Patchwork Quilting: In the Clare Valley region of South Australia
If you have an artistic bent the Clare Valley is the place to be. The smaller valleys that make up the renowned Clare Valley region are food for the artist's soul.
There are plenty of surprises too like Walter and Kay Duncan's Heritage Garden just outside Sevenhill, which we showed you a little while back. It's hard to believe that only five years ago it was a sheep paddock. It's now planted with two thousand Old World roses - the culmination of Walter's life's work as a reputed rose breeder.
"We wanted to create a 'bank' of old world roses," said Walter. "So we've got quite a number of varieties here that are used in the nursery trade for propagation and if people want varieties we've got here we can usually help them out."
Walter's obviously a man of much patience. But he's the first to admit he couldn't have created all this by himself. His partner in crime is his wife, Kay. Fortunately, Kay has lots of patience too. When she's not dead-heading, pruning or mulching the palette of colour in the garden you'll find her inside her studio creating her own masterpieces…
Kay's passion for colour in the garden spills over to her other passion - the age-old craft of patchworking. Kay loves fabric and colour and she especially loves putting them together. Like any good artist Kay draws her inspiration from all around her. With her remarkable eye for detail, painstaking accuracy with the needle and thread and a little… or a lot of time… a simple photo of some poppies becomes a family heirloom.
Kay used to have her own patchwork shop in Saddleworth but now she reckons she's earned the right to do it for fun. Although her works adorn the walls of their charming Heritage Garden B&B next door.
Check out Kay's handiwork in the B&B when you visit the Heritage Garden. You'll find it on Gillentown Road, Sevenhill. Turn left from the main road at the Sevenhill pub. The garden is open by appointment all year. Give Kay a call or log on to their website for details.
To learn more about the craft contact the Quilters' Guild of South Australia on 0437 322 577 or log into their website.
The Heritage Garden
Gillentown Rd
Sevenhill
Ph 8843 4022South Australian Quilters' Guild
Ph 0437 322 577
www.saquilters.org.auPublished 23rd Sept 2007
