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Canberra Today 24°/28° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Sew-viving in a big, tough world

Quilter Crystal McGann with her audition quilt, “Modern Medallion” and the bag that got her through... “The competition has been amazing, but it’s hectic, it’s crazy, it’s stressful but so much fun at the same time.” Photo by Gary Schafer.
Quilter Crystal McGann with her audition quilt, “Modern Medallion” and the bag that got her through… “The competition has been amazing, but it’s hectic, it’s crazy, it’s stressful but so much fun at the same time.” Photo by Gary Schafer.
QUILTING’S not a nanna’s game, says local quilter Crystal McGann, and at the moment it’s not for the faint-hearted either, as she’s at the pointy end of an international online elimination sewing competition, “Sew-vivor”.

Run by US blogger Rachel, from Family Ever After, “Sew-vivor” includes the requisite series of challenges and twists for brave sewists everywhere – although only 16 get past the initial audition process.

This is the third time it’s run, and as this is the “Quilter’s Edition”, Crystal – who’s made it to the final five – thought she’d give it a shot. She auditioned with her quilt “Modern Medallion”, which she says “most represents who she is and who she wants to be as a quilter”.

“I’m really excited to be in the final five. I think it’s a very big deal, and I’m the only Australian – and Canberran – left in the competition,” she says.

“It’s been amazing, but it’s hectic, it’s crazy, it’s stressful but so much fun at the same time.

“My husband has been really supportive, particularly as we have two young children, but he’s also wondering when it will finish!”

Crystal says the themes so far have been to make something nautical, a bag, something with hexagons and for the final round, a lap quilt.

“You can interpret the theme however you want, so for nautical I made a quilt with an iceberg and a paper boat floating around, and my bag was a round design inspired by washi tape,” she says.

Although the competitors know the challenges ahead of time, Crystal has been making them as she goes along, which gives her two weeks to complete each project.

“Quilting is my creative outlet, although I wouldn’t say I always find it relaxing, sometimes it’s really difficult.

“But what I like about it is the complexity; you can make it as easy or as hard as you want, depending on your skill, so there’s always something new to learn and something different to try.”

Crystal is a member of the Canberra Modern Quilt Guild; 30 or so quilters who meet every month in the Civic Library.

“We catch up, show and tell, share techniques, swap fabrics and troubleshoot in a pretty informal environment,” she says. “The social aspect is really lovely. The quilting community on there is quite massive and it was great to discover so many local people.”

“Sew-vivor” wraps up at the end of September, with a lot more frantic late-night quilting to come in the weeks ahead.

“For my hexagon design I’ve hand-quilted with linen and dress wool – I might not be able to feel my fingers by the end,” says Crystal.

Facing a combination of five judges and a public vote, the winner will receive a prize pack of tempting sewing goodies.

Crystal says that while the competition started out with everyone being friendly and supportive, things have changed now.

“We used to chat online all the time, and there was no real competition between us,” she says. “It’s not like that now! But that’s okay, it was pretty full-on. It’s getting competitive.”

Visit familyeverafterblog.com to follow Crystal in her quilting quest.

 

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Kathryn Vukovljak

Kathryn Vukovljak

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