Updated link to Jenny Bowker

The link to renowned quilter and teacher Jenny Bowker's blog, now called Postcards, has been (belatedly) updated in the blogroll on the right.  Her most recent post is a tour of her studio in working mode, as part of the recent SAQA studio blog hop.

Craft Depot sale - June

If you live within cooee of our part of Sydney you are probably aware that the local large fabric shop, Craft Depot at Pennant Hills has a sale twice a year, each lasting for a month.  Sales have usually been in May and November, but this year at least, the May sale has been delayed until June, and will start this Friday, 1st June. The sale catalogue is on the Craft Depot website.

If you are in town for the Sydney Quilt Show (13 - 17 June), a side trip could be convenient.  A number of other Sydney shops also schedule sales during the time of the Sydney Quilt Show, so keep an eye out for information from your favourites.

2012 Bloggers Quilt Festival: online now

The 2012 Spring Bloggers Quilt Festival is in session until 1st June (that's northern hemisphere spring) - an online quilt show, that is open to all quilters, to showcase one quilt and tell its story, an online exhibition via a collection of links to each quilter's blog.  So you get to see and read about the individual quilts, and in addition to investigate a very large number of quilters' blogs if they pique your interest.

If you have a blog and choose to enter, it will be a way of showcasing your quilt and your blog to a large new readership.

The Festival is hosted by Amy's Creative Side twice a year (the archives go back to 2009). Participants can opt to join in the competitive elements, viewers can vote for favourites, and a number of sponsors are involved ... quite an undertaking. The event continues to grow.  Right now, there are 399 quilts linked into the Festival, it will be over 400 before this post is published. And you might need to check back from time to time as new entries are added.

But beware - you probably need more time to enjoy it all than you think! You are very likely to find blogs that entice you to investigate further, maybe add to your 'favourites' or Reader lists, quilts that give you ideas for your own work ... maybe fabrics and colour combinations and styles that whisper to you ... quilters from all over the world have already entered, so you might well find someone you know.

The quilt links will remain in the archives after the entries and voting is finished, so you don't really have to look at it all today.

Click here for all the details, including the links to the quilts - scroll down quite a way to the array of thumbnail pictures, and either work your way from 1 to 400 +, or just click on any that you like the look of from the little thumbnail image. Sometimes what is revealed is quite a surprise!

Have fun!

How do they do it? Fabric design ...

As you contemplate the huge array of fabrics designed for quilting at our disposal (sometimes overwhelming us for choice), do you ever wonder "how did they think of that?" as a particular design captures your imagination, or "how do they get it on the fabric?"

Have you ever not found what you wanted in a store, and wished you could design your own prints?

Here is is small collection of blogs and websites about how one fabric designer works to produce a fabric collection with a large manufacturing company, and two 'bespoke' fabric designers/printers who use digital technology to print  from their own ranges or from your artwork - fascinating. ANd a forum and blog to provide ongoing online fabric refreshment.

Lotta Jansdotter - illustrated blog post (Bella is Born) about the process of designing her fabric

Fingerprint - UK company that prints fabric digitally (their designs and bespoke).  Two blog posts on their printing process (it's a blog, so they are in reverse order!)

Spoonflower - a US digital printer, allows users to upload their own designs, order digitally printed yardage, and to make their designs available to other users (if they choose to).

True Up  - Kimberley Kight's online fabric design forum, including a blog about fabric design and releases of fabric lines from fabric manufacturers and distributors internationally. Information about Kim's book, A Field Guide to Fabric Design, and excellent links to sources of  modern, vintage and specialist fabrics.

2012 Sydney Quilt Show

Quilters Guild of NSW

Sydney Quilt Show
Wednesday, 13 June to Sunday 17 June 2012 
Exhibition Centre
Darling Harbour, Sydney

See www.craftfair.com.au for general information for visitors.    

Under 35s Quilt Competition: Quilters Guild of NSW

As part of its 30th Anniversary celebrations this year, the Quilters Guild of NSW is running a competition for young quilters (under 35 years of age), How Does Your Garden Grow?, with over $20,000 in prizes.

Entries close 12 September 2012.  Full details and the entry form are available here on the Guild's website.

Mothers' Day Weekend = Arcadian Quilters Show

Next Sunday, 13th May is Mother's Day here in Australia, so it must the weekend of the Arcadian Quilters annual quilt show, in the Glasshouse at Swane's Nursery, Dural.

The Quilters Guild of NSW has all the details here.

Art quilters's studios: a month-long blog trip through SAQA Oceania

If you are interested in art quilts, and how art quilters work, this month presents an opportunity to see inside the studios of fifteen members of SAQA Oceania  -  the region of Studio Art Quilts Associates (SAQA) which covers Australia, New Zealand and everywhere else in the Pacific Ocean.

Lisa Walton (SAQA Oceania co-rep) has listed links for posts to be pubished every second day throughout May, starting today.

Fabric-a-brac: Petersham, Sunday 6th May 2012

Here's an interesting market concept for both buyers and sellers, that raises money for charity as well as spreading fabric around:

Fabric-a-brac. What is it you ask?

... it's a fabric sale from lovers of projects, who just have too many projects (er, that would be us then). If you have piles of fabric in your wardrobe, in a cupboard, and you KNOW you’ll never get around to using it. Or you’re looking for some great bargains and funky old fabric – fabric-a-brac is for you.

Some people take out a table or half table,and bring their fabric to sell, and others just come to buy. We’ll have coffee, tea and sweet treats. What better way to spend a Saturday. Make it a girls day out!
And it’s all to raise money for your local hospice. (Fabric-a-brac's 'About' page)

The next Sydney Fabric-a-brac market is being held on Sunday 6th May at Petersham - details here. You can also donate fabric.

The beneficiary from stall holder's fees from this event will be the Sacred Heart Hospice at Darlinghurst.