ONE month out from her journey to Uganda, Newport’s Tricia Salau and her sibling Judith McDougall – from Pingrup, Western Australia – will display their quilts at an Altona exhibition which has attracted sisters from across the nation.
Originally called Quilts Across The Continent, people have dubbed it Sisters Across The Continent.
Ms Salau said people seemed intrigued by two sisters having an exhibition when they lived so far from each other.
“There were four sisters in our family and two of the quilts to be exhibited were made by the four sisters and our mum,” she said.
Proceeds from the sale of three of the quilts will go to charities supported by the pair, including a Ugandan sewing project.
Next month, Ms Salau, a volunteer at Altona’s Joel Gallery, will travel to the East African nation with centre manager Jill Bilston and fellow staffer Kim Reilley.
They are raising funds to buy 10 treadle sewing machines and other equipment to train Bwindi (south-west Uganda) women to design and sew marketable items for tourists.
Their journey marks the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives, which aims to raise awareness of the contributions of co-op enterprises in reducing poverty and generating employment.
Donated items are still needed for Uganda, including reading glasses to enable women to thread needles and tennis balls for children.
■Sisters Across The Continent opens at Joel Gallery on July 20 at 7pm. It runs until August 3. Details: louisjlcc.com.au
