Creating with Textiles using Modern Technology with Irene Manion

Bring Show and Tell of any textiles in your collection that use modern technology.
Free to all Quilters' Guild of NSW Inc. members. Afternoon Tea provided.
Note: You do not need to pay an entry fee to the Powerhouse Musuem if you say you are going to the Quilt Study Group meeting.

Irene Manion is an exceptional textile artist who enjoys using modern technology in her work. In the 70s her work consisted of wall hangings depicting the landscape of the Blue Mountains using batik and developed complex multilayered dying and waxing techniques. In the last decade she has moved into working with modern technology. She creates dye sublimation prints of images developed from her own digital photos and drawings which are modified in programmes such as Photoshop and Illustrator. They are then commercially printed onto fabric. The next stage involves either computerised machine embroidery or free machine embroidery onto the digitally printed surface. Some quilting or 3-D development of the image is then used to give texture and depth to the final piece.

1930s Quilts Event Report

On the 27th February 2010 at the Powerhouse Museum, Jennie Burton gave the Quilt Study Group of NSW members and friends a 30 minute talk about 1930s quilts. She brought along some 1930s quilts, quilt tops and feed sacks from her collection for us to see. She told us that she is drawn to these quilts for their colourful scrappiness and put the making of these quilts into historical perspective, referring to the influence of the depression years of the 1930s, changes in fabric dyes, the mass production of bed coverings and then the revival of quilt making between the wars.

During the Depression the number of advertisements, patterns and articles about quilts in newspapers increased so that many women had scrapbooks containing planned quilts (not dissimilar to us now). Popular patterns included the Dresden Plate, Butterfly, Grandmother’s Flower Garden, Sunbonnet Sue, and Double Wedding Ring because they all involved using up fabric scraps. “Use up, wear out, make do or do without” was the motto for these women. Quilting in the 1930s also provided a way for some to make money by designing quilt patterns, making and selling quilts and quilt kits and by winning prizes at quilt shows. Quilts were also a softer side of the Great Depression and the importance of sewing and quilting bees took the quilters’ minds off their troubles.

The feed sacks, which provided cheap fabric for the 1930s quilts, were originally made from plain calico and were hand sewn by the farmers with hand written labels. Later they were sewn by machine and had pre-printed labels that had to be soaked off in order to use them. The feed sack bag and sack manufacturers then came up with the idea of using patterned fabrics thus leading to their use in making curtains, dresses, quilts and even underwear. The finer grades of feed sacks were used for holding sugar or flour, the coarser ones for corn or chicken feed. Now they are discovering whole attics full of feed sacks which are coming onto the market.

Jennie then showed us some American feed sacks which prompted Annette Gero to show us her Australian feed sack. Among the many wonderful quilts from Jennie’s collection we saw one unusual quilt with black baskets, another with a yellow background and a vibrant ‘Trip Around the World’ quilt with such perfectly matching fabric that she believes it could only have been from a quilt kit.

Many of those attending the talk then brought out their quilt and feed sack treasures for us to enjoy. Annette Gero, Alan Tremain, Karen Fail and Melinda Smith had quite a few of their own 1930s quilts, quilt tops and feed sacks for us to look at. There were some unusual patterns and colours amongst the quilts including a number of embroidered quilt tops, a feed sack pre-printed for embroidering and one cot quilt – these usually do not survive. The show and tell generated a long discussion about dating fabrics and patterns from this era and the appropriate techniques for handling and cleaning such fabrics and quilts. By the end of the event, we had more than 35 quilts and quilt tops, along with 11 feed sacks decorating the room for our closer inspection.

Helen Lancaster - A Retrospective

14th Aug 2010 - Contemporary Quiltmaker Helen Lancaster will bring a retrospective of her work to the Quilt Study Group of NSW at the Powerhouse Museum from 2pm to 4pm.
Many of us have enjoyed wonderful contemporary textile exhibitions at the Fairfield Gallery over the last 10 years. Its commitment to textile art is unique among the galleries of Sydney and is largely due to the enthusiasm and support of conceptual environmentalist, Helen. Since her first exhibition in 1980, Helen has used textiles in unique ways to make comments about the environment, focusing on the Great Barrier Reef.
This event will be held in the Powerhouse Learning Centre, at the PowerhouseMuseum.
Entry is free for members of the Quilters' Guild of NSW Inc. and afternoon tea will be provided.
Access to the Powerhouse Museum is via the walkwayover from Chinatown and by walking from Central Station. Seehttp://www.powerhousemuseum.com/visit/howtogethere.asp#public_transport for details. If you contact the event owner, Sandra Lyons, on 9589 2537 beforehand it is possible to arrange for car parking in the Powerhouse's parking area for disabled drivers. Or you can use the drop off area near the entrance to the car park which provides easy access to Level 2 where our events are held.

Skint, Talk by Dr Annette Gero

Skint: Exhibition talk by Dr Annette Gero.
Sunday 18 April 2.00pm — 3.00pm.
Free with museum entry.
Annette Gero, author of “The Fabric of Society” and notable collector of Australian textiles will bring in samples of her extensive collection from the 1920s and 1930s for viewing. Annette will speak about the culture of ‘making do’ from ordinary Australians in the period between the wars and about the recent revival of handicrafts such as rag rugs and “waggas”. Annette’s collection is extensive and culturally significant to the social history of Australia.If you have a “wagga”, quilt or textile item form the Great Depression years, we invite you to bring it in to show.
In conjunction with Skint! Making do in the Great Depression
Sunday 18 April 2.00pm — 3.00pm Free with museum entry

Skint!

Making do in the Great Depression explores the spirit and flavour of life in Sydney in the 1930s: the community spirit and political activism, everyday life and key events and personalities of the period. It brings together evocative images, objects, oral histories and film to help us understand the story of Sydney in the Great Depression.

Major sponsor Museum of Sydney

Saturday 27 March — Sunday 25 July, 2010

'Block boys at St Peters' (detail), Sam Hood, 22 April 1935, Courtesy of Mitchell Library,

State Library of New South Wales

The Museum of Sydney: Location: Corner Phillip and Bridge Streets, Sydney, NSW 2000
Contact: 02 9251 5988
Admission:Adult $10
Child/Concession $5
Family $20
Members free
Hours: Daily 9.30am – 5pm

http://www.hht.net.au/whats_on/exhibitions/exhibitions/skint_making_do_in_the_great_depression

Textile Conservation & Restoration Workshop

9th Oct 2010 - Conservation Workshop - a hands on workshop by Alan R Tremain from Oz Quilt Design. This half-day workshop will look at the practical implementation of Conservation and Restoration techniques for domestic textiles. Participants will need to bring along a quilt, quilt top or other textile to work on plus other notions to be advised. Alan will have some specialty items including sewing needles and thread for participants to purchase if necessary. Karen Fail will take bookings for the event. To reserve a place at the workshop please contact her via email at kfail@bigpond.net.au
This event will be held in the Powerhouse Learning Centre, at the Powerhouse Museum.
Entry is free for members of the Quilters' Guild of NSW Inc. and afternoon tea will be provided.
Access to the Powerhouse Museum is via the walkway over from Chinatown and by walking from Central Station. Seehttp://www.powerhousemuseum.com/visit/howtogethere.asp#public_transport for details. If you contact the event owner, Karen Fail, beforehand it is possible to arrange for car parking in the Powerhouse's parking area for disabled drivers. Or you can use the drop off area near the entrance to the car park which provides easy access to Level 2 where our events are held.

Hexy Madness - Old and New

24th April 2010 - Hexagon Madness - Old and New. Join many other hexagon lovers at the Powerhouse Museum to pour over antique hexagon quilts, be enthralled by the many modern interpretations of the hexagon and to learn more. We hope to have several well-known quilt makers who specialise in hexie quilts along to show off their quilts. This event will be held in the Powerhouse Learning Centre, at the Powerhouse Museum on 24th April 2010 from 2pm to 4pm. Bring along any of your hexie quilts, old or new, for us to see. Entry is free for members of the Quilters' Guild of NSW Inc. and afternoon tea will be provided. Access to the Powerhouse Museum is via the walkway over from Chinatown and by walking from Central Station. See http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/visit/howtogethere.asp#public_transport fordetails. If you contact the event owner, Sandra Lyons on 9589 2537 before hand it is possible to arrange for car parking in the Powerhouse's parking area for disabled drivers. Or you can use the drop off area near the entrance to the car park which provides easy access to Level 2 where our events are held.