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Catherine Bu erworth
A life-long involvement in fabric retailing and
sewing has given Catherine Butterworth the
background for creating award-winning quilts
in both traditional and modern stylesWords by Michael O’Neile
Photographs by Peter and Julie ButterworthOhioan-born Catherine Butterworth
first visited Australia as an exchange
secondary student in 1971, returning
to Sydney a few years later to take up
permanent residency. She enrolled in
tertiary studies in the TAFE School of
Fashion, a vocational focus reflecting
the influence of a family background
of quiltmakers and seamstresses.
Subsequently, while shopping at
The Fabric Shop in the Sydney suburb
of Chatswood, Catherine overheard
that the store was short-staffed.
She applied for and secured a job,
and a few years later married the
proprietor’s son. When her parents-
in-law retired, she and her husband
Peter managed the shop until its
closure in 2006.
The shop had first stocked
patchwork fabrics during the mid-
1980s. To leverage that venture,
Catherine enrolled in a quiltmaking
class tutored by Elizabeth Burton and
made what she calls “the obligatory
sampler”. This lead to the making of
quilts as store samples to showcase
the fabric ranges available, reflecting
a variety of quilt styles. Good
experience for the road ahead.
Once retired, the prospect beckoned
for exploration and experimentation
with “quilt layouts, colour palettes and
fabric designs”, focusing on those that
most excited her. Catherine believes
her knowledge of fabric enables
her to recognise good-quality base
cloth and fabric printing, and how to
properly handle the fabric to avoid
disappointing outcomes in the finished
quilt. She feels challenged to enhance
her technical and design skills in every
quilt she makes, whether for exhibition
or gifts for family and friends.
“I simply love the creative process,
playing with different colour palettes,
working with the amazing printed
fabrics that are on offer, trying
out different quilt layouts. I enjoy
watching the quilt top come together
with my piecing and the way the
quilting gives a quilt its unique
personality. I get joy from every step
in the quiltmaking process — except
perhaps the unpicking!
“I am compelled to create, and I love
working with textiles, so quiltmaking is a
perfect fit for me. I also take pleasure in
making quilts for friends and family. As IPhoto by Julie Butterworth