Great Australian Quilts issue #12 2021

It’s that time of the year when we celebrate Australian quilting and quilters’ achievements of the past year, take a look at winning quilts from around the country, check out new fabrics and books and share eight fabulous Australiana quilts. Putting this issue together during a pandemic has meant that we have had a number of challenges that have conspired to push our skills, temerity and resourcefulness. The biggest challenge was not being able to photograph our quilt projects in beautiful, inspiring Australian locations; we simply could not go on a location shoot. Fortunately, the flat shots had been done prior to lockdown. I must say that I LOVE the magnificent images that showcase each wonderful project. The inspiration behind each quilt is presented through those evocative images. Additionally, we are unable to…

Aboriginal proverb Machine Embroidery? Do you own a machine that has embroidery functions? Perhaps you would like to explore some of the fabulous techniques that can be achieved. If so, don’t miss the second issue of Machine Embroidery magazine, now on sale in newsagents or online at Zinio or Apple Newsstand. Staying Connected Staying connected in today’s fractured, divisive world is more important than ever. We are bound by love, rituals, family and faith. We are also connected to our past, our community near and far and to nature. To be connected is to find commonalities with others — both intentional and accidental. Containing work from numerous nationally and internationally renowned art quilters, including from America, Europe and Australia (congratulations Linda Steele!), a global exhibition titled Connections (SAQA Global Exhibition) will be launched at…

TASMANIA • November 5–7 Tasmanian Quilting Guild annual showcase Island Quilts The Goods Shed, Evans Street, Hobart More information: VICTORIA • November 11–14 Victorian Quilters Showcase Exhibition Melbourne Exhibition Centre, South Wharf More information: exhibitions@victorianquilters.org • November 11–December 18 Australian Quilts in Public Places Box Hill Art Space, Box Hill Town Hall 1022 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill More information: exhibitions@victorianquilters.org • December 2–5 Australasian Quilt Convention Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens, Melbourne More information: Phone (02) 9452 7575 or email aqc@expertiseevents.com.au • February 18–20 Ruby Jubilee Members’ Exhibition Australian Quilters Association Box Hill Town Hall, 1022 Whitehorse Road, Box hill More Information: www.australianquiltersassociation.com QUEENSLAND • August 28 – October 31 Australian Heritage Quilts Ipswich Art Gallery, 143 Brisbane Street, Ipswich More information: Phone (07) 3810 7222 NEW SOUTH WALES • October 21 – November 26 The Australian Quilt Manning Regional gallery, 12 Macquarie Street, Taree, NSW 2430 More information: Call: (02) 6592 5455 or…

This past year there have been very few local quilt shows and almost none of the state or territory guild shows. This has prevented a lot of quilters from enjoying their inspirational outings to see what guild members have made over the previous 12 months. Sadly, that has continued into 2021. To date, only the South Australian Festival of Quilts has gone ahead, with others being postponed until later in the year. The Best of Show quilts are normally hung together at the Australasian Quilt Conference held in Melbourne in April each year. As this event was cancelled in 2020, and has now been postponed several times this year, there are no Best of Show quilts to share in these pages. However, we are excited to share some of the fabulous…

Materials • 90cm (1yd) blue mottled print fabric (border and binding)• Scraps of blue and brown silk (Log Cabin centres and pylon windows). You will need 44 blue silk scraps at least 3½in square• 29 fat quarters of assorted batiks, tone-on-tone prints and solids in colours ranging from deep dark blue and purple to teal and aqua (sky), ochres and browns (pylons), blacks and greys (skyscrapers)• Fat quarter yellow print fabric (block centres)• 50cm (5⁄8yd) each of 10 teal or aqua print fabrics (ocean)• 50cm (5⁄8yd) blue/purple batik (bridge arch) 50cm (5⁄8yd) blue/purple print fabric (lower part of the bridge)• 10cm (1⁄8yd) dark print fabric (roadway)• 50cm (5⁄8yd) solid black (bridge)• 50cm (20in) square of solid mid-yellow fabric (bridge arch)• Fat sixteenth solid dark yellow fabric (small skyscraper)• 70cm (¾yd) black…

I was born in Wagga Wagga but moved to Sydney at the age of nine, and apart from a couple of years in Newcastle, have always been a Sydney-sider. I have a bachelor degree from Macquarie University and briefly worked in libraries before joining the NSW public service, where I worked as a Policy Officer. I started my sewing journey as a teenager, making clothes for myself. I guess it was only a matter of time before I discovered patchwork. In 1996 I bought a fabric panel from Spotlight for my one-year-old son and initially just quilted around the animals on the panel. I spent several years making very basic quilts from squares and rectangles. I was very time-poor for the next 15 years as I did a lot of…