Profile
Shirley Merriel, who was our
guest for August 2006, has been quilting for 30 years. She has tried
her hand at pottery, macramé, knitting and patchwork.
Patchwork has become a firm favourite. Her first quilt was made from
offcuts given to her by a lampshade business.
Shirley has 3 sons, 5 grandsons
and 1 granddaughter, Annie Rose, the first girl born in the Merriel family
for 60 years. She showed us a special quilt she made for Annie
Rose, named Dream Wardrobe .
Shirley has done various classes
with well known tutors, for example Lynne Peebles, Mary Ellen Hopkins,
Pam Hill. A beautiful quilt she made for her daughter-in-law's
40th won second prize at the Sydney quilt show. She has also won
prizes for various other quilts over the years.
Shirley currently spends
most of her quilting time making an amazing array of community quilts which
are donated to Chapman House, the Salvation Army and Foster Children.
She finds this very rewarding especially when she occasionally gets feedback,
like one little boy who apparently took his quilt to school for 'show and
tell' and told the other kids he had to be special because a lady he doesn't
even know made him his quilt. And then there was the old lady
who on her deathbed asked the Salvation Army to look after her quilt for
her.
Shirley has been made a life
member of the guild.
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