More than 100 captivating and poignant 25 centimetre quilts capturing each artist's interpretation of Australia's involvement in the First World War, were showcased this past week together as a mosaic at a special exhibition at the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne.

Among the entrants whose quilt was included in the inspiring exhibition, is Stawell's Helen Searle, with her quilt, Our Very Existence, which was inspired by a very personal family story.

"My grandparents met and fell in love during the war, so while for most people the war was a terrible time, for my family it was the start of an incredible love story," she said.

"Ironically, without the war, our family would not exist. They met, after my grandfather, Horace was invited to visit a fellow soldier's family in Edinburgh while on temporary leave.

"There he met and fell madly in love with my future grandmother, Agnes Beattie."

Helen sought to illustrate their special war time love story on her quilt. She also wanted to honour her grandmother, as a testament to the war brides, who were brave in their own right, often crossing the world to be with their husbands only to meet with an empty dock when they reached Australia.

It took Helen three weeks to create the quilt, mainly utilising needlework applique technique and photo transfers onto fabric.

While Helen has been quilting since 1985, this is only her second exhibition quilt.

"I am strictly a hobby quilter," she said.

"I love the hunt for the perfect fabric, the design process, the satisfaction of a quilt looking like I imagined it would and of course, forging friendships with like-minded quilters."

With the choice of material and technique left up to each artist, the creative prowess of the quilters sparked a range of incredible interpretations from fallen soldiers and tributes to family members who served at Gallipoli, to quilts honouring bravery and selflessness, as well as iconic imagery such as the cross and poppies.

Event organiser, Judy Newman said visitors will be in awe of the way artists have chosen to depict the powerful subject.

"As we unpacked the quilts and read the statements about the work, we were reaching for the tissues," she said.

"So many people have created tributes to family members they never knew, to women who received the 'terrible letter' on more than one occasion, to family members who they farewelled and never saw again.

"There are the iconic images of the Great War - poppies and fields of crosses. There are actual fabrics and relics too - medal ribbons and pieces of uniforms.

"These are small works but filled with stories stitched with much emotion."