This year we have brought together stitchers from Melbourne, Swadlincote, and all corners of South Derbyshire to create a series of South Derbyshire Quilts to celebrate Melbourne Festival Coming of Age!

The project was led by Fine Art Embroiderer Michelle Holmes who has a studio at Creative Melbourne Gallery, and Sharon Brown, (Director of Arts Melbourne and a lifelong stitcher!) and Creative Producer Clare Limb. Last Autumn we built our network of potential “stitchers”. We realised that there would be A LOT OF SQUARES. The quilts showcase our local history and what people from different parts of South Derbyshire said was important about their home. Melbourne’s history is based on the historic buildings and the market gardening, shoe and knitting industries while Swadlincote and the surrounding area has a strong heritage based on the mining and pottery industries. The initial idea has evolved into FOUR quilts celebrating Melbourne Swadlincote and other local features!