{"id":705491,"date":"2026-05-31T02:50:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T02:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/705491\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T02:50:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T02:50:57","slug":"kate-ceberano-swaps-microphone-for-needle-to-indulge-passion-for-embroidery-and-quilting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/705491\/","title":{"rendered":"Kate Ceberano swaps microphone for needle to indulge passion for embroidery and quilting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once considered a traditional handcraft generally passed down from one generation to the next, the art of quilting and embroidery is today attracting a younger, broader audience.<\/p>\n

More artists are taking up the craft to create one-off pieces of art, using fabric, paint and a range of embellishments as a form of storytelling, self-expression and mindfulness.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Ceberano finds the art of embroidery meditative. (ABC Far North: Amanda Cranston)<\/p>\n

Musician Kate Ceberano is hooked<\/p>\n

Guiding her needle through thick linen fabric, celebrated singer\/songwriter Kate Ceberano adds sequin after sequin to her embellished artwork.<\/p>\n

This latest piece, named Gaudi, is one of her own paintings printed onto fabric, and the embroidery has taken almost a year to complete.<\/p>\n

\"Lady<\/p>\n

Colourful spools of Egyptian cotton and a bowl of sequins sit on top of the current quilt Ceberano is working on. (ABC Far North: Amanda Cranston)<\/p>\n

In between music gigs and work commitments, Ceberano tries to spend time each day in her home dressing room adding extra stitches and beading to her masterpiece.<\/p>\n

It is a labour of love and a chance to create something beautiful and long-lasting, like the textile artisans of her ancestors.<\/p>\n

This is a side of Ceberano few see.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Ceberano wearing a jacket featuring a guitar she hand painted and embroidered. (ABC Far North: Amanda Cranston)<\/p>\n

The Aussie rock icon has been a staple on the Australian music scene since the 1980s and is about to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, but she is also a passionate visual and textile artist.<\/p>\n

“My favourite medium will always be music. Music is like breathing to me,” she said.<\/p>\n

“But I ache to come home to get my fingers to cloth and needle to thread.<\/p>\n

“When I’m sewing, there is no noise, it’s just the simple act of doing something in present time with each thread and every stitch.”<\/p>\n

\"Lady<\/p>\n

Ceberano in front of her “creation” artwork. (ABC Far North: Amanda Cranston)<\/p>\n

Ceberano said the birth of her daughter 22 years ago inspired her “creation series”, which she had printed onto fabric to make embroidered wall art.<\/p>\n

“When Gypsy was in my belly, suddenly there was a tsunami of creativity, and this particular design represents life within me,” she said.<\/p>\n

Ceberano believes her love of quilts stems from her Hawaiian and Filipino heritage, where documenting stories on fabric has cultural importance.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Ceberano embroiders and embellishes over the top of her painting, which has been printed onto thick linen. (ABC Far North: Amanda Cranston)<\/p>\n

She even had a large quilt specially made and embroidered to use as the backdrop for her Australian Made tour last year.<\/p>\n

“It was like the fourth member of the band, with three of us on stage,” Ceberano said.<\/p>\n

She also embroiders song lyrics onto some of her quilts.<\/p>\n

“If a poet, an author or a songwriter has committed the energy to writing something meaningful, it seems a wasted opportunity not to give them life in another form and let them live,” she said.<\/p>\n

Sharing the passion with others<\/p>\n

Tricia Garrett’s love of quilting sees her run weekly classes teaching the art form to other women at the She Shed in Cairns.<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/p>\n

The women at the She Shed put the fabric pieces together like a puzzle. (ABC Far North: Amanda Cranston)<\/p>\n

While she likes to use the traditional quilting patterns and designs that have been passed down for generations, she has noticed younger quilters are being more adventurous.<\/p>\n

“A lot of the younger girls are making quilts a bit more avant-garde. They are quite spectacular,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/p>\n

Tricia Garrett and a few of the ladies from the She Shed in Cairns with one of their handmade quilts. (ABC Far North: Amanda Cranston)<\/p>\n

Ms Garrett said many quilters were also painting onto quilts and then stitching over the top, as well as adding buttons and other embellishments.<\/p>\n

“It’s becoming more of an artistic expression,” she said.<\/p>\n

Ms Garrett is more of a traditional quilter, who first fell in love with sewing at school but stopped when she had children.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Tricia Garrett enjoys teaching others the art of quilting. (ABC Far North: Amanda Cranston)<\/p>\n

It took almost 20 years for her to pick up her sewing machine again, when she became a full-time carer to her adult daughter who became ill.<\/p>\n

Now, sewing is her creative outlet.<\/p>\n

“It’s very relaxing and you always get something out of it,” she said.<\/p>\n

New life into an old craft<\/p>\n

Linda Steele from national organisation Oz Quilt Network, said quilting had become popular with younger people as a form of self-expression and mindfulness.<\/p>\n

\"Older<\/p>\n

Linda Steele loves seeing handmade quilts hanging in galleries. (Supplied: Linda Steele)<\/p>\n

“Quilting has become more of an art form, with quilts becoming pieces of art,” she said.<\/p>\n

“There’s no rules anymore and no quilt police. You can do what you want.”<\/p>\n

Ms Steele said many young quilters still liked the old-style patterns but were breathing new life into them, making them more modern with fresher, brighter colours.<\/p>\n

She said the social and relaxing aspects of quilting also made it good for mental health.<\/p>\n

“It’s almost like a form of mindfulness, where you can forget about all the stresses of the world,” she explained.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

More adventurous quilters are creating impressive one-off works of art.\u00a0 (Supplied: Linda Steele)<\/p>\n

Oz Quilt Network holds exhibitions every year to showcase the quilts members make, with many pieces travelling to different galleries around Australia.<\/p>\n

“I just wish I could travel as much as my quilts do,” Ms Steele said.<\/p>\n

\"Singer<\/p>\n

Ceberano adds sequins to embellish her quilt. (ABC Far North: Amanda Cranston)<\/p>\n

Ceberano said she loves that quilts tell a story.<\/p>\n

“Storytelling extends beyond music for me, and can be expressed and shared through all art forms, including creating beautiful quilts,” she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Once considered a traditional handcraft generally passed down from one generation to the next, the art of quilting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":705492,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[343242,64,343239,63,20994,245716,72,343240,343238,189484,134,15940,343237,60292,10364,73536,71293,514,343241,57388,280516,343236,57586,22633,150169,280514,20389,36731],"class_list":["post-705491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-art-quilts","tag-au","tag-aussie-rock","tag-australia","tag-australian-music","tag-australian-musician","tag-cairns","tag-ceberano","tag-embellishment","tag-embroidery","tag-entertainment","tag-exhibition","tag-hand-sewing","tag-hobbies","tag-hobby","tag-kate-ceberano","tag-meditation","tag-mental-health","tag-oz-quilt-network","tag-passion","tag-pastime","tag-quilt","tag-quilting","tag-relaxation","tag-sewing","tag-she-shed","tag-textiles","tag-visual-art"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=705491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/705492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=705491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=705491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=705491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}