Creating Loving Quilts

If you’ve taken machine quilting lessons from Bev McClune you already  know how talented she is at her craft.

At the Sydney Quilt Show on 14th June  2006 Bev was awarded 1st Prize in the category of  Domestic Machine Quilted Quilt, confirming  that she is the best in all of Australia.

This year the Sydney Quilt  Show, the biggest quilt show in Australia, displayed a record 370+ quilts.  Entrants were only allowed to enter one category but that was an easy decision for Bev, who entered the  domestic machine quilting category  she said “because that is what I do best.”

Her first introduction to sewing was back in high school. The only thing the class achieved for Bev was an overwhelming decision that she would never be a dressmaker. It is fortunate that years later when Bev again came face to face with a sewing machine that she didn’t let her school experience deter her.

She is a great example for us all of what you can achieve when you keep trying.  When she was first learning about patchwork and quilting she found it slow and frustrating. It took  her days to get one 12-inch block pieced together.  No longer interested, Bev decided that patchwork and quilting were not for her.

A friend encouraged her to give it another chance and showed Bev how to use the cutting board, ruler and rotary cutter. She went from disillusioned to addict.  Being able to make nine 12-inch blocks in one day was much more satisfying!

Since that time ten years ago Bev has become a professional machine quilter, a tutor of machine quilting and a partner in Country Fabrics and Quilters. Her machine quilting workshops even feature on DVD’s, so anyone who desires can learn from a blue ribbon winner.

Bev finds patchwork and quilting a wonderful respite from all the demands of every day.  She loves the craft so much that she has challenged herself to – “learn how to sleep faster so that I can quilt longer”.