Quilt Finish – Great Dividing Range

When I first saw Modern Handcraft’s Range pattern, I was stunned by its simplicity. Her original version captured the feeling of a snowy mountainscape that took me right to a place of solace, despite its cool hues. It was the scene of a Christmas Hallmark movie waiting to happen! I don’t buy or use many other designers’ patterns, but I knew this was one I needed to explore. It took me a while to embark on the journey, but like most of my fellow quilters, the last few years have offered ample time to reflect on our quilt practice. While in the Sydney lockdown of 2020, I decided to dive right into its depths.

Buy the Range pattern here.

Once I started thinking about what would make this pattern uniquely mine, I reflected on the mountain ranges I had visited growing up in America and the mountain ranges I now had around me in Australia. While many would be aware of cultural and geographical landmarks like the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Great Barrier Reef and the Outback, Australia also has one of the oldest (300 million years) and most beautiful mountain ranges in our backyard.

The Great Dividing Range is the fifth largest land-based mountain range in the world. It sprawls along the entire eastern seaboard of Australia and showcases varying, geographical features along the way. Near me in western Sydney this range is represented by the Blue Mountains. This area of Sydney, and really Australia, is one of my favourite places due to the seasonal climate, chilled pace, and its residents’ strong interest in the arts.

As I took inspiration from my experiences in the Blue Mountains, I tried to capture the morning or evening light cascading across the mountains which often appear varying shades of blue. The golden hours of dawn and dusk provide a serenity through glistening foliage, rolling fog and drops of dew. I used Kona, Bella and Art Gallery solid fabrics in varying value ranges to create a greater sense of foreground and background distancing in the quilt.

This quilting motif by Leanne of Mount Vincent Quilts on these solids — it’s like I’m on an acid trip that I can’t get off of. And I am here for it like a classic Elton John song! You’ll see I’ve included my signature glitter flecked binding in coordinating yellow. I love how it just jumps off that white binding. Speaking of the white binding — did you know it also snows in Australia? The first time I experienced snow in Australia was while visiting Leura in the Blue Mountains over fifteen years ago — still a vivid memory from my life here. The white binding serves as a nod to that experience, as well as setting a contrasting design element to the vibrancy of the rest of the quilt.

Finally, I wanted to ensure the back of the quilt was imbibed with as much mod design aesthetic as the front. I created coordinating, striped panels so the quilt could well and truly be reversible. These colours dance and play on the back as much as they do on the front. While Great Dividing Range began as a reimagining of Modern Handcraft‘s pattern, it has ended up being a beautiful representation of my own experience and memories with the Australian landscape.

Title: Great Dividing Range
Size: 64″ x 78″
Pattern: Range Quilt by Modern Handcraft
Fabric: Molli Sparkles curated bundle of Kona, Bella, Art Gallery solids
Piecing: Machine stitched on Juki TL-98P with Aurifil 50wt, White 2024
Quilting: Long arm quilting by Mount Vincent Quilts
Binding: Hand stitched with Aurifil 40wt, White 2024
Backing: Molli Sparkles original design using curated bundle of Kona, Bella, Art Gallery solids
Timing: February 2020 – November 2021
Favourite Part: Telling a story through form and colour.