Ruah [ Rûaħ or ruach ]

noun

from the Hebrew, meaning 'breath, spirit and wind'

Every quilt is the opportunity for a story to be told. The stories of people, memories and places. Perhaps you have held onto some tiny precious baby clothes or a handkerchief which your mother embroidered; maybe it is your grandfather’s shirt or your school uniform from many decades ago. It is these deeply sentimental items: clothing, textiles and linens, which form the basis for Ruah Cloth’s bespoke quilts. Each quilt is an opportunity for these stories to co-exist alongside our daily lives.

Brooke’s background is in fine art, specifically photography and light-based installation. When her daughter was born, she began sewing. Sewing led to a scrap pile, which then became a scrap quilt. Once she had completed the first quilt, there were already ideas for another, then another. Natural plant dyeing became the next thread within Brooke’s practice. Extracting colour from her local landscape as well as incorporating traditional dye plants became a way of honouring the natural world, deepening the palette of the quilts while utilising sustainable practices.

When Brooke first began accepting quilt commissions, the importance of incorporating client’s sentimental textiles and old clothes became immediately clear. When a quilt is imbued with these memories and stories, it takes on a whole new meaning. While providing the warmth, beauty and comfort that all quilts do, it also invites these memories to live beside us, and not in the back of a cupboard.

Brooke lives in the Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia with her husband and two young children. She is also a yoga and meditation teacher, a passionate permaculture gardener and inspired homemaker. Her life is guided by the rhythm of the seasons, slow living and reverence of the earth.