Summary

This appliqued wall hanging was originally conceived as a patchwork quilt by former teacher and librarian Sylvia Grollman during the second COVID-19 lockdown in Melbourne. Sylvia's 'Covid Quilt', as she calls it, was inspired by the public health messaging and daily press conferences led by Premier Daniel Andrews. Symbols include: the coronavirus itself, Premier Daniel Andrews and his North Face jacket logo (a casual jacket that came to indicate a more casual/positive daily briefing), the Covidsafe App logo, social distancing and public hygiene infographic signs, Spoonville, medical staff in full PPE, gloves, hand sanitiser and toilet paper.

Sylvia started making the quilt at the commencement of the stage 4 lockdown on the 2nd August 2020 and made a new block every few days, concluding on 25th October, when it was announced that the state was taking steps out of the lockdown. She completed it all, including backing, by 1st November 2020.

Sylvia began quilting 20 years ago after making creative posters for Book Week and seeing the possibilities in applique. During the first COVID-19 lockdown in March-May 2020 she made gifts for friends and family as she often does, and voluntarily sewed masks, scrub caps and breast cancer drainage bags for Peter Mac hospital. However, in the second lockdown Sylvia was even more isolated from her usual social and familial networks, but was able to use crafting as a way to channel her energy and in her words 'keep sane', processing the coronavirus crisis by taking its imagery and converting it to cloth - softening it, but also raising the everyday images of the COVID-19 pandemic into something significant and personally meaningful.

Physical Description

Applique wall hanging with multicoloured cotton and synthetic fabrics on a purple fabric backing with hanging tabs

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