What’s it all about?
Do you have beloved clothes that are too old to wear anymore? Clothes so worn through at knees, elbows and bums that you can’t wear them but so saturated with history and memories that you can’t throw them out? Or did you inherit a relative’s stash of materials and not sure what to do with it?
In this class you’ll be taught to reuse these precious items to create beautiful hexie (hexagonal) quilts to hold the memories close while keeping warm.
What will we cover?
We’ll be looking at the practice of quilting throughout the centuries, from the African American slaves who made quilts to hold their histories to the practical Wagga Wagga quilts of rural Australia. We’ll also examine where your clothes come from, who might have made them and why it’s important to make them last as long as possible.
Participants are encouraged to bring along old clothes or materials to use in their hexie quilts and the sewing skills required are minimal, and instructions, thread, needles and scissors will be provided.
During the class you’ll be taught how to sew hexies using the English ‘paper pieced’ method, how to join your hexies up and how to back your quilt. You’ll leave with a hexie flower such as the one pictured and the knowledge of how to make your own hexie quilt out of your old clothes and other scraps of materials. There’ll also be Sayraphim’s own work-in-progress hexie quilt comprised of materials precious to her which include old clothes, fabric from her late Nan’s stash and scraps from her various public art projects.
Whether you view yourself as a recycler, an upcycler, an activist or the keeper of your family history, this class cover everything you need to create your own Historic Hexie Quilt.
Who will be teaching?
Sayraphim Lothian is a public artist who creates joyful experiences for people. Her street work attempts to inject tiny, unexpected and magical moments in passers-by’s lives. They aim to remind people of the niceness of life, as rewards those who take the time to stop and look around them once in a while. Most recently she’s been in Christchurch, New Zealand, spreading a little guerrilla kindness around.
Her participatory work creates bridges between participants, allowing moments of loveliness to flow between strangers. They are about the sharing of experiences and the fleeting but meaningful connections made. They are about rediscovering joy in oneself and realising it abounds in other people. Sayraphim aims to facilitate meaningful connections between people through craft.