the art, and doesn’t come without its mistakes, but that is what learning is about.

Roll on 2017 – I retired from school after 43 years, having taught everything from Food, Textiles, Health, Nutrition, Physical Education and Sports.  I felt I was finally free and able to do my own thing.  Throughout this time we also ran, and still run, a largish lifestyle block.

Three quilt shows later, being on the committee for Taranaki and Aotearoa Quilters Exhibitions, I was brave enough to enter Symposium and The Great New Zealand Quilt Shows. These entries are of course made from scratch, and I love the unpredictability of my dying. I usually have a basic idea of what I would like the fabric to turn out like and I am often surprised by the results. I then sketch what I would like the final result to look like and wing it from there.  I have attended many courses to learn about dying and my colour wheel is a trusty companion when dying. I usually have a dye session several times a year and the results hang around for while till the ideas hit.

My work has appeared in NZ Quilter (I miss that magazine terribly), I still remember the thrill of being rung up by them to send photographs of a particular flower quilt, and The Australian Quilter Magazine and others.  Many Best in Show Art Quilts have followed and lately I am trying to get my head around Modern Art Quilts, a challenge for someone who loves putting “things” on her quilts.

Having taught goal setting and time-lines to students for years, there were goals I achieved along the way that I never really saw as goals but got great thrills when they happened. I am a great believer in giving back to organisations that I belong to, so I am now a member of the Aotearoa Quilters Committee and am responsible for the travelling exhibitions.

Yours in Quilting
Cindy Dobbin