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Quilt NSW Show – A Roundup
Hi!
I hope you’ve enjoyed your week. It’s been a super busy one for us, and I thought rather than sharing an article or some tips, today I wanted to share some quilty eye-candy with you, in the form of some of the gorgeous quilts on display at last week’s Quilt NSW quilt show in Sydney, Australia.
I believe there were over 400 quilts on display, and they were of a consistently high standard this year. There were beautifully made, and designed quilts, and others that showcased stunning quilting. All entrants are to be congratulated, and I hope you enjoy this rather picture heavy post this week. 🙂
These are a selection of some of my favourites, and are in no particular order…
“The Calendar Quilt” by Catherine Butterworth.
This was inspired by an antique quilt pictured in an engagement calendar book from 1975, and used couched yarn really cleverly to make subtle distinctions between the different borders. (below)
“Sunrise Floating” by Robyn Cooper
This was an improv quilt, and used different values of red fabrics to build up the luminosity for a really striking result.
“Mountains” by Lynn Hewitt
This quilt is made from thick and thin log cabin blocks, which create the curved clamshell design.
“Barn Star Sampler” – a collaborative quilt from the Campbelltown Patchwork and Quilters Guild (From “Barn Star Sampler” by Shelley Cavanna)
This quilt has 20 different blocks, and is destined to be the first prize quilt in the Guild’s raffle.
“Circled Daisies” by Karen Matthews
This stunning quilt is hand appliqued with silk thread, and has 380 circles! It won the ‘Entrant’s Quilt Top Quilted by Another’ category.
“Under the Southern Cross” by Christine Kondratenko (Based on “Quilt of the Crosses” by Lucy Boston.)
“Donna’s Floral Star” by Lyn Bertram
This is a perfect example of how to use restraint in design. The large plainer circular border sets off the centre motif beautifully. (The centre star motif was designed by a friend, Donna Warren.) Hand appliqued and machine quilted.
“Flip Ways” by Teresa Zbik (Based on “Flip Ways” by Flip la K)
A great use of colour, and inspired by the colours of Teresa’s quilt group. Hand quilted.
“Dawn to Dusk in the Northern Rivers NSW” by the Goonellabah Quilters.
This beautifully designed and quilted set of 8 panels was made by 8 quilters. Each panel stands alone, but they flow together seamlessly to create this lovely scene. This quilt won first place in the Group / Collaborative Quilt category.
“Born to be Wild” by Sue de Vanny
This art quilt depicts three African dog pups venturing out, followed subtly by an adult dog. This quilt had beautiful quilting and thread painted dogs, and interesting webbed holes. It won first place in the Pictorial Quilt (Open) category.
“Burning Up” by Molli Sparkles
This quilt uses the Delectable Mountains block, but in a new modern way. It won a Judge’s Choice award.
There was a good display of more modern quilts in this show too –
“Archature” by Alan R Tremain
This was an improv pieced quilt, and was inspired by canal reflections of shop fronts viewed by looking down small arched passageways. This quilt won the Best Use of Colour Award, and also came third in the Modern Improvisational (Open) category.
“Ambrosia” by Belinda Betts
This was a fantastic and vibrant quilt. It won Best Modern Design and came Fourth in the Modern Improvisational (Open) category.
“Coming Out of the Shadows” by Jane Rundle
The inspiration behind this quilt was Covid 19. Jane says “…Representing a time where a little colour in life and an ability to get out of the darkness, back to some sort of normality was a dream for many of us.” This quilt came Second in the Modern Improvisational (Open) category.
And last, but definitely not least, the Best of Show quilt for 2024…
“Quilters Workout” by Tania Tanti
Tania says, “What a workout quilts can be. They exercise your brain so much that by the end of the process you are kicking up your heels right behind your head because you did it!” This quilt came First in the Modern Improvisational (open) category and was awarded Best of Show. (The header at the top of this post is a section of the bottom of this stunning quilt.)
That’s only a few of my favourites from the Quilt NSW quilt show for this year, and there were definitely many inspirational designs to get the creative juices flowing. Do yourself a favour, and make the effort to visit as many quilt shows as you can – there’s so much inspiration and so many ideas to be had, and the shopping’s usually pretty great at these events too!
Enjoy your week!