The Shamrock Quilters started in the 1980’s in a small room above the Irish Welfare Society’s op shop in Fitzroy, Melbourne. They met on Tuesday evenings to chat and sew over cups of tea. Not everyone who joined the group could sew, nor were they all Irish but it was a warm friendly place to meet up with old and new friends. The Shamrock Quilters raised money for the IWS by making patchwork quilts and raffling them, usually to cover the funeral costs of destitute Irish men who had died alone. Phyliss McGraw, the then manager of the op shop, had been presented with the contents of a textile warehouse next to the shop and saw the opportunity to make some money for the charity, as well as a chance to set up a group for like minded women. Occasionally one or two of the group would do a ‘proper’ patchwork class to learn new techniques, they would return to the group to share their new knowledge. Some of the original group were Myrtle, Ellie, Pat, Evelyn and Little Mary. The Shamrock Quilters are still going today, now meeting in Northcote, but no longer raising money for the ISW. Over the years, they have presented quilts to Irish Prime Ministers and Presidents. The op shop closed down a long time ago, greatly missed by Mebourne’s treasure hunters. I hope I have got the details correct, I will find out more when I go to Melbourne in a few week’s time.
Meanwhile, above is a picture of a Log Cabin with Stars quilt made by Myrtle, my mother.
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