Sydney Quilt Show Roundup

Hi!

Last week I went to the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair, and was impressed with the variety and standard of quilts that were on display there.  Rather than put only a few photos in this week’s newsletter, I thought a post here would give me more space to share some of these stunning pieces with you.

Welcome to this week’s Quilting Eye Candy!

This brilliant quilt was designed and made by Belinda Betts.  Her “Modern Radiance” quilt won first place in the Modern Quilts category.

One section that really took my eye was a collection of small art quilts from SAQA (Studio Art Quilts Associates).  They used a large variety of different textiles and fabric treatments, but all were gorgeous.

This is “Flip Side” by Ann Head.

“And Once they Blackened the Skies” by Marie Mitchell.

This quilt tells the story with a timeline down the side of the plight of the Banksia woodlands and Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos in the south-west of Western Australia.

“Night and Day” by Brenda Gael Smith

“Ghosts of Summers Past” by Julie-Anne Rogers.

This was really interesting texturally – the main dead tree is very 3D, and the patched sections and dyed/painted background were really effective.

And on to the larger quilts…

“Cameo Birds” by Joanne Johnson

This quilt won Best Hand Work, and Runner Up for Pieced and/or Appliqued Quilt. It was ALL done by hand! (look at the detail below.)

And while we’re on the topic of amazingly detailed quilts –

Mariya Waters is no stranger to award winning quilts, and her “Star Light, Star Bright” was a well deserved winner with a First for Best Traditional Quilt, and also Best Machine Quilting with Domestic Machine.

Yes – the level of detail in the quilting is amazing, but remember these are SHOW QUILTS – they are to be admired, and maybe aspired to, but not used as the benchmark for quilting our own quilts.

I love magpies, and this quilt “Between the Lines” by Bev Butler just took my fancy.

I really enjoyed the geometric repetition and Art Deco vibes of this one too. It’s a Julia Wachs design, called “Vesta and Gatsby”, and this was made by Tracey Malkin.

This quilt with it’s army of green ants was called “Taking the High Ground” and was made by Zara Zannettino. Awarded Judge’s Choice.

This one was interesting.  Made by Beth and Trevor Reid, “Moonlight Arabesque” has 3D freeform painted, stitched and appliqued leaves.

And to finish – a final look at some applique masterclasses!

“5BB” by Lyn Crump was awarded Runner Up in the Traditional Quilt Category.

“Cassandra’s Quilt” by Lynda Sturm was machine pieced and needleturn appliqued (over 18 months at an average of 20 hours per week!)

“Quilt of Many Miles” by Pamela Brockwell. Based on an oriental carpet design from the 1880’s. Awarded Best of Show, and First for Pieced and/or appliqued quilt.

And there you have it.  Not all of the quilts that were on display, but some of my favourites, in this Sydney Quilt Show roundup.

Enjoy your week!