Saturday, March 16, 2024

Streamlining our events listing pages

We’re only half way into March and already there are many events scheduled for 2024 that will interest quilters, and our ‘events’ page has become a little unwieldy to scroll through - a delightful problem to have as we choose what to see, visit or participate in!

So we’ve divided our listings into three separate pages, all linked from the tags just under the blog banner at the top of the screen:




We will continue to post a monthly reminder of events that start in the following month in addition to the pages for the year. Happy scrolling, and enjoy everything you get to!

Friday, March 15, 2024

In progress … 2


Julie likes sewing these scrappy blocks to use up quite
small strips, and they are quick to make.


Quilt tops pin basted at our last community sewing day:

A panel that Lynette found in her own stash, with two
borders added. The print looks very like individual blocks.


Sharron recommends this simple block layout,
used here for a baby quilt.



Jill took part in the 2023 #30daysofimprovqal last August,
and used half of her blocks in this quilt top.


Improv piecing can have many pieces cut on the
bias, so lots of pins work well for basting.


Monday, March 11, 2024

In progress … 1

Julie is working on her Canada quilt, using fabrics brought
home by her daughters from a recent trip to Canada, and some
complimentary ones sourced locally. She has  been diligently
doing the maths required to fit her pieced border around
the central panel of maple leaves.



Nerida has spent many ‘Tuesday Afternoons’ hand
piecing and appliquéing her latest Treehouse Textiles designed
block-of-the-month,and has set it aside until the early autumn
heat cools down, when she will enjoy hand quilting it.








 

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Richness and Beauty Exhibition - Blue Mountains

Richness and Beauty
National Trust (NSW)
Everglades House and Gardens, Leura

Exhibition open for viewing Thursday – Sunday, 11am – 3pm 
Saturday 2 March 2024 – Sunday 24 March 2024

View works by three professional female artists local to the Blue Mountains:
Dianne Conomos: Traditional Japanese Embroiderer, lecturer and tutor
Judith Gipps: Professional lace maker and tutor
Ann Langley: Traditional quilt maker, designer and tutor
Full details and booking information:

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Quilt Show 2024 - craft stall preview

There’s a lot of activity making items to sell at the members’ craft stall at our 40th Anniversary Quilt Show, 18 - 19 May 2024. Here is a small preview of recent work by Susan Mack … more to come as we get closer to the Show.


A very generous collection.

Tags to easily identify luggage …

… with a clear pocket for a label.



A clever pouch that can stand on its end.

Curved zipper, opens like a collar …

Revealing the contents without falling over.


Collapsible thread catchers.


Appliqued and quilted tote bag.



 

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

QuiltCon 2024

QuiltCon 2024 is the large modern quilt exhibition and convention hosted by The Modern Quilt Guild in Raleigh, North Carolina from 22 - 25 February. Photos of the award winning quilts can be found on Instagram, Facebook and on the MQG website: https://quiltcon.com/quiltcon-2024-winners

The Best of Show was awarded to Ginny Robinson for ‘What We Will Use as Weapons: A List of School Supplies’, a powerful commentary on school shootings in the US.

Most of the entries and award winners came from the United States, but others came from a number of other countries, including Australia. Tara Glastonbury from Melbourne won a second place award in the Super Scrappy Challenge with her quilt ‘Multifarious Me’. The category rules required a minimum of 30 different fabrics to be included in the quilt. You can find Tara on Instagram @stitchandyarn, and on Facebook at Stitch and Yarn, where she has also shared photos and information about other Australian exhibitors.

Lorena Uriarte from Sydney was invited to make the QuiltCon 2024  raffle quilt, ‘Caminito’ (Spanish for ‘little laneway’). The quilt was pieced by Lorena, machine quilted by Cat Jones from Tasmania, with additional hand quilting by Lorena. You can see more detail and photos in Lorena’s Instagram post @lorena_in_sydney.

The Peoples’ Choice award, announced at the end of the show on Sunday was won by Irina Timofeeva from the Russian Federation for her very clever quilt ‘White Babbles’, which can be seen on Instagram, Facebook and the QuiltCon website and Instagram.

Congratulations to the award winners, all the entrants and to The Modern Quilt Guild.

QuiltCon 2025
Convention Centre
Phoenix Arizona
20 - 23 February 2025
Tara Faughnan will be the featured speaker and exhibitor

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Our recent finishes

Susan Mac adapted the floral designs in her vibrant
quilt from Natalie Pearson’s 1994 book ‘Floral Applique:
Original Designs and Techniques for Medallion Quilts’, and
 placed them using needle turn appliqué. The multi-patterned
black and white backgrounds and asymmetrical
grid of floral squares are Susan’s design.
We enjoyed watching Susan hand stitching the floral
 appliqué during our meetings, but the finished quilt
was a delightful surprise!



The tropical palette is carried through to the pieced back.
 It is hand quilted.

Elaine G says she doesn’t like hand quilting (and she’s a whiz
at machine quilting) but she’s done a beautiful job on this quilt
for a dear friend. The palette was chosen from her friend’s
favourite colours, including the soft rose on both
the front and back. Lucky friend!

The backing fabric is lovely, and highlights the hand-quilting.


Miriam is working on a range of embroidery exercises
for students in her classes. This one is a tiny woven panel
of embroidery threads on linen, perhaps destined
to be a pendant - we shall see!

The improv patchwork for Daphne’s zippered pouch
was made by fusing raw edge pieces to a base cloth and
then further securing them as tulle overlay and quilting.
A fun way to use some tiny scraps.


A clever project bag, also made by Daphne with a zip
closing and a clear front panel to leg you see that
everything is where it ought to be!



 

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

March 2024 events

Fibre Arts Australia


110—115 William Street, Darlinghurst 2120

‘International Art Textile Biennale 2023 celebrates the vibrant and evolving world of contemporary art textiles. In its second edition, this Biennale showcases a diverse array of works that push the boundaries of textile art.

A testament to the profound shift underway in the perception of textile art, lies a powerful and accessible medium for exploring identity, society, and politics in the 21st century. The 35 finalists from 11 countries dismantle preconceived notions on what it means to be a textile artist and how this medium can express profound commentary.’








 National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

A Century of Quilts

16 March  - 25 August 2024

Presenting a rare opportunity to see a historically and artistically 
significant group of works, A Century of Quilts showcases an 
often-overlooked art form made almost exclusively by women. 
Included in the exhibition is the National Gallery’s most requested 
work of art: The Rajah quilt 1841.






Pictured: TEXStyle 2023 exhibits. (Grey Photography: Phong Lam and 
Annie Nguyen - Principal Photographer.) 
TEXStyle 2024

Presented by the Technology Educators Association of NSW
Gallery 76
76 Queen Street, Concord West 2038

3 March - 27 April 2024

The TEXStyle exhibition is an annual showcase of excellence in HSC Textiles and Design, enjoyed by both the education sector and wider community. A range of school excursions is offered to high schools

Free entry to general public during regular gallery hours (weekdays 9-4 and weekends 10-2).








Friday, February 16, 2024

Even more new community quilts

‘Boxes and Crosses’ is an Emma Jean Jansen design
from her book ‘By the Bundle’. Lynette made this
version for our community collection.


It is a simple 9 patch design, with colour and tone placement
 producing the more complex looking pattern. Very clever!


Jenn has generously donated her version of ‘Starry Picnic’
designed by Megan Collins, to our community collection.
 A beautiful palette, married with interesting shapes.
Quilted by Janet.

She made it up in modern prints from a number of her favourite 
designers, including Sarah Watts, Cotton and Steele, 
and Lizzie House.


Lynette had lots of strips in soft warm browns, and 
enough cream for a background. It looks like coffee, 
chocolate, and caramel, or spices.

‘Positive and Negative’, again made from strips, by Lynette.

A simple block cut in two different directions
makes up Daphne’s modern scrap quilt