By Derek Schlennstedt
There’s a unique quilting group in Monbulk helping to keep children around the world warm.
The Monbulk group; Quilts for Orphans has been around for more than 15 years and started after members heard that orphans in India slept on the floor.
They had a deeply-felt desire to do something about it, and now their quilts are sent all around the world.
Group members volunteer their time and talent to make quilts which are sent to orphaned children in China, Indonesia, Rwanda and Thailand.
To highlight the plight of children in other countries and to demonstrate the skills of quilting, the group is holding a quilting exhibition in Wandin on April 27.
Member of the group Annette Stone said there would be workshops and activities that revolved around quilting and were suitable for all ages.
Since the group’s inception, the membership has grown to more than 25 women and over the span of 16 years the groups has created over 3000 quilts.
Ms Stone encouraged everyone to come along to the exhibition and to join the group if they were interested or wanted to learn a new skill.
“A lot of women do quilt but there are only so many quilts a woman can have in their house,” she joked.
“It’s lovely to get together and still make quilts and know that it’s going to a good cause.
“It’s really about having a bit of fun, enjoying our sewing and getting together and I think that’s one of the things – you meet up with other women for a common cause and learn from each other as well.
“I think we all enjoy working on something that is going to bring comfort to people who really don’t have a lot.
The exhibition will be on 27 April from 9:30am – 4pm and will be held at 48 Hunter Road, Wandin North, where a number of the quilts will be on display and tea and scones available for lunch.
“It’s really displaying what we do, telling people who we are and inviting people to contribute their quilts or come along to our gatherings and be a part of it,” Ms Stone said.
