Although not a practitioner I do appreciate quilt making, in every shape and form. That appreciation commenced the day I sat on my Great Aunt Lavinia’s front porch in Lowell, Massachusetts (USA) watching her stitch together small, odd shaped pieces of patterned fabric to form perfect star-shaped ‘patches’. I was nine, she was 98, I slumped against the rail and listened as she sat ramrod straight and spoke of how, as a child, she learned to transform worn out clothes into new bed covers with scissors, needle and thread. I see her keen eye and creative fingers reflected in the hand and machine stitched, traditional and contemporary designs in this exhibition of work by members of West Australian Quilter's Association.

Walking through the gallery reminds us how quilting always was, and continues to be an innovative, expressive and highly creative artform. No longer a skill needed to survive, quilting has evolved into an expressive medium that explores form, experiments with dyes, embraces a variety of materials, extends technique, and expresses past and present concepts.

When it comes to the form of a quilt, Constructions by Emerald Springs suggests any structure is acceptable. Here a collection of odd shaped cotton patches have been printed and painted with references to machines, then assembled and quilted into an unusual form that in itself reflects a piece of machinery. The colours are clear and  the quilting precise to create an air of a measured modern pace. Unusual form, more sculptural then functional, is celebrated in Judith Pinnell's excellent All Stitched and Bound. Her machine quilted silk corset hangs on the wall, not unlike a medieval shield. Both may be considered a piece of formal attire that served to impress and protect!

Finding a hue that will be more compatible with a concept rather then just 'colour' the cloth, is important to many practitioners. Christine Mackay employs natural dyes to evoke a sense of the true colours and annual shedding of the Eucalyptus tree, in her gentle yet strong exhibit Shrouded. And Marianne Penberthy squeezes the 'vegetation of the last remnants of dye' for her Quandong Quilt. The warm hues in rectilinear patterns and circular hand stitching around 'quilted' seeds create a interesting and intriguing work.

Seeds and a variety of other 'stuff' can be employed in contemporary quilting. Consider Lucille Miller's Illusion where flywire and leather is hand stitched to create the appearance of movement. And Jane Daley's quilt Destinations where acrylic paint, stamping, and photo transfers are used to adeptly capture the colour and function of the busy port city of Fremantle. Each exhibit evokes it's own sense of flowing rhythm.

With Patch Work VI, Wendy Lugg celebrates the 'universal art of making do' which is the concept that no doubt initiated patch work quilting. She recycles Japanese cotton into a perfectly balanced, simple rectilinear pattern that echoes design elements found in the Nipponese aesthetic. Quite the opposite in concept and cultural reference is Marilyn Davis-Moore's Band-Aid Girl. This well produced and presented exhibit illustrates the wounds in the fabric of society.

Not a one of the 20 exhibits can be faulted in its form, content or technique. But it is Trish Little who brings together contemporary ideas and the traditional practice of 'quilting' with her exhibit. I like the Other Side suggests a modern abstract wall hanging yet references the 19th century pattern 'Grandmother's Flower Garden'.  The work is hung to reveal the reverse of an incomplete quilt cover, exposing paper templates and frayed edges of fabric. This exhibit fairly floats along the wall with an organic sense of life and growth of an artform. I'm sure, if she were here today, Great Aunt Lavinia would embrace each exhibit, for its excellence and innovation.