Prudence and Brett Bridger
We were sad to hear that long-time QuiltNSW member Prudence Bridger died late last year. She was the Treasurer of the Guild for the maximum term allowed under the Constitution and contributed many volunteer hours at exhibitions since she joined the Guild in the 2000s. She was also part of a small QuiltNSW team that replicated a very old, disintegrating coverlet that had been on display at Elizabeth Farm, Paramatta.
Members of the QuitNSW team that replicated the Elizabeth Farm coverlet.
I spoke to Prue’s husband, Brett, to find out more about her involvement in QuiltNSW.
“They were talking at one of the Saturday meetings about needing a Treasurer and, as they were outlining what the job involved, Prue was mumbling to herself ‘oh, I could do that’,” he recalls. “Prudence had the skills to do the job as Treasurer, since she worked as a bookkeeper and Lynn Hewitt encouraged her to volunteer for the position.”
Brett went with Prue to her first show, to help carry all the coins that were collected there to the bank. He couldn’t help with the money in the office because he wasn’t a member, so he joined the Guild straight away and later became Exhibition Secretary.
Prue became interested in quilting when she first made a cot quilt while a teenager. She joined QuiltNSW after attending her second quilt show. “This reignited her interest in quilts,” Brett says. “Her enjoyment came from the process of creating the actual handwork. Because her joy came from the process of doing, finishing something was sad. So, she had a lot of trouble finishing anything. I think one of the biggest revelations for Prue in the last 20 years was how creative she was, but she was creative within a pattern.”
There are several of Prue’s UFOs that Brett would like to see completed: a three-quarter inch hexagon that she was making for her brother; a Seven Sisters that she was making for one of her nieces; and a version of a Levens Hall quilt in traditional colours and another featuring Kaffe Fassett fabrics. He doesn’t have the skills to finish them but if any QuiltNSW member is interested in helping, please email him.
Farewell and thank you, Prudence.
