Since her early 30s, Jennifer Peacock has been skilfully using her sewing machine in the same way artists use their pencils and paints — to craft incredible patchwork works of art.
Sadly, a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis recently forced the 71-year-old to retire her sewing machine. However, in early March this year, the local community, her family and friends, and staff at Mercy Health’s Golden Rise Bendigo, gathered to celebrate her many years’ work at an exhibition in the retirement village’s community centre.
The exhibition was organised by Golden Rise Bendigo Retirement Village Manager Candice Long, who was “blown away” when she saw Jennifer’s creations hanging on the wall of her new home in the village.
“I walked into Jennifer’s house and saw these incredible cushions and wall hangings that Jennifer had created,” Candice says.
“My eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing. I immediately thought, this is something that has to be celebrated and shared. I wanted everyone from our village to know we have someone so wonderful and talented living among us.”
Jennifer Peacock and Golden Rise Bendigo Retirement Village Manager Candice Long.
Jennifer grew up in regional Victoria but she did not take up the art of patchwork quilting until she was a new mother in her early 30s.
“My husband Ron and I moved around a lot because Ron was doing ministry work,” Jennifer explains. “It was when we moved to King Island that patchworking really took off for me. It was the perfect place to develop my skills — surrounded by the sea and being quite isolated.”
While there are perfectly practical applications for Jennifer’s creations, including placemats, cushions and children’s blankets, Jennifer took great joy in simply creating something beautiful.
“I did it because I love the idea of creating something in beautiful colours of my own design,” she says. “I would join patchworking groups wherever we moved and then when we relocated to Townsville, I joined with two other ladies and formed a patchwork company, whereby we created patterns for people to buy. Some of my patterns have been bought by people from as far away as South Africa.”
Jennifer was later commissioned to draw patterns that were regularly published in the Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazine, which was “so exciting”. Now, her MS diagnosis means Jennifer can no longer create.
“It reached a stage where I couldn’t hold a pencil or rotary cutter because I lost my fine motor skills,” Jennifer says.
While Jennifer can no longer make her masterpieces, there are still some that can be found in the homes of many people around the world, many years after their creation.
“The thing I love best is that my quilts were designed to be used and abused, not tucked away,” she says. “I wanted mums to have quilts for their babies that could be weed on, thrown up on, pooped on, and then could be thrown in the wash and on the line. I wanted my works to be used and loved.”
Last reviewed April 22, 2022.