AN EXHIBITION celebrating 40 years of Hamilton quilters opened in The Hub on Monday afternoon with a superb and compelling display of the unique art form.

Quilt making started in the eighteenth century when frugal housewives would cut up old clothing and join the pieces together to make a warm covering for the bed.

Patchwork and quilting is now considered much more than just a tool to make the most of old material, with the hobby growing to include abstract art, machine embroidery and appliqué.

For 40 years now a talented group of local artisans have honed their quilt-making skills and ‘A Touch of Ruby’ marks the 19th exhibition of their work in partnership with the Hamilton Gallery, showcasing a range of quilts completed by members over recent years.

There will be over 16 beautiful and intricate pieces on display, with each quilter responding to the Ruby Anniversary theme with their own interpretation.

Hamilton Quilters president, Jenny McKelvie, said celebrating the milestone in view of the community was a fantastic opportunity to enlighten people and get some valuable feedback.

“We’re looking forward to having the exhibition in a public space and hearing what people think about our works and what we do,” she said.

Guest speaker, Carmel Schlaghecke, was thrilled to officially open the exhibition and referred to the global history of quilting, with some of the earliest examples coming from Mongolia.

She also spoke of her own experience as part of Vinnies with the quilters’ largesse, especially with gifts for new mothers.

“Not only are these people talented, but they are so generous,” she said.

“The week before last (a mother) brought the baby in for us to see … she said, ‘you’ve given me a quilt – oh, I went home and I sobbed, it was so beautiful.’”

The time taken to produce each quilt differs considerably with their size and detail; each quilter showing their craftsmanship inherent in their work - with some of the larger and more complex works in the exhibition containing over 3000 pieces of material and taking up to eight years to complete.

One of the quilters exhibiting her work was centenarian, Bett Basham, who has been knitting since five years old and has been part of the group since its inception 40 years ago, when Ruth Walter convened a group of women to make cushions – and they didn’t seem to want to stop after just one.

“Well, we made a second cushion … and that’s how we began,” she said.

“There were 60 in the cushion classes - like Topsy it just grew.”

Pointing at her work, Bett said she was partial to the ‘stack and slash’ method of quilting and showed how the method brought variation to her art.

“You pile up your materials,” she said.

“Every square’s got the same shape in it, but you put them so that you haven’t got this sitting there.”

Another exhibiter, Joan Lyons, said of the four decades of Hamilton Quilters that “techniques have changed” and have “made it a whole lot easier”.

“When we started there was a lot of work to start off with,” she said.

“Over the years a lot of the top quilters had come up with simpler ideas and how to put pieces together.”

Of her own technique, Joan said she “liked appliqué” and the challenge that comes with it.

“I like to put all my little pieces together to create a picture,” she said.

“I find as I’ve got older I like to be able to sit and do that instead of being at the machine.

“I try to do something different each time.”

Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to meet the makers personally and see the craftmanship at work as quilts are being created, since the organisation’s 16 members will be manning the space and working on quilts during opening hours.

Hamilton Gallery’s Exhibitions and Collections coordinator, Ian Brilley, said he was pleased the temporary closure of the gallery has not stopped them presenting the unique creativity of locals.

“It was great that we were able to bring the Hamilton Quilters exhibition, ‘A Touch of Ruby’ to the public while the gallery is closed for infrastructure upgrades,” he said.

“A big thanks to The Hub management for allowing us to use the space, hopefully it is something we can do more of in the future, getting art outside of the gallery walls.”

‘A Touch of Ruby’ is free to visit at the Hub and open Mon-Fri 10.30am to 3.30pm until Friday, May 26.

For more information about the exhibition visit hamiltongallery.org