July Friday Showcase : Pam Curtis

Our next presenter at the always popular NSW Quilters' Guild Inc 'Friday Showcase' will be veteran quilter Pam Curtis.

Pam was bitten by the 'bug' in 1991, after the usual years of family sewing. Teacher Shirley Gibson influenced Pam to take further lessons after the ubiquitous 'Sampler Quilt', and what followed has became more than 20 years of belonging to various P&Q groups, with continual perfection of this  craft.

Within 10 years Pam began to win prizes at the Sydney Quilt Shows with her hand pieced and hand quilted 'traditional' quilts often made with an abundance of wonderful scraps.

Pam's 'Dear Jane' - Hand pieced and hand quilted.

A prolific quilt maker, Pam has several 'on the go' at the one time, all at various construction stages.
She refers to her UFO's as "Sleeping Beauties"...what an excellent moniker !

Come and see first hand, Pam's finished quilts.

Date : 5 July 2013
Time : 10 am
Venue : Guild Office  

All Welcome.

V&A Quilts Exhibit in Brisbane

'Quilts 1700-1945'  is an exhibition featuring works from London's prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as loans from other selected UK museums.

Of special importance will be the inclusion of The Rajah Quilt 1841, from the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
It will be wonderful to view this immensely historical quilt in relation to the concurrent quilts that were being made in England.

The Queensland Art Gallery host this fabulous exhibition from June 15th - September 22nd  2013

Vist the website to obtain further details about the full schedule of programmes and events planned.

A genteel Quilt Show take down...

All quilt shows need an orange gnome or two....

A big "thankyou" to Mike R, The Quilt Show is indebted to Mike and many other  unheralded "friends - of" quilters, who graciously help their "better halves" and the whole Guild with specialist and time consuming tasks during the Show.

Jelly Roll Race Winners!

Congratulations!

The combined wisdom, speed and general mad-hattedness of The Kedumba Kuilters (otherwise known as Leisel, Wendy, Kerry and Veteran Leader- Isobel ) ensured a closely won race with the Jelly Roll.

Completing the - what was for some teams  gruelling, sew-a-thon, in only 20 minutes and 58 seconds, it was perhaps the badge inspiration, providing a psychological  advantage, that helped knock into Second Place (by only a few seconds) : The Grafton Jelly Queens, who had previously trumped those other pretenders to the throne : The President's Princesses (a *bling bling* team who had, never the less, gallantly coped with the disadvantage of being hobbled - or - nobbled, by bobbin "issues")

There are moves 'afoot' to have these three teams in a play-off Jelly Roll Race at next year's Quilt Show.

Viewers' Choice 2013

The votes are in and counted. Congratulations to Lucy Carroll who was awarded First prize for Viewers' Choice 2013 for her quilt Soldier On: 

Artist Statement: This quilt supports Soldier On (www.soldieron.org.au), a charity which provides support for defence members wounded in recent conflicts. It commemorates our friends lost in Afghanistan. My husband is currently serving there on Op Slipper, and he returns home in July.

Viewers' Choice 2013, First Prize: Soldier On by Lucy Carroll
Second prize for Viewers' Choice was awarded to Janet Treen for her Best of Show quilt Rings & Roses.

You can view more of Lucy and Janet's work on their websites www.lucycarrolltextiles.com and www.quiltsalott.blogspot.com  View all of the prize winning quilts in the Sydney Quilt Show 2013 Prize Winners's Gallery.

Post 2013 Quilt Show Appreciation

The President of The Quilters' Guild of NSW Inc, Cath Babidge, reports that due to the unfailing enthusiasm of the many members volunteering in numerous and varied spheres, this year's Sydney Quilt Show was a resounding success.

She wishes to thank everyone, members, partners and friends, and especially the Exhibition Sub-Committee for their hard work in presenting such a wonderful week of quilting display and events.

She and the Guild are also extremely grateful for the continued support shown from the many Sponsors, who through their ongoing generousity facilitate a wider recognition of the importance of quilting and related textile arts.

"Thankyou, and Congratulations" to all involved.

Quilt Show 2013 Happy Snaps

There is only one day left to enjoy the visual delights of this year's Quilt Show. All attendees have been treated to an outstanding display of quilts, talks and information sessions, and quilt fun from guild members, as can be seen from the following snaps.

Suzanne Gummow and Julie Haddrick, members of SAlt, a creatively dynamic group of 5 Textile Artists, conduct daily talks about quilts made following individual explorations of  a "Journeys" theme.

Immediate Past President, Maree Gebhardt illustrating the intricacies of the phenomenal quilting skills of the late Narelle Grieve, at a retrospective special exhibit.

Dianne Finnegan conducting in fabulous knowledgable detail, a floor talk at 'Colours of Australia'. Quilts from a 1995 national touring exhibition have once again been aired,  showcasing the humour, political insights, and 'national' passions of textile artists from that era.  (Diane is pointing to flame, Ash and Embers by Barbara Macey.)

Some of the many members, including the current President Cath Babidge, who volunteer their time to instruct novices on quilt construction techniques.

Past President Lynn Hewitt proudly "White Gloving" at her grand daughter, Lauren Roach's  prize winning entry "Blue Bird" in the Junior Member (up to Year 6) section.

They may appear as friendly rivals here, but "The Senior Moments", The Lone Quilter", and "The President's Princesses" were soon competing furiously in one of the Jelly Roll Race Quilt competitions. The PP's won this particular round!

With a whole day left to "run", the 2013 Sydney Quilt Show promises to delight and inspire all who attend.

See you at Darling Harbour!

Quilt Show 2013 Prize Winners Online Gallery

The Guild website has been updated! You can see images of all of the prize winning quilts in the Sydney Quilt Show 2013 Prize Winners Online Gallery.

Sydney Quilt Show Photography Policy: Quilt photography is permitted for personal use only. Images must NOT be published online or in other media unless you have the consent of the relevant quilt maker.  This means you must not post quilt images from the show on Facebook, Instagram or other social networking sites unless you have the consent of the quiltmaker.

Sydney Quilt Show 2013 : Best of Show

Rings and Roses  by Janet Treen has won this year's Best of Show.

Congratulations Janet!

The 2013 Sydney Quilt Show Prize Winners Gallery will be updated on the Guild's Website during the course of the Show.

The Guild link will provide images and information on the prize winning quilts in all categories. 

The Viewers Choice prize will be announced at the completion of the Quilt Show.

Membership Reminder

Did you know that you can renew your membership to The Quilters' Guild of NSW whilst at the Sydney Quilt Show next week?

At the Guild's Information Table there will be banking facilities to make your renewal easy if membership fees havent yet been mailed in to the Guild Office.

Membership is from 1 July to 30 June the following year.
Payment is required now from all current members to ensure continuity of  membership.

Quilt Show Countdown : Floor Talks

• "The Colours of Australia" will be a highlight at the 2013 Sydney Quilt Show.

These quilts were made for a 1995 exhibition and are now to be viewed once more.
Floor talks are to be conducted and all are invited to attend.

Dates and Times :
Wed 12th  : 1pm -   to be conducted by Dianne Finnegan
Thurs 13th : 1pm -  to be conducted by Karen Fail
Fri 14th   : 11.30am - to be conducted by Jane Gibson
Sat 15th  : 11.30 am - to be conducted by Dianne Finnegan
Sun 16th : 11.30 am - to be conducted by Jane Gibson

• SAlt : South Australian living textiles : "The Fabric Trail"

This is a travelling exhibition created by a group of 5 South Australian contemporary Textile Artists.
They have produced 8 works each, exploring themes relating to "Journeys" and two of the artists, Julie Haddrick and Suzanne Gummow will talk about this exhibition.

Dates and Times :
Frid 14th, Sat 15th and Sun 16th : 1pm

• Special Exhibit : Narelle Grieve's Quilts 

A wonderful display of quilts created by the late Narelle Grieve has been curated by Maree Gebhardt.
Maree will speak about Narelle's quilts at 11am each day, Thursday through to Sunday.

Quilt Show Countdown : Join the Jelly Roll Racers!

Template Free on May 21st called for enthusiastic quilters to join forces for a "Jelly Roll Race Quilt" demonstration to be held during the 2013 Sydney Quilt Show.

Themed teams are already preparing their strips, sharpening their scissors and filling their bobbins, so make sure you come and watch the frantic attempts to outdo each other during the marathons at the sewing machines!

Expected Race Commencement times :
Thursday 13th : 11.30 am
Friday   14th     : 12 noon
Saturday 15th  : 12 noon

Come and cheer on the teams and watch Jelly Roll quilt tops come together.

Living Colour! Exhibition Opportunity

Following the fantastic response to Beneath the Southern Sky, Brenda Gael Smith is curating another travelling textile art exhibition in 2014/2015 that will premier at the Australasian Quilt Convention in 2014.  This is an invitation to all textile artists to submit an entry exploring the theme Living Colour! Each work will be in a 100x40cm (L x W) vertical format and up to 30 works may be selected. To submit an entry, please review the Conditions of Entry and complete the Online Entry Form. The closing date for entries is 31 January 2014. International entries are welcome.

Guild Member Lisa Walton : Congratulations

It is with much pride and delight that The Quilters' Guild of NSW Inc announces that one of our most esteemed members has been invited to join the Board of SAQA

Lisa Walton, Business Woman and textile entrepreneur, Art Quilter, Educator, Designer and Author; 2010 Jewel Pearce Patterson Scholar, and recipient of many Quilt Exhibition prizes, has recently been appointed to the Board of the prestigious SAQA, whose members hail from around the world.

Congratulations Lisa!
May this new path bring much joy to a very creative and inspiring quilter.

QSG Report : May Meeting

The QSG Meeting on Sat May 12th allowed members to enjoy a most interesting and comprehensive talk from Jennifer Palmer regarding how owners can document and store, care for and conserve quilts for the best future outcome.
Provenance of a Quilt is extremely helpful for changing insurance purposes, and for the education of further owners, admirers and scholars. As has been observed by many a quilter, the history of a quilt, its creator,  fabric and design details, its "journey", offers fascinating glimpses into textile and historical past.

Jennifer shared many important contact details about conservation products and suppliers as well as valuable information about the Australian environment and appropriate pest management techniques. She also had documentation and description pointers for any quilter wishing to record their quilts, and carefully explained exactly what should be recorded and why.

Jennifer Palmer sharing quilt conservation information.

During this session, Dr Annette Gero reinforced the concept of notated quilt history, and illustrated her talk with a showing of  the Mary Moorehead hexie Quilt  circa 1880's.  Her research into fabrics has been able to collaborate or disprove oral family quilt histories. She is equally passionate about the need for the documentation of every quilt made.

Dr Annette Gero illustrating how family history is important for authentic quilt documentation.

Anne Seddon shared some family history with the quilt and story behind  her wonderful 1880's quilt, still replete with hexie papers.

Sandra Lyons introducing Anne Seddon and her family hexie quilt

Karen Fail also showed a quilt : a modern one made by Lorraine Scouler, subsequently purchased from the Scouler family after the death of this close friend. That quilt's story is included in a book, with  details now available for posterity.

A more detailed report from the QSG May meeting will be published in the next Template.