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Bridie McLean

@bridiemcleanart

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Textiles & Painting
Severe ME/CFS (mostly housebound)
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She’s finished! The quilt top anyhow.
The reasons I don’t make all my quilt tops into quilts are- it’s heavier work on my hands, we live in a very small crowded unit and quilt tops take up less space than quilts, I don’t intend to ‘show’ them (I don’t have the energy for the whole process), and I usually only make them into quilts when I’m gifting them.

I’m happy with this one. Every time I look, a different colour group comes forward and that’s exciting to me. Colour and pattern 🤩 = joy!

The corners were a bit fiddly but I’m happy with the postage stamp border/ornate frame feel they give the composition.

The fabrics are old cloth masks from lockdown era, used skirts, shirts, trousers, gifted and thrifted fabrics. Hand sewn (appliqué) and machine sewn.

Image description: a multi coloured quilt top with lighter circles and a red/pink border is held up outside. Blue sky, green bushes and concrete can be seen.
Pic 2 corner of quilt top
Pic 3 another corner
Pic 4 border pinned and ready to be sewn - process shot

#CripTime #CircleQuilt #MaskQuilt #RecycledFabrics #SewingWithME #MECFS #ChronicIllnessArt #BrightQuilts #Reuse #HandsewnQuilt #MachineSewnQuilt #Patchwork #ColourfulPatchwork #ColourAndPattern #Applique by @bridiemcleanart

#QuiltWithLegs
I’m really happy how this turned out! Took awhile. I made the fan shapes (Dresden plates, windmills) last year and then shelved them, not knowing what to do next.
After a few ideas, I’m happy I decided on the split fans on different colour backgrounds.
I cut the curved shapes out of the back of the fan background and decided I must use this fabric in a border. It helps me to have parameters sometimes.
The brightness of this quilt top brings me a lot of joy.
Machine (in tiny increments) and hand sewn.

Image Description Brightly coloured fan quilt is held up in front of blue sky by a person wearing pink crocs and blue socks so it looks like the quilt has legs standing on grey concrete.

#BrightQuilts #ChronicIllnessArt #CripTime #HandSewn #FanQuilt #DresdenPlate #WindmillQuilt #QuiltJoy #PatchWork #PatchworkQuilt #RainbowQuilt by @bridiemcleanart

Finally finished this quilt top. No plan, & random scraps- old bedsheets, pieces of skirts, donated fabrics, off cuts from clothes sewing projects.

This took a long time due to fatigue and pain. This month is Chronic Illness awareness month and disability pride month. I don’t talk about it too much but my illness impacts what I’m able to achieve and in what time frame. It can be slow going with painful hands and arms (not to mention all over body pain and headaches). Brain fog makes decision making difficult. Chronic fatigue dictates how long I can sit at the sewing machine or if I can iron my pieces. It can be frustrating. But here it is. I know if I stick with it over time, bit by bit it comes together. Oh happy days!

Image description Melbourne winter day, grey sky greenery in the back ground. A wild colourful quilt is pegged on a rope. It is made of multicoloured variations of a log cabin pattern in a cross shape with corner blocks made of teal and blue. The border is multicoloured stripes. Every one of the 9 blocks is different making it riotous, and probably not everyone’s cup of tea.

#logcabinquilt #quiltersgonnaquilt #finallyfinished #disabiltypride #chronicpainwarrior #chronicfatigue #chronic #colour #colouraddict #textileart #reuse #makersgonnamake by @bridiemcleanart

Yellow dress
I worked on this dress over a few weeks.
The bodice is from a dress I thrifted years ago and only wore a couple of times.
I had already cut the dress to use in my yellow vest!
I cut the sleeves off for a pinafore style.
Some of the patchwork fabrics are from my stash and the rest were gifted to me by Cat @boppercraft when she cleaned out her own stash. Some thin fabric I backed with old white school shirt material.
She’s a bright one!

Chronic illness crafting, M.E. sucks, bright colours, multicoloured, myalgic encephalomyelitis, quilt art, sewover50

Image description: Yellow dress with bright pink and blue patchwork is pinned to an outdoor clothes line. There is blue sky and greenery in the background

Pic 2 process photo showing bodice cut and sleeves cut off of same yellow dress

Pic 3 designing the skirt layout, yellow fabric pieces laying on a bed by @bridiemcleanart

Log cabin variation
Started about mid April. I had scraps out to make a mini quilt for a friend with very severe M.E., and then I kept joining scraps together and made more blocks.
The stripes were destined to be their own quilt but I decided they would make a good border instead.
Fabrics are all repurposed or gifted from a friend’s stash (Thank you Cat).
Including sheets, shirts, trousers, pockets, outdoor fabrics, skirts.

Image description pic 1 multicoloured log cabin quilt of 16 blocks with multicoloured striped border is being held up in the winter sun. A small amount of blue sky can be seen above.

Pic 2 multicoloured hand stitched mini quilt in a log cabin design

Bright colours, recycled fabrics, Crip time, chronic illness craft, textile art. by @bridiemcleanart

Reposted with reshare• @middleeasteye “The Israeli security forces have deliberately targeted and killed Palestinian children and destroyed their childhood.”⁠
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A UN commission of inquiry report released on Tuesday has concluded that Israel deliberately targeted Palestinian children, committing genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, as well as additional war crimes in the occupied West Bank.⁠
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The report released by the commission documents the killing of at least 20,179 children and wounding of 44,143 others in Gaza between 7 October 2023 and 7 October 2025.⁠
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Citing the Genocide Convention, the report concluded that the deliberate targeting of children is among the elements establishing Israel’s genocidal intent to destroy the Palestinian group, in whole or in part, in Gaza. by @bridiemcleanart

Flat cap tribute to David Hockney ⛅️

Image description pic 1 White woman over 50 with grey brown hair wears a patchwork flat cap, lilac cardigan, purple shirt with blue buttons, lilac and blue plaid skirt , grey thermal leggings, lilac socks and purple boots. She is sitting on an outdoor sunlounger with a blanket, pillow and extra coat beside her. There is greenery behind her and concrete in front. She looks down coyly.
Pic 2 same woman and outfit lying down, we can just see her torso, legs and feet. There is a Feijoa tree in front of her and garden pots, a grey fence in the background. by @bridiemcleanart

David Hockney postcard

RIP David. You have had a profound effect on me and my art practice. I thank you.

Image description: a post card with teal background yellow and white squiggles and the words ‘I am going back to bed love DH’ by @bridiemcleanart

Patchwork vest
This took months sewing on Crip time. So happy with how it turned out. Warm!

Stash, gifted and thrifted fabrics used. I sewed them on to a thrifted boiled woollen vest that I cut short and altered the armholes, reshaped the neckline. The offcuts were sewn into a dog coat for my mum’s chihuahua Stevie!

Image description: pic 1 Over 50 white woman with greying hair sits on a blanket on an outdoor lounger. She is wearing a yellow and pink patchwork vest over a pale pink shirt, a pink and tan skirt with tan sandals and pink and yellow striped socks. Behind her is greenery on a fence, concrete in the foreground.
Pic 2 shows same scene with woman swiping hair out of face and smiling
Pic 3 shows same woman and the back of the vest by @bridiemcleanart

ME Awareness day (Myalgic encephalomyelitis) also Florence Nightingale’s birthday. She suffered from ME/CFS in the last decades of her life.

Me-made May These are old makes of course.
Red spotty dress is based on a
Yoshiko Tsukiori pattern from Sweet dress book
The trousers are The act of sewing pattern by Sonia Phillips.
(I took this photo at the end of April)

Please give to ME charities this month! It will help with research into treatments and a cure.
Currently there are none!
@openmedf
@meactnet
@mecfs_research
@actionform.e
@emergeaustraliainc

Image description : pic1 white middle aged woman lying outside wearing a red dress with white spots and tan trousers with white spots, pink floral socks, tan sandals. Her torso and legs are visible. There is greenery and sunshine in the background

Pic 2 black cat sunning herself on concrete by @bridiemcleanart

Bit windy today so I won’t be out for long!

#MeMadeMay2026
These were the first trousers I ever made! The fabric was gifted from my grandmother-in-law who bought it at a church hall sale in Edinburgh Scotland. I think it’s a 90’s print? Pattern Sonia Phillips.

The shirt is a very good quality Italian cotton that was thrifted and my kids wore as school uniform! After that I claimed it and with help from my friend Cat, ice-dyed it. I call it my Monet shirt as it reminds me of his garden paintings.

#MEAwarenessMonth Did I tell you M.E. (Myalgic encephalomyelitis) sucks? It has one of the lowest quality of life of all diseases.

.Currently there are no treatments and no cure.

The doctors and us patients are just winging it to see what helps (and what doesn’t). That’s because there has been so little funding put into researching M.E. over the years.

🤞I’m hoping that is changing now and we will see progress in the future. Donate to M.E. Charities if you can!

#OpenMedicineFoundation #MeAction #EmergeAustralia

Image description
Pic 1 legs and torso of a white woman over 50 can be seen lying on a folding lounger. She’s wearing tan sandals, green socks, multi coloured print trousers, light emerald green shirt, lilac cardigan and scarf. A Feijoa tree is in front of her, pot plants, grey fence and glimpse of blue sky. The words ME awareness month meets MeMade may are printed on the image.

Pic 2 her view of blue sky with white fluffy clouds by @bridiemcleanart

Self drafted tunic made from gifted, thrifted fabric. I wasn’t keen on this self stripe linen (looked like a table cloth), but it sewed up beautifully. Buttons are just for decoration.

Pants are half self drafted with no side seam (crotch and rise based on Sonia Phillips The act of sewing trousers in xs ) and made from a thrifted beach wrap. The wrap was too short so I used a tea towel for the yoke section! Great trousers don’t need to be perfect.

I made these clothes when I had mild to moderate ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) a few years ago.
Now I’m severe (mostly housebound) and need daily care.
I am privileged amongst pwME to be able to access our outdoor space wearing earplugs and sunglasses .
There are so many people around the world with ME who can’t leave their bed and spend their days in darkness not able to tolerate light.

#MeMadeMay2026 #MEAwarenessMonth2026
#MillionsMissing

Image description pic 1 legs and torso of White woman over 50 wearing gingham trousers and leaf green tunic, green and black compression socks, black sandals. She is lying on a sun lounger. There is a Feijoa tree in front of her, pot plants and a fence.

Pic 2 selfie of same woman showing her face with a subdued smile, she is wearing brown sunglasses with her head lying on a grey pillow by @bridiemcleanart