Did you know . . . 

Onion Dreaming

Dreamtime: Doris Inkamala is a well-known Aboriginal Artist from Alice Spring, N.T., whose artwork is well regarded. She rearranges small bush onion and floral stems very professionally. Wild bush onions are drawn star-shaped and measure half an inch across. Wild onions are slightly more pungent than the leaves. The tall stalks grow together in small clumps and sometimes reach up to two feet in height. It is a favoured food for brolgas. Doris’s artwork is very professional, and customers love her designs. Her works are bold, colorful and detailed.

Buy Now!

 M&S Textiles Australia is the largest manufacturer of Australian Aboriginal designs printed on quilting quality 100% cotton fabric. Aboriginal artworks are popular throughout the world and are the only living ancient artwork. Their tradition goes back thousands of years.  It is amazing that many of the artists do not have any formal education or training.

180+ Australian Aboriginal Fabrics from

M&S Textiles

We have the largest selection of M&S Aboriginal fabrics around.  Over 180 different patterns and colorways to choose from.  Check them out by clicking here.  You’ll find something you like.  We guarantee it.

  See our huge collection of Aboriginal fabrics.

Tragic Wildfires in Australia

Satellite photo of a portion of Eastern Australia

The devastation of the bushfires in Australia has been in the news quite a bit lately.  Our thoughts are with those who have lost everything and those who are fighting this disaster. To the communities that have been decimated, the ongoing effect will be mind-boggling.

If you would like to donate or contribute to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal we received information from Jen Kingwell on these two initiatives:  https://www.vic.gov.au/bushfireappeal   (a government appeal) or https://www.redcross.org.au/campaigns/disaster-relief-and-recovery-donate

Did you know . . .

Alura Seed Dreaming

By Karen Bird

Karen Bird is a skillful artist from the Utopia region.  Her artwork is neat and incorporates many colors.  The three colorways of this design have a riot of different colors that will add vibrancy to any quilt or patchwork project. Each one of the circles, large and small, contains other colors which make this fabric come alive.

In this artwork, Karen depicted the change of seeds from one season to another.  The growth of the seed changes from winter to summer and back again.  The seed glow change is shown clearly, and the change of season is shown along with it.

This is one of M&S Textiles Australia's latest designs and we love it!

HeartSong Quilts

Did you know . . .

Meeting Places

By Josie Cavanagh

Meeting places are very important in Aboriginal culture.  Elders and others meet together to discuss the well-being of the community.  All these gatherings address one things which might affect the traditional skills, ancient stories and day to day life of the Aboriginal people.  The heads of one or several communities will add their cultural experiences to the meeting by sharing their mesmerizing stories of ancient ancestors which are represented in their drawings.  These gatherings provide an opportunity to come together to celebrate and consolidate their traditional cultural practices and identity.

Josie Cavanagh is an experienced aboriginal artist.  She has depicted the meeting colorfully, and we have this fabric in 3 colorways (with Ecru--pictured-- being our most popular).  Various circles in the artwork represent the waterholes and the people sitting around the circle to discuss community matters.

Here’s some information on a specific “meeting place” site from the website www.theculturetrip.com

Wilpena Pound

Called ‘meeting place’ in the regional Adnyamathanha language, Yura Muda folklore believes that Wilpena Pound was created by two Dreaming serpents who ate so many people during a celebration that they became unable to move, their stricken bodies forming this vast mountain range. This natural amphitheatre is the highlight of South Australia’s Flinders Ranges, about five hours’ drive north of Adelaide.

Photo:  Wilpena Pound © Faj2323 / Wikimedia Commons

​Buy Now

Did you know . . .

Possum Dreaming by Heather Kennedy

Aboriginal people were using Possum skin cloaks long before the arrival of Europeans in Australia. Possum skin cloaks are established cultural icons for the aboriginal people. Cloaks were used in day-to-day life to keep warm, sleep under, and to carry babies. A possum skin cloak may be compared with present-day patchwork quilts of earlier times, when many possum skins were stitched together to make a wrap.

Possum dreaming was designed by Heather Kennedy, and Heather depicts her dreaming with the skillful use of aboriginal symbolism. She dreams of how the possum travels on the land and water. Heather is from Victoria and is a well-known artist and designer.

Possums are part of the Aboriginal Dreaming. Possums have been used as a source of food and possum skins have been used to make clothing and for a game called Marn Grook. In Marn Grook, a rolled-up possum skin is kicked and caught, in a similar style to Australian Rules Football.

Ringtail possums are one of Australia's most commonly encountered marsupials. Although they are a part of Aboriginal culture, they have now, unfortunately, disappeared from the desert regions of Central Australia.

These nocturnal animals are arboreal (tree-dwelling) and are very active at night when they forage for food, groom, socialize and jump between branches. They have a long, prehensile tail which is used like a fifth limb to carry nesting materials and to grip branches when climbing.

Leaves, especially eucalypts, flowers, nectar and fruit form its primary diet. During the day, the ringtail possum produces faecal pellets, which it then eats. These contain important microorganisms that help the possum digest its food. Yum!

Buy Now!

 M&S Textiles Australia is the largest manufacturer of Australian Aboriginal designs printed on quilting quality 100% cotton fabric. Aboriginal artworks are popular throughout the world and are the only living ancient artwork. Their tradition goes back thousands of years.  It is amazing that many of the artists do not have any formal education or training.

See our huge collection of Aboriginal fabrics.