MACS Quilters Share Warmth Through Craft

by Shari Longden (Oct 2025)

Mandurah Arts & Crafts members from Bushland Quilters, Thursday Witches and Friday Patchwork, have been busy putting their talents for patchwork, quilting, knitting and crochet to work for a heartfelt cause. With needles clicking, machines humming and fabrics flowing, they have created and donated a collection of handmade quilts, beanies and scarves to Comfort Quilts Against Cancer Inc (CQAC), a Western Australian not-for-profit charity. Each piece is crafted with care, bringing warmth, comfort and a touch of joy to adults and children facing the challenges of cancer.

Comfort Quilts Against Cancer was founded in 2012 by CEO Bronwyn Dunn. MACS members, Rosalie Gibbs and Jill Ireland, are Volunteer Area Coordinators for CQAC, delivering the finished quilts and gift packages to those in need in the Peel Region.

MACS has been involved in supporting CQAC for 5 years and in that time have donated hundreds of quilts. Some members focus on sewing the patchwork quilt tops. Others sandwich the patchwork tops with cotton batting and cotton backing fabric, then use their longarm quilting machines or standard sewing machines to quilt the layers together. Lastly, others sew on the binding. Some intrepid members choose to create entire quilts from start to finish.

Other MACS members contribute to this incredibly worthy cause by crocheting or knitting colourful beanies and scarves. Others use machine embroidery to create the labels that are sewn on the back of the finished quilts.

Altogether, it is a team effort.

Through their generosity and creativity, the MACS members not only showcase the value of traditional craft but also remind the community of the power of kindness and connection. Their beautiful donations are much more than fabric and stitches – they are gifts of hope, love and compassion.

MACS welcomes donations of cotton fabrics, cotton batting, threads and wool. All contributions of these materials are greatly appreciated and help the groups continue their work, ensuring that even more quilts, beanies and scarves can be lovingly made and shared with those who need them most.

If you can donate any of the above materials, please contact our MACS Committee by phoning 9581 3777 and leaving a message or by emailing mandurahartsandcrafts@gmail.com to organise collection or drop off.