Mrs Echidna's Dilemma

Mrs Echidna's Dilemma is a children‘s story with broad appeal. Educators are drawn to the animal science within an integrated literacy unit, while quilters and embroiderers are fascinated by the hand-stitched illustrations.

The story, written and illustrated by Betty Johnston, was first embroidered on companion quilts. The tactile nature of the original art work is maintained in the book by embossing on the pages – the children can feel the contours of the animals and environments encountered. The children‘s involvement in the story is further encouraged by the inclusion of a DVD, and also patterns for you to make finger-puppets of Australian animals. Children love them!

The questions that inevitably arise as you read the story, such as: ‘How does a kookaburra find its food? What do you call a baby echidna? Where does a platypus live? Why is the blue-tongue on the rock?’ are all answered on the opposing pages, which give additional information to extend knowledge and understanding of these unique creatures.

Although the tale was initially written for young children, the illustrations are a great source of inspiration for their parents and grandparents! The story quilt was hand-stitched in ‘stump work’, or three-dimensional embroidery, using a wide variety of textures, threads and stitches – each panel features a different technique.

The companion quilt was hand-worked in a modern adaptation of ‘black-work’... it‘s a bit like sketching, but with a needle and thread!