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THE
SIGNATURE QUILT PROJECT - A PATCHWORK OF EMPOWERMENT
To celebrate the achievements of Australian women over the last 100
years, the National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame created two identical
Signature Quilts. One is displayed at their headquarters in Alice
Springs while the other was raffled to raise funds for the new
building,
a permanent public facility to commemorate the pioneering women of
Australia.
The raffle quilt
was in fact been divided into 2 separate quilts each measuring 2.2m
x 1.9m (7’3 x 6’3). The Northern Territory Chief Minister,
the Hon Clare Martin, launched the project on Friday 7 March to celebrate
International
Women’s Day 2003. The Signature Quilt raffle was drawn
on 8 March 2004 by Jose Petrick, one of the women recognised by the
2003 Tribute to Territory Women awards. The first winner was Jennie
Gordon of Canberra, who selected the red quilt as she works with Maree
Schuster whose signature is on that quilt. The second winner was Jennifer
Slee of Bolwarra Heights in NSW.
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The raffle quilts were valued at $25,000 each by internationally known
Melbourne dealer Charles Leski of Charles Leski Auctions, specializing
in autographed memorabilia.
Each quilt is made up of calico squares, all signed by Australian
women who have recorded firsts or those who have made significant
achievements within their field, with alternate patches of patterned
fabric, appropriate to the signatory's field. So fashioned, the quilt
will be representative of both a traditional women's craft of the
19th century as well as making visible women's achievements of the
20th and 21st centuries - a "Patchwork of Empowerment".
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LAYNE
BEACHLEY
First woman to win 5 world surfing titles, statistically
the greatest woman surfer in surfing history (2002)
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ITA
BUTTROSE
First woman editor-in-chief of a major daily newspaper
(Sydney Daily and Sunday Telegraphs: 1980); and
first woman appointed to the board of Rupert Murdoch’s
News Ltd Australia
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The
completed quilt for display measures around 3m x 2.5m (10‘ x
8‘). It contains the signatures of 343 Australian women who have
been first in a variety of fields within Australia, their State or
Territory or their community.
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PENNY
FLETT
First woman in peacetime to hold a male rank &
first woman doctor to serve in RAAF (1974)
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MARILYN
JONES
One of first Principal Dancers with the Australian
Ballet when established (1962), she later became its
Artistic Director (1979-82) and founded the Dancers
Company of the Australian Ballet (1980)
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You
can scroll down the alphabetical list here
to search for a particular name with details of their first or you
can also search for groups of names under a particular field. The
fields are: activism, adventure, architecture, the arts, aviation,
business, community service, dance, education, environment/conservation;
fashion, film industry, information technology, gastronomy, history,
law, media, medicine, military, music, performing arts, politics,
public service, religion, rural, science, sport and union.
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CORALIE
LING
Victoria’s first and Australia’s second woman
Methodist minister, ordained at the Wesley Church, Melbourne
(1969)
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CAROL
MARTIN
First indigenous woman to be elected to an Australian
Parliament (Seat of Kimberley, WA 2001)
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NPWHF committee member and experienced quilter, Jan Millington first
initiated this innovative undertaking at the end of 2000. NPWHF Curator
Pauline Cockrill researched the names and addresses of the women to
be approached and is currently working on a publication telling the
story of the quilt and the inspirational women who signed it. Honorary
Secretary Val Mitchell handled the bulk of the correspondence. Jan
Millington and fellow quilter Julie Heller spent many hours putting
the quilts together and searching for appropriate fabric.
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SUE
McGINN
First woman to be appointed to the Australian Dairy
Farmers’ Board (2000)
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RUTH
E WILSON
First woman pilot to own and operate her own hot-air
balloon in Australia (1976)
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We
are grateful for donations of materials from the following businesses
and quilters, both local and interstate. Colleen Byrnes of Sew
ForU
of Alice Springs: donation of calico and other fabric for squares.
Mini
Jumbuk of Naracoorte, SA: donation of Nu Wool Wadding.
XLN Fabrics of Kings Park, NSW: donation of backing fabric and patterned
fabric for squares.
Victorian
Textiles of Moorabbin, VIC: donation of Matilda's Own Wool
Batting.
Rosmarie Imhof, Jean Gooding, Julie Heller, Mary McCarthy, Karren
McCluskey, Barb Mcllvain, Barb Gurney (Alice Springs Quilting Club):
donation of fabric.
Jane Gibson, Lynn Hewitt and other members of the NSW
Quilters Guild:
donation of fabric for squares.
Marg Waters, Val Mitchell, Pauline Cockrill: donation of fabric
for squares.
The
Signature Quilt Project was a special feature in the No 5 issue of
the “Homespun
Quilters Companion”
entitled “A Patchwork of Empowerment”, pp 52/3.
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