Invisible Practice: the Store specialises in quilts that are hand and/or machine fabricated, made-to-order and commissioned. All Invisible Practice quilts are created from natural, mostly collected cottons, as well as linen, silk, wool and bamboo fabrics.
To be the owner of one of Glen Murray’s quilts is to be the owner
of a most unique work of art. Lucia Ikin
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nothing is ever just black and white
A series of six quilts exhibited at The Weaver’s Cottages and Studio, Oatlands 2022.
Machine pieced and quilted, hand finished, cotton.
$5,200.00 each.
I began this body of work with the idea of referencing the iconic Ned Kelly paintings of Sidney Nolan but as I continued to make the work it became apparent to me that the quilts had evolved into a series of self portraits.
UFO #2
Unfinished object, machine pieced and quilted, hand finished. Fabric is most likely cotton.
$2,250.00
UFOs are often the result of the maker generally being, if not deceased, at least incapable of continuing to make. The piecing of this quilt is meticulous, indicating a skilled, experienced maker and for this reason it was an honour to complete the quilt.
now you see me, now you don’t
Machine pieced and quilted, hand finished.
$1,500.00
Marple’s window
A mystery quilt designed by Miss Brenda of the Launceston Patchworkers and Quilters Group. Machined pieced and quilted, hand finished from gifted and sourced cottons.
$2,750.00
allsorts
An improvised, abstract quilt.
Machine pieced and quilted, hand finished. Crafted from gifted and sourced cottons.
Quilt dimensions 139cm x 117cm. $3,700.00. Buy Now.
The title allsorts refers to my simple love/addiction for Licorice Allsorts but mostly a childhood memory that stays with me, of my mother saying ‘that it takes all sorts’.
the chains that bind
Irish Chain quilt featuring a rose print in red, green and black. Machine pieced and quilted, hand finished. Crafted from sourced cottons.
Quilt dimensions 160cm x 160cm. $4,000.00. Buy Now.
My mother adored roses. Since her death and as I get older, I find myself continually more drawn to rose prints be they belt buckles, serving dishes or fabric. I also enjoy playing with words. This quilt is an Irish Chain design, so it was not hard to arrive at the title the chains that bind. The connotation is not negative for me in this sense but rather implies that my relationship with my mother continues.
and in the brown corner
Mystery quilt designed by Ellen McGregor, machine pieced, hand applique, machine quilted and hand finished. Crafted from collected and sourced cottons.
Quilt dimensions 160cm x 160cm. $2,600.00. Buy Now.
This quilt is a mystery quilt designed by Ellen McGregor for members of the Launceston Patchworkers and Quilters Group. The challenge, for someone who is a control freak like me, with mystery quilts is receiving instructions once a month while not knowing what the final design or outcome will be. As most of the fabric I currently use in my quilts has been gifted to me I had the feeling early in the process that the quilt (as well as me) was being trapped in a brown corner. In the end though this became a feature of the quilt and another lesson that when creating a quilt there comes a time when the quilt itself dictates its own direction.
love, truth & honesty
Courthouse Steps quilt, machine pieced and quilted, hand finished. Crafted from collected and sourced cottons.
Quilt dimensions 178cm x 178cm. $3,750.00. Buy Now.
I’m a scrap quilter at heart. What this means is rather than buy fabric to make a quilt I use what I have on hand. And since of late I have been gifted so much fabric, I have a lot of fabric on hand. Fabric that is vintage, fabric that has a history, fabric that is no longer produced, fabric that has been handed down or from one to another. Dating from the era of the American Civil War, Courthouse Steps quilts are perfect for scrap fabric quilters. When making a Courthouse Steps or Log Cabin quilt I’m always aware of the many thousands of quilters who have come before me, and I strive to honour their skills, traditions and legacies.
cross CK7
Patchwork cross design quilt machine pieced and quilted, hand finished. Crafted from collected cottons.
Quilt dimensions 135cm x 181cm. $3,000.00. Buy Now.
My cousin quite often sends me photos of quilts for inspiration. This design immediately attracted me as I have a fascination for Christian iconography. And while this cross design is not by any means representative of Judeo-Christian symbolism it still appeals to me for that reason. Similar to many other quilt designs this design is deceptively simple but actually quite complex. I had to draft the design onto graph paper so that I could be confident that I was cutting out the correct fabric and assembling the correct pieces in the right order.
X marks the spot
An Invisible Practice Gentlemen’s Line quilt, machine pieced and quilted, hand finished. Crafted from collected cottons.
Quilt dimensions 134cm x 168cm. $2,500.00. Buy Now.
As I sorted through boxes of fabric that had been gifted to me, I set aside all of these fabrics – plaids, checks, stripes, polka dots etc – in a ‘too hard’ pile thinking I’d never be able to use them. Then my cousin sent me another photo inspiring me to make this quilt. Considering it is made from fabric I initially thought I’d never be able to use I’m surprised to admit it is now one of my favourites. I like the ‘gentlemanly’ aura of this quilt and think of it thrown over a chesterfield in a country cottage or over the knees of a gentleman as he contemplates life while enjoying a whisky and cigar in front of a roaring fire.
wrap me up Scotty
Friendship star wreath quilt, machine pieced and quilted, hand finished. Crafted from collected cottons and calico.
Quilt dimensions 178cm x 178cm. $3,600.00. Buy Now.
I’m very fond of the Friendship Star block. It somehow speaks to me of optimism, the longevity of relationships. When making a Friendship Star quilt I again feel very aware of those who have made these quilts before me: and their stories. It is stories that make a quilt, and it is a quilt that makes stories. Part of the fascination of quilting for me are the stories that are sewn into quilts. The stories of love, loss, grief, new life, marriage and illness. Stories of achievement, success and failure. The stories of our lives and those who have come before us and those that will come after us.
diamonds are forever
Machine and hand pieced diamond pattern quilt, machine quilted, hand finished. Crafted from collected and sourced cottons.
Quilt dimensions 178cm x 119cm. $2,500.00. Buy Now.
When it came to piecing this quilt (sewing the blocks together) I decided to do this by hand as I remember by sister saying to me ‘when you sew by hand you can put the needle where you want it’. And I wanted the points (where the diamonds join each other) to be as near to perfect as possible. Understanding of course that only god is perfect.
cabin in the woods
Log cabin quilt, machine pieced and quilted, hand finished. Crafted from collected cottons.
Quilt dimensions 142cm x 142cm. $3,000.00. Buy Now.
As a scrap quilter the Log Cabin is another favourite of mine. There is some debate about whether the Log Cabin is a variation of the Courthouse Steps or vice versa. Either way, they both came into prominence during the American Civil War and have been popular ever since. It never fails to amaze me how many incredible visual effects can be achieved by slight gradations of shades or colours and the arrangement of blocks in a Log Cabin quilt. It is for me the fact that scraps of fabric can become something of such visual beauty that appeals to me so much about quilting.
farmgate
Patchwork quilt, machine pieced and quilted, hand finished. Crafted from collected cottons.
Quilt dimensions 174cm x 136cm. $2,500.00. Buy Now.
The design for this quilt came from seeing two half completed blocks of another quilt I was making at the time (diamonds are forever) sitting side by side. A simple patchwork quilt photographed in a simple setting: on a farmgate.
forget-me-not
Postage stamp quilt hand pieced from 1,440 one and a half inch squares, machine quilted, hand finished. Crafted from collected cottons.
Quilt dimensions 116cm x 100cm. $2,750.00. Buy Now.
Hand sewing is my preference so a Postage Stamp quilt like this is perfect for me. I travel with a container of one and a half inch pre-cut squares so that if I find myself lonely or otherwise not productively engaged, I can always return to the hotel and do some sewing. I realised some time ago that if my hands are busy my head is still. This quilt is not overly large due to the size of the exquisite fabric found among a box of fabric gifted to me that I chose for the backing. But I am making another one that will be a great deal bigger.
Lucy in the sky
Diamond-in-a-square quilt (225 economy blocks), machine pieced and quilted, hand finished. Crafted from sourced cottons.
Quilt dimensions 120cm x 120cm. $2,000.00. Buy Now.
For a while I was assisting with my father’s care in his home. When he was resting, I would do some sewing. My sister showed me the diamond-in-a-square blocks that she was making and they really appealed to me so I thought I would try making some too.
Kerry made me do it
Hexagon quilt, hand pieced from 960 three and a half inch hexagons, machine quilted and hand finished. Crafted from collected cottons.
Quilt dimensions 250cm x 270cm. $6,500.00. Buy Now.
I consider my friend Kerry to be my quilting teacher. In the lead up to a project in Austria I said to her that if I had perhaps something from home to do with my hands, I would not get lonely – which can happen when you are on the other side of the world by yourself. So, she helped me cut up some squares, showing me how to sew them together and press them. Ultimately, I didn’t get much sewing done as the project participants wanted to show me as much of Austria as they could, but I continued with the patchwork when I returned home to Australia. Then Kerry said I had to start hexagons. I struggled for some time with my first attempt at paper piecing but eventually found my way and over the period of one winter made this quilt from 960 three and half inch hexagons.
depends how you look
Friendship star and diamond quilt, machine pieced and quilted, hand finished. Crafted from sourced cottons and calico.
Quilt dimensions 132cm x 132cm. $3,000.00. Buy Now.
I’ve titled this quilt depends how you look because how you look results in what you see, in the same way that some people listen but don’t hear.
up and down
UFO #1 (unfinished object in quilt speak). Machine pieced and quilted, hand finished. Crafted from found cottons.
Quilt dimensions 162cm x 102cm. $1,000.00. Buy Now.
I was at the local tip shop when I noticed some retro coloured fabric in the corner. When I got nearer I could see that it was a stack of pre-cut and pieced squares. As a quilter we seem to have a sense of responsibility to complete work that has been begun by another but for some reason unfinished. Ultimately, all that I could do with these blocks was to arrange them in as pleasing a layout as possible. But satisfying nonetheless to see the quilt completed.
Recent Sales, commissions and made-to-order:
Selection of previous examples:
