Saturday May 2 2015 QSG of NSW talk by Trudy Brodie on Strip Pieced Quilts.

On the 2^nd of May, Trudy Brodie will give a presentation about the versatility of Strip Piecing. She has incorporated this piecing method into many of her quilts.  Other forms of piecing such as Lattice and Log Cabin will also be featured to show the style of Trudy’s quilts.

Bring along examples of your own strip pieced quilts, such as log cabins, jelly roll quilts, string pieced quilts etc., to share.
 
The talk will start at 2pm and will be held in the Meeting Room at The Glover Cottages, 124 Kent Street, Millers Point in Sydney. Entry is $5 for members of the Quilters' Guild of NSW, $10 for other guests. Afternoon tea is provided.

Report on 7 March 2015 QSG of NSW talk by Judy Day

Judy Day was The Quilt Study Group of NSW’s first guest speaker of the year on Saturday 7^th March 2015. 

Judy’s mother was a dressmaker and a sewing perfectionist, whose skills Judy believes she inherited. Judy loves handwork and has been a quilter for over 25 years. Her miniature quilts range in style from antique reproductions to Hawaiian, 1930’s, 19th Century red and green quilts and copies of early cot quilts. Judy shared more than 30 of her beautiful miniature quilts with us and described in detail what inspired their creation and exactly how they were made.

Judy has won many prizes for her quilts at quilt shows in Australia, as well as a number of prizes at The American Quilter’s Society quilt shows in USA. Two of her miniature quilts are exhibited in the “Oh WOW! Miniature Quilts Gallery “ in The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky USA.

Judy believes that patience, attention to detail and precision is important in making miniature quilts. She loves antique quilts but said she couldn’t hope to reproduce as many as she would like to in a lifetime, so by making them in miniature she can produce more. 

Judy’s advice for those wanting to make miniature quilts included sharing details about the threads, needles, fabrics and assembly techniques she uses.   

Most of her quilt patterns are taken from pictures of old quilts found in books. First Judy enlarges the picture using a photocopier (usually 300%) and then she drafts the pattern by using tracing paper. To select the most appropriate fabric Judy studies those used in the original picture using a magnifier. Nowadays she tends to appliqué her quilts as a whole cloth on muslin – even a beautiful clamshell quilt she showed us was made by this method. 

Please join us for the next QSG of NSW talk on the 2nd May 2015. Trudy Brodie will talk about all types of Strip Pieced Quilts.

War Quilts Exhibition at Manly 3 July to 22 November 2015

WAR QUILTS EXHIBITION

Curated by Dr Annette Gero 

Venue details: Manly Art Gallery & Museum, West Esplanade, Manly NSW 2095

Exhibition launch: Friday 3 July 2015, 6 - 8pm

Exhibition dates: 3 July - 22 November 2015

Open: 10am - 5pm Tuesday- Sunday

Entry: Free

This year marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. Gallipoli (2015) is a particularly significant event in the Australian WW1 memory. 

To mark this event, Manly Art Gallery and Museum has taken the initiative by putting on an exhibition of War Quilts from all wars.

Waves of migration have resulted in many people from all over the world bringing their own quilts from their home countries when they have settled in Australia.  These visual masterpieces date from 1770 through to the end of World War 2, and include many Crimean War Quilts including one made from 15,000 pieces. The quilts have been made from a variety of textiles, ranging from soldiers uniforms through to “mum’s make do” quilts made here in Australia after the war from blackout fabric.

Dr Annette Gero will give a talk about the history and story behind each of the quilts in the exhibition at the Gallery on Sunday 12^th July 2015 from 2 to 3pm.

The War Quilts Exhibition will also be published as a book, about the same size as “The Fabric of Society”

E mail annettegero@bigpond.com to reserve your copy at 30% discount 

Report on 8 November 2014 QSG of NSW talk by Brenda Gail Smith

The final Quilt Study Group of NSW talk for 2014 took place on the 8^th of November when Brenda Gael Smith gave a very interesting and informative talk about “Technology & Your Creative Practice”. 

Brenda covered all manner of things technical that can help you organize yourself and your quilting. 
She stressed that she was only going to cover easily accessible and everyday devices, tools, tutorials and applications, and she spoke to the many shared resources that are available on the internet. 

Brenda explained how she uses her digital camera in planning and recording her works; how she uses photo editing software for preparing images when entering quilt shows; and then covered the use of other software for exhibition planning. Finally she spoke about the commonly available Smartphone and iPad apps she uses and explained how you can set up your online presence via blogs or websites. The last area she covered was one many quilters and artists appreciate greatly – those bugbears of time management and keeping fit!

If you missed the talk and would like more information or would like to hear Brenda speak, check on her blog to see when she will be repeating it - http://serendipitypatchwork.com.au/index.html

Saturday 7 March 2015 QSG of NSW talk by Judy Day on Miniature Quilts

Judy Day is an internationally acclaimed quilt maker who has made many reproduction and miniature quilts such 'Moxley', 'Autumn Leaves', 'Dancing Dollies', 'Auntie Green's Coverlet' and 'Shellbourne Wreath'.

Her quilts have won many prizes and her miniature quilt 'Dancing at Netherfield' is one of two of her quilts that are in the collection of the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky, USA (see http://www.quiltindex.org/basicdisplay.php?kid=1C-3B-DC)

Judy will cover the history of miniature quilts, what constitutes a miniature quilt, tips on how she chooses patterns, fabric, piecing and/or quilting designs, and how she cuts and constructs them.

Come along to hear Judy speak about Miniature Quilts and see her wonderful collection at the Quilt Study Group of NSW talk. The talk will start at 2pm on Saturday 7th March 2015. The venue, The Meeting Room at The Glover Cottages, is at 124 Kent Street Sydney and is an easy 10 minute walk from Wynyard and Circular Quay train stations. Entry is $5 for Quilters' Guild members and $10 for others. Afternoon tea is included.

Report on 20th September 2014 QSG of NSW talk by Ros Moules on The Community Quilts Program

Ros Moules gave a wonderful talk about the history of the Community Quilts program of The Quilters’ Guild of NSW and showed a large selection of the quilts and quilt tops that the group is currently working on. She joined the Community Quilts program of The Quilters’ Guild of NSW in 1991 and took over as coordinator of the program when Ruth Carter died in 1999.  At that stage Ros estimated that the group had made and given away around 305 quilts.

Ros Moules with one of the group's completed quilts

The first Community Quilts coordinator was Nonie Fisher and we saw some wonderful photographs from that first quilting bee they held at Rivendell in Concord in 1983.  On that day the group completed seven quilts. By their second quilting bee they had finished 18 quilts and had 20 under way.

The Template Newsletter with a report in 1984 on the Community Quilts program

Ros took us through the progression of the group and there was much amusement when she described the components that they had to use in those days - sheeting as backing, thick poly batting, and what we would now call ‘unappealing’ fabric for making the lap sized only quilts. Now the group make 48x72 inch single bed size quilts, use a preprinted Guild label, and have a number of common and easy patterns they often use to design the quilt tops.  

Ros with Heather Davie showing a common quilt pattern

Another quilt using a pre-printed panel

Some long-arm quilters have also donated their time and energy. Since 2011 Bernina has made a yearly donation of $1,000 to the program, which is used to buy better quality fabric for tops and backings.  Last year Bernina also donated a new sewing machine to the Community Quilts program.

In terms of recipients of the quilts, Ros remarked that even though everyone wants a quilt, not everyone needs a quilt. The work is very rewarding and the recipient's reactions are memorable. They are very careful to find worthy recipients and try to match the style and fabrics to each person. By the time June Fleming died, 100 quilts had been made for Stuart House - all marine themed. Then they made children’s quilts specifically for foster children. Now their quilts fall into 3 categories - single bed quilts, utility quilts, and raffle quilts.

Community Quilts give quilts to the Royal Far West Children's home in Manly, make a raffle quilt annually for Stewart House at Harbord, make quilts for the Baptist Church’s inner city refuge and for the Stretch-A-Family DOCS program for homeless young people, and also for various nursing homes. They have also made specialty quilts. These included tactile quilts for blind children, weighted quilts for children with Asperger’s, and a reversible mortuary quilt for a hospital.

They do get some UFO quilt tops but if it will take too much effort to fix or if there is no matching fabric, they are reused by contacts who make drainage bags and head scarves for breast cancer patients. Very little given to the group is not used. Many people have made quilt tops at home using donated fabric, so on their sewing days the Community Quilts group just pins and quilts in the hall. They finish their sewing day with show and tell of their own and the Group’s work, and at Guild Meetings now they display their latest efforts so everyone can appreciate them. This wonderful group is a credit to the Quilters’ Guild of NSW.

Detour via the Silk Road… upcoming exhibition by Judy Hooworth…

Timeless Textiles Gallery

90 Hunter St Newcastle East

20^th November – 12^th December 2014

Opening November 20^th 6-8pm

www.timelesstextiles.com.au

“My new work is influenced by travels in China and Central Asia in 2012 and 2013.

Inspired by embroidery and tile patterns from the region, I have connected with artisans from the past, recreating and reinterpreting their designs with silk screened mono prints and intensive stitching in my quilts and textile pieces.”