Gallery: Quilts and Colour: When Fabric Meets Street Art in Nambour
What we love most about our beautiful country - and especially our little corner of it - is the people who create. The artists who paint stories onto walls, the makers who work with their hands, the creatives who see colour and possibility where others see blank space. Australia’s regions are rich with imagination, and places like Nambour remind us that creativity doesn’t only live in big cities or galleries - it lives in laneways, shopfronts, studios, kitchens and community hearts.
Our region thrives because of its makers. From bold street artists transforming brick walls into living canvases, to quilters patiently stitching colour, memory and meaning into fabric, there’s a shared language of expression here. It’s about telling stories, celebrating individuality, and creating beauty that’s meant to be seen, touched and felt.
At Fabric Cartel, quilting is a way of joining that conversation. It felt only natural to take our quilts out into the streets of Nambour - to place textile art alongside public art - and honour the vibrant, creative spirit that makes this town, and this country, so special.
"There’s something magical that happens when textile art meets public art - it’s like two creative worlds collide in a kaleidoscope of colour, texture and community spirit," Fabric Cartel head honcho Virginia Price explained.
Nambour might be small in size, but its street art scene is enormous in heart and soul. Murals, paste-ups and bold public artworks can be found on laneways, building fronts and tucked along pedestrian walks throughout the CBD. It’s an ever-evolving gallery - a place where local and visiting artists leave their mark, and where each piece tells a story about culture, history and community vibrancy.
Walking through town, you’ll find diversity everywhere: large scale commissioned works, collaborative mural projects with local youth, and spontaneous creativity at every turn. This rich creative atmosphere is rooted in Nambour’s identity - one that balances urban expression with the lush subtropical backdrop of the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
For The Cartel crew, quilting has always been about colour, narrative and connection - just like these murals. Each quilt tells a story stitched with intention: bold stripes kissed by bright hues, geometric intersections that dance with contrast, and rich textures that hold memories and maker energy.
So, armed with a handful of quilts and a camera, they often wander through Nambour’s colourful streets. And what unfolds is a playful dialogue between fabric and paint - quilts against murals, stripes beside stories, form meeting form.
'To us these aren’t just photos - they’re conversations between makers and makers, between different art forms that share a love of colour, place and creativity," Virginia said.
Nambour’s art trail isn’t static - pieces come and go, new colours appear, and each corner seems eager to surprise. There’s no perfect map or rigid route; it’s a town made to be explored, coffee in hand, and eyes open wide.
"That’s what makes it the perfect backdrop for our quilts," Virginia explained. "Both street art and quilts are about human expression - bold, unfiltered, and deeply personal. Placing our quilts alongside these vibrant walls reminded us why we fell in love with quilting in the first place: the joy of creating something colourful, meaningful and shared."
Next time you’re in Nambour, jump on the Nambour Public Art Trail - it’s about 3km of vibrant creativity through laneways, walls and stories painted by hand. And if you spot a quilt propped against a mural or two, give the Cartel crew a wave. They'll be there, loving every stitch and every splash of paint and pop into the shop any time to check out their colourful quilts on display, some are available to purchase.