Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award & Forum

Congratulations to Guild members Dianne Firth and Pamela Fitzsimons who are among the textile artists selected for the inaugural Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award and associated exhibition that opens at 11 am on 20 June and runs to 19 July 2009 at the Wangaratta exhibitions gallery, Ovens St, Wangaratta.

Image: Louise Saxton, Home-Tree, 2008

The Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Forum takes place on Saturday 20 June 2009 from 12.30 – 4.30pm

KEY NOTE SPEAKERS

Liz Williamson
Head School of Design Studies College of Fine Arts University of New South Wales

Intriguing the Senses: Contemporary Textiles
Textiles artists and designers have embraced innovative research techniques to explore complex concepts producing individual and innovative textiles. By exploring current issues of sustainability, environment and place combined with historical reference and new technologies, all are developing intriguing ways to inform the senses.

This lecture will illustrate current research projects by staff and postgraduate students at the College of Fine Arts, UNSW and at UTS in Sydney. It will also document research undertaken in developing woven textiles for Liz Williamson: Textiles a solo exhibition held at Object Gallery, Sydney in late 2008 as part of the Living Treasures series and now touring nationally.

Laura Jocic
Curator Fashion & Textiles National Gallery of Victoria

Australian textiles in the collection of the NGV
How the collection has developed and the range of works and techniques represented, including 19th century embroideries and 20th century printed and woven textiles.

ARTISTS FLOOR TALK
Sara Lindsay, Julie Montgarrett, Louise Saxton, Patrick Snelling, Emma Sulzer

Cost: $22/$16 concession includes light lunch
Bookings & prepayment essential. Tel: 03 5722 0761

Art to Wear 2009- Black & White

The Quilters' Guild of NSW presents Art to Wear 2009 - Black & White at the Sydney Quilt Show next week 10 -14 June. Demonstrations of techniques featured in the garments will take place daily: 10-11am, 12-1pm and 2-3pm

Quilt National 2009: Pamela Fitzsimons

Quilt National is a biennial juried exhibition of contemporary art quilts that will be on view at the Dairy Barn Arts Center, in Athens Ohio USA until 7 September 2009. From almost 1200 entries, the jurors (Sue Benner, Katie Pasquini Masopust, and Ned Wert) selected just 85 quilts by 87 artists drawn from 25 states and 13 foreign countries. The 2009 finalists included Guild member Pamela Fitzsimons for her multi-layered, three dimensional work Extinction Wrap:





Quilt National was intended to demonstrate the transformations taking place in the world of quilting. Its purpose was then, and still is, to carry the definition of quilting far beyond its traditional parameters and to promote quiltmaking as what it always has been -- an art form.

This the second time that Pamela's work has been juried into Quilt National, she was also a finalist in 2003. You can view quilts by Pamela and other Australian contemporary quiltmakers at the Sydney Quilt Show next week where the Australia Wide exhibition of the Ozquilt Network will be on display.

2010 Guild Calendar

In 2010 you can have a quilt brighten every single day with the Guild's special calendar that you can purchase at the Sydney Quilt Show 2009 and then from the Guild office.

The following winning quilts were selected from the entries in last year's calendar challenge:

• Cover award sponsored by Pfaff Australia: ‘Faites Simple:The Impressionists’ – Cathy Jack Coupland
• January: ‘We Do Like to Be Beside The Seaside’ – Marilyn Lowder
• February: Pippy Hunting – Low Tide at Davistown – Elizabeth Long
• March: Still Life With Picasso #1 – Helen Godden
• April: Spring Beauty – Judith Thomson
• May: Seachange 1 – Alison Muir
• June: Lift Off – Carolyn Sullivan
• July: Colour Patch Series:Black, Blue & Red – Sue Dennis
• August: Simple String Theory - Brenda Gael Smith
• September: Flannel Flowers – Amanda Daly
• October: Inspiration Unleashed 2 – Sharon French
• November: Migration – Carol Timmins
• December: Still Life – Log Cabin Flowers – Alan R Tremain

The calendars are available to financial guild members at the special Guild member price of $12 plus postage and credit card fee (if applicable) These calendars are also available from selected retail outlets at the RRP of $15. Wholesale enquiries welcome, please contact 2010 Calendar Coordinator or contact our office.

Artists Forum at the Fairfield: 30 May

There will be an Artists Forum at the Fairfield Museum & Gallery on Saturday, 30 May . In association with the exhibition, A Conversation with Rain – a national innovative contemporary textile exhibition to stimulate and inspire the artists curated by Helen Lancaster. The forum, from 11am-3pm, will be made up of several artists from the exhibition, who will talk about the process of how they work, techniques used etc and debate what comes first – technique or idea.

Cost - $15. Booking essential – phone the Gallery on (02) 9609 3993

Quilt Show @ Copacabana: 30 May

There will be a quilt show, in conjunction with Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea at Copacabana on the Central Coast this weekend. Here are the key details:

Quilt & Craft Show for Cancer Council Research
8am-4pm:Saturday, 30 May 2009
Copacabana Surf Club
Entry Fee $5 includes light refreshments

Central Coast Quilt Exhibition: 24 May

The Central Coast 2009 annual charity quilt competition and exhibition will be held on Sunday 24 May at the Wyong Race Club. There will be a range of quilts on display as well as free demonstrations and workshops. Patchwork and craft supplies and sewing machines will also be available. Proceeds from the day go to Cancercare Services as Gosford and Wyong Hospitals.

Enquiries: Janette Jones. Tel: 0439 387 267

Burwood Meeting: 16 May 2009

The next Guild meeting at Burwood RSL (96 Shaftsbury Avenue) is this Saturday, 16 May 2009:

11am - noon: Crazy patchwork demonstration with Yvonne Line
1pm: General Meeting including consideration of a special resolution relating to amending the constitution and the size of the committee and guest speaker Hans Joerg Wengi from Guttermann Threads

Social Meeting at Campbelltown: 17 May

The next Sunday social meeting for 2009 is this Sunday, 17 May.

The venue is Campbelltown Arts Centre. All members, and friends and interested persons, welcome. Gallery opens at 10.00am , Show and tell at 11.30, Café for lunch or bring your own, Guest Speaker, 1.00pm, Afternoon Tea provided, meeting closes at 3.00 pm, Gallery closes at 4.00pm. Wheelchair access, Sculpture Garden, Art Gallery, Japanese Garden.

QS2009 Gala Dinner - 12 June

It's time to book your place at the Gala Dinner held as part of the Sydney Quilt Show 2009. Come along for great company and a sumptuous dinner as well as an inspiring presentation from guest speaker Helen Godden.

Gala Dinner
6pm for 6.45pm dinner: Friday, 12 June 2008
Venue: Novotel Rockford, 17 Little Pier St, Darling Harbour

Cost: $55 per person, 3 course menu
Disabled access is available at the venue

Bookings with payment must be received by Friday, 29 May 2009 at the Guild office. (Please contact the venue directly on (02) 8217 4000 regarding any specific dietary requirements.) Download and complete your booking form.

Sydney Quilt show 2009 Update

Acceptance letters and drop-off lady details will be dispatched to entrants this week. (The Exhibition Secretary apologises for the delay.) The Guild is delighted to report that, in addition to the record number of 390 quilts in the members' exhibition, there will be many other special exhibits including:

• a selection of quilts by award-winning quiltmaker Helen Godden;


• Australia Wide - an exhibition of art quilts by members of the Ozquilt Network, Australia's organisation for art quilters;


• antique quilts that feature in the book The Fabric of Society by Annette Gero;


• a Black & White exhibit of Art to Wear items including special guest artist Barbara Rogers;


• Coast and Country Guild challenge quilts;


• Best of Australia Quilts sponsored by Bernina; AND


• Fantasy quilts from the inaugural AP&Q AQC Challenge including the prize winning entry by Guild member Denise Sargo.
  

Join us at the Sydney Quilt Show at Darling Harbour 10 - 14 June 2009.

Reminder Vikki Pignatelli Lecture: 2 May

American Quiltmaker Vikki Pignatelli is presenting the following lecture this Saturday:

‘10 ATTRIBUTES THAT MAKE A GOOD QUILTER BETTER’

LECTURE DATE: Saturday, 2nd May, 2009.
VENUE: Epping Creative Leisure Centre, Dence Park, Stanley Road, Epping.
TIME: 1.30pm for 2.00pm. The lecture is for one hour.
A question and answer session and showing of quilts are included.
AFTERNOON TEA: Light refreshments will be provided but any donations will be appreciated.
ENTRY FEE: Prepaid $10.00. At the door $15.00
  

We hope you can join us.

Chatelaine Quilters Exhibition: 1-2 May

Chatelaine Quilters Inc will be holding their biennial exhibition of members' work at Sutherland Uniting Church Hall, Flora St, Sutherland on May 1st and 2nd between 10 am and 4 pm each day. Entry $5 with proceeds to Cord Blood Foundation.

Eastwood Patchwork Quilters Exhibition: 1-3 May

EASTWOOD PATCHWORK QUILTERS 2009 EXHIBITION
May 1 –3 10am to 4.30pm: Admission $6
Refreshments, light lunches, and quilt and craft stores will be available.

A chance to see a spectacular display of traditional quilts made by the members of Eastwood Patchwork Quilters, while visiting historic Brush Farm House, 19 Lawson St Eastwood.



Over 150 beautiful quilts made by our members will be displayed.

Located on bus routes 545 and 550 Chatswood/Macquarie/Eastwood/Parramatta.

Brush Farm House was built around 1820 by Gregory Blaxland, one of the first Europeans to find a route across the Blue Mountains. It is one of Australia’s oldest and substantial houses remaining from the Macquarie era. It has been, recently restored and renovated as an exhibition space by Ryde City Council. We will also use additional exhibition space in the adjacent Corrective Services Training facility.

Paducah Success

The winners of the American Quilt Society Quilt Contest in Paducah have been announced.

Guild member, Mariya Waters continues her success with Renaissance Revival which was awarded American Quilter's Society Best of Show. In addition, Mariya's quilt Bluebirds of Paradise was third in the Miniature category and Nic Bridges and Lisa Walton were awarded third place in the Large Wall Quilts: Longarm/Midarm Machine category with Bushfire Sunset.

Another, Guild member Margaret McDonald received an Honorable Mention for her quilt Infinity. You can view the complete list of winners and view the online gallery. Congratulations to our talented Guild members.

Springwood HS Community Quilt Show: Anzac Weekend

The 2009 Springwood High School Community Quilt Show is being held:

Friday April 24th to Sunday April 26th
Springwood High School Hall, Grose Rd Faulconbridge
Open Friday 9-5, Saturday 11-5 (Anzac Day), Sunday 10-4

2009 Raffle Quilt made by Chris Jurd

* over 150 quilts on display
* stalls and trading tables from many quilt shops and craftspeople
* demonstrations of Bernina sewing machines
* Quilt Show Café with fresh homemade goodies and cappuccinos

Proceeds of the Quilt Show will be used to purchase a Bernina Aurora 440 sewing machine for Springwood High School Textile students. For more information email Suzanne.

Quilt Show Update

390 entries from over 270 individual and group members have been received for the 2009 Sydney Quilt Show. This is an all-time record but the good news is that ALL valid entries have been accepted. Formal acceptance letters with important details about the delivery of your quilts will be posted out at the beginning of May. In the meantime, keep on putting the finishing details on your quilts. We look forward to a great show!

Community Quilts Demonstration Stand @ RAS

The Guild is taking Community Quilts to the Royal Easter Show in 2009. We require 24 volunteers over four days (16-19 April 2009) to assist in the machine quilting demonstration area where there will be four Pfaff quilting model sewing machines. Attending members can also bring in any project they wish to work on and thus demonstrate another technique we all use in quilt making wheter it be binding a quilt, hand applique or hand quilting.

If your are interested in demonstrating fo rthe Guild during this event, please contact the coordinator Alan Tremain via the office or by e-mail.

All volunteers will receive a full day pass and public transport travel reimbursement. Some onsite parking passes are also available.

Raffle Quilt 2009

Serendipity, the raffle quilt for 2009, was made by Wentworth Quilters Inc. Raffle tickets are $2 each. Tickets were distributed with the March newsletter but you can always purchase more from the Guild office or at the Sydney Quilt Show.

2009 Raffle Prizes:

• 1st Prize: Winner's choice of "Serendipity" raffle quilt or Bernina Aurora 44oQE sewing machine sponsored by Bernina;
• 2nd Prize: The remaining item from above;
• 3rd Prize: A collector's box of sewing threads sponsored by Perivale Gutermann;
• 4th Prize: A magnifier lamp sponsored by the Scissorman;
• 5th Prize: 10 metres Moda fabric sponsored by PK Fabrics; and
• 6th Prize: one year subscription to each of Homespun Magazine and iQuilt online quilting magazine.
  

Away Meeting: 4 April 2009

The 2009 "away" meeting is coming up this weekend:

1.30pm, Saturday, 4 April 2009
CWA Rooms, Mudgee
Surprise Guest Speaker + Show & Tell + Afternoon Tea

Members and non-members welcome!