Here is Julie’s story about her quilt ‘Orange Peel’

‘I began the orange peel quilt early in 2018 when I was playing around with Sari silks.

Ironing these onto light adhesive interfacing gives the fabric a bit more body and it’s easier to manipulate. It was also the time Woolworths was introducing its plastic bag ban, in fact everyone was talking about over packaging and waste in general.

Unpacking my shopping one day it twigged that my oranges were in an orange plastic net bag. We all love the old legend of Lafayette being invited to a celebratory dinner by George Washington. When he took out his knife and quartered his orange a lady at the dinner used the discarded segments to design her next quilt pattern.

So that was it! The idea that now the three areas of household waste, clothes, food and plastic could be represented. Sari silk for clothing, orange peel shape for food and the plastic net covering for the plastics. Twelve panels symbolised a year and that if we were mindful every household could help reduce landfill.

The quilt was backed using a repurposed designer dress from an op-shop.

Julie McAllister