New 'indigos', and a little bit of fabric ...

Hot on the heels of the Indigo Gives America the Blues exhibition, comes a new fabric line from designers Minick and Simpson for Moda, called Indigo Crossing (look back through a few recent Minick and Simpson blog poststo see lots of photos of both the fabrics and sample quilts made from them).  Quiltsmith (at Annandale) will have at least one of the Minick and Simpson patterns designed for this fabric release as kits that can be pre-ordered now.

In the same blog post, Melinda takes us on her recent buying visit to the local Leutenegger warehouse - now that's a fabric stash!

Young champion quilters

A little peek at Michaela's quilt

Speaking of young quilters, what were you doing when you were 14?  Chances are, it was not winning awards for your quilts. Generation Q magazine recently published online 2 blog posts about  Michaela Little (15) and Elizabeth Roach (14), ',,, award-winning quilters who already know how to rock a rotary cutter and stitch a steady quarter-inch.'

• Michaela Little

• Elizabeth Roach

Their youthful energy is delightfully obvious from the photos - most of us at Fairholme probably shouldn't aspire to get down on the floor with our quilts like Micheala, for our Show and Tell photos ...

How old were you when you started quilting?

Fairholme Quilters Exhibition 2012 (22): Viewer's Choice - Bridal Baltimore

We were unable to photograph Loraine McIntosh's Bridal Baltimore in full at the exhibition because of space limitations and its size.  Bridal Baltimore won the Viewer's Choice award, so we are very pleased to be able to show you Loraine's photo, taken at home on the washing line - thanks Loraine!

Art Quilt Australia: people, place and nation: 2013

Call for entries for Art Quilt Australia 2013:

Ozquilt Network Inc, through its Art Quilt Australia exhibitions, seeks to promote the best of Australian art quilts.  From 31 October to 14 December 2013, Art Quilt Australia: people, place and nation will be exhibited at Craft ACT Craft and Design Centre.

To align with the centenary of Canberra celebrations in 2013, Art Quilt Australia has selected the theme of people, place and nation. Australia is a nation of diverse peoples, landscapes, plants, animals and climate, and Canberra is the place where all Australians and the nation are represented. This theme offers artists the opportunity of a wide range of responses and interpretations.

Closing date for entries: 19 July 2013

All details and entry forms from Ozquilt Network Inc, here.

• Other events and exhibition listed on the Ozquilt Network website

How Does Your Garden Grow - Elle's first prize (secondary students)

Elle Wyatt-Spratt with her quilted panels, Hidden Beneath the Waves, which has been awarded equal first in the secondary schools section of the inaugural quilt competition for quilters under 35, organised by the Quilters Guild of NSW, with the theme How does your garden grow?  Elle shared first place with Sarah Kitcher from Grafton High School. Among their prizes are three Brother sewing machines to be given to each of their schools. Elle's will go to the Distance Education Unit, NSW Dept of Education and Communities.

Elle's catalogue statement: This quilt was designed for my Year 11 Textiles project.  It's an interpretation of an underwater coral reef garden full of exotic flora, which I created using a variety of fabrics such as silk, polyester, chiffons and organzas, and embellished with silk tussahs, beads, ribbons and wool, on a background of batik-style cotton.

Congratulations Elle!

For a review of the exhibition (which is open today from 10.00 - 4.00 pm, in Stanmore), and photos of more of the quilts, visit Badskirt's blog, and take Amy's advice to go along and have a look if you can. 

Thanks to Amy Gunson for her photo of Elle, taken at the prize presentation yesterday, and generously shared. The black and white quilt in the photo is by Emillia Blanch from Grafton High School, My Contemporary Black and White Garden.

Indigo Gives America the Blues - online exhibition

A current exhibition at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska, Indigo Gives America the Blues, is also available in an online edition.

The exhibition combines information about the numerous chemical processes that have been developed over centuries to bring indigo dyes and cloth together successfully, with a timeline illustrated by a variety of quilts.  You can click on every image for a large, detailed view.

• More casual photos from the Indigo exhibition in this Facebook album from the museum

Community quilts: 20th September 2012

Yesterday was a community quilts sewing day at Pennant Hills. We did do some sewing, but mostly we pinned, and pinned, and then pinned some more.  The last few months' work has yielded a number of completed tops, and it was time to pin-baste them ready for quilting and binding.  We think we pin basted 9 quilts - only possible in a single day when there are many hands to lighten the work.

They included this sashed 9 patch put together by Dawn from blocks pieced by several members.  Much of the fabric is thought to be Laura Ashley:

This vibrant top was made by Robin W, using just one oblong-shaped patch arranged in eight-piece blocks:

Robin also made this top (from her own stash), which was then quilted and bound by Maureen, and donated to the community quilt collection for 2012:

When Elaine gets back from her country trip, we'll be after the recipe for the delicious chocolate chip cookies we had for morning tea - thanks Elaine! 

Modern Mystery Quilt: free, and online now

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 

It's already started, but you can begin any time - a fun, free mystery quilt for those drawn to Modern Quilting who don;t mind not knowing where they will end up:

Attention all mystery quilt fans! It’s fresh, it’s fun, it’s free, and you will only find it at www.QuiltViews.com, the official blog site for the American Quilter’s Society and American Quilter magazine. 

Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr, authors of Quilts Made Modern and pioneers in the modern quilt movement, have designed a modern mystery quilt just for us, to be revealed in six weekly installments beginning September 12, 2012.

Full details, including compliance with copyright requirements are available from Quilt Views and News.

Quilt Shows this weekend, and a textile exhibition

Katoomba/Leura/Wentworth Falls Hospital Auxiliary 4th Annual Quilt Show 

Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th September, 2012, 10am to 4pm 

Blue Mountains Retirement Village, Cnr. Great Western Highway and Queens Road, Katoomba.  

Entry fee $5. All proceeds from this event go to support the Blue Mountains District Anzac Memorial Hospital.. For all enquiries phone Kay on 4757 4066. 

If you are making your way up to the Blue Mountains, you might also be interested in this exhibition, open until 30th September:

"When is a Quilt Not a Quilt?"
Textiles by Lindsay Duncan 

Ashcrofts Restaurant, 18 Govetts Leap Road, BlackheathContact: Ashcrofts Restaurant on 02 4787 8297

South Coast and Country Quilters' Guild 11th Exhibition

Friday-Sunday 14 - 16 September
(Fri & Sat : 10.00am - 5.00pm; Sun : 10.00am - 3.00pm)

Batemans Bay Soldiers Club, 2 Beach Road, Batemans Bay

Proceeds to the Snowy Hydro South Care Helicopter Service.Adults :  $5.00;  Students : Free

The images are free quilting clip art, from the extensive collection generously created and shared by Dawn Lesley Stewart, on her website

How does your garden grow? exhibition

An exhibition of the entries in
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Quilt Competition for Under 35's, celebrating the Quilter's Guild of NSW 30th Anniversary, will be held at

Newington College
200 Stanmore Road, Stanmore

Friday - Sunday 21-23rd September
10am - 4pm daily

Presentation of prizes 11.00 am Saturday 22nd.  Congratulations to Elle on her award (we don't know what it is for yet, just that she has won a prize) - details and photos later!

Parking and location details are on Template Free

More on Australian-designed fabric

Kelani Fabric Obsession (based in Victoria - you might have seen them at the Sydney Quilt Show and Craft Fair) has a range of fabric from Australian designers - it is not all designed for quilting, but very much worth a look.

Cottage Quilt Works at Warriewood blogged recently about the arrival of the latest collection of fabrics designed by Verity Hindwood.

If you are interested in the Down Under collection from Minty Blossoms mentioned in this post, you might like to know that it is starting to appear in Australian stores - first spotted on the Quiltopia!Design website a few days ago. The shop is in Maleny Qld, and sells online as well; and some of the collection is now available from Funky Fabrics, also in Queensland and online.

Fairholme Quilters Exhibition 2012 (20): Blankets of Love

Like quilting groups and guilds across Australia, Fairholme Quilters contributes to the Blankets of Love initiative each year.  These little quilts are offered to families of babies who are stillborn, or who die soon after birth, to wrap the baby, or to be kept as a memento, as the parents wish. This a selection of the past year's collection, that was displayed at our exhibition in April 2012.

Thanks to Andrew Freelander for the photos.

Fairholme Quilters Exhibition 2012 (19): Mostly blue

Click on the images for a larger view:

57 RAIL FENCE

This was a kit purchased from Reece Scannell. I like the cotton fabric he has created which has a look and feel of silk. I finished off the quilt with some machine stitching.

Jo-Ann Phillips

20 BLUE CABLE

A surprise for my husband’s 60th birthday – his favourite colour being blue and keeping the pattern simple I was able to finish the quilting at my daughter’s home while babysitting her girls.

Louise Church

18 OUT OF THE BLUE

One of my favourite quilt blogs to read is Quiltville Quips and Snips by Bonnie K. Hunter.Bonnie is great at using a traditional block pattern and tweaking it a little to give it just that little different look.This is my quilt using her "My Blue Heaven" pattern and I have changed the star block corners. My stash provided all the fabric for this quilt including the backing but unfortunately does not seem to have reduced it very much. Quilted by Donna Warren at Get it Quilted

Lynette Harvey

55 A TOUCH OF GREEN
Mixing a touch of green with the blue and white, as seen in nature. Also a ‘nature’ embroidery on reverse side. I hand-stitched circles on squares, then cut into quarters and machine pieced into position. Hand quilted.
Robyn Leek

V & A fabric sale and a vintage quilt -of-the-month

• The Victoria and Albert Museum (London) currently has on sale fabric from the reproduction collection produced at the time of its 300 years of quilting exhibition Quilts 1700 - 2010.

• The International Quilt Study Center's (Lincoln, Nebraska) September 2012 Quilt of the Month is this 1844 blue and white 'Oakleaf'  hand-appliqued beauty. You can subscribe to a monthly email alert for the Quilt of the Month choices, here, for a regular insight into their collection.

Fairholme Quilters Exhibition 2012 (18): Warm earth tones

Click on the images for a larger view:

49 ALICE DREAMING II
This quilt was inspired by one that I saw hanging at Patchwork and Coffee on Main at Boolaroo while on a Fairholme Quilters bus trip a few years ago. Most of the fabrics were bought on a family holiday trip to Central Australia in 2007.
Machine pieced, hand quilted.
Elaine Walton

23 EARTH COLOURS

Not my usual colours, started off with reds and blues as well as these ‘earth colours’, but it just looked like a mess. I used Batik fabric, most of which I purchased in Paducah last year. Inspired by a pattern in Down Under Quilts issue 147, called KaffeSquared2.

Loraine McIntosh

Thanks to Andrew Freelander for the photos.

Fairholme Quilters Exhibition 2012 (17): Pineapple log cabin class

Click on the images for a larger view:

7 PINEAPPLE LOG CABIN

This quilt is a new twist on a traditional block design. It uses bright 30's style prints, it is finished with a wide scalloped border and the quilt is enhanced with big stitch quilting in perle thread. It is inspired by a Gwen Marston quilt but the final design is my own.

Robyn Tayler

75 KAIDEN’S QUILT
My niece was expecting twins, a girl and a boy, so I made this quilt using a pattern shown to us by Robyn Tayler, a member of Fairholme. I wanted to use some 1920s fabric, and fabric which I bought in Canada. I quilted this myself.
Marijke Arrowsmith

76 PIPER’S QUILT
My niece was expecting twins, a girl and a boy, so I made this quilt using a pattern shown to us by Robyn Tayler, a member of Fairholme. I wanted to use some 1920s fabric, and fabric which I bought in Canada. I quilted this myself.
Marijke Arrowsmith

Thanks to Andrew Freelander for the photos

Fairholme Quilters Exhibition 2012 (16):Houses, gardens and flowers

Click on the images for a larger view:

69 COUNTRY HOUSES

This started with a charm pack of ‘country’ fabric which appealed to me and the desire to do some more hand piecing. Then I found the template set for the house block, and couldn’t resist it. Of course much more fabric followed, and more blocks, and it just grew. Once I had the centre and the flying geese in the outer border done, the Monday quilters from Fairholme gave me some great advice about colour placement in the solid borders. Entirely handpieced, and yes, I did enjoy it. Jo-Ann Phillips, Quiltwise, took my ‘non-fussy’ nature into account and machine quilted it beautifully. My second completed quilt (when do I stop counting?)

Sue Crowe

46 LOG CABIN & APPLIQUE

Traditional Log Cabin in country colours was inspired by a pattern in Patchwork & Quilting magazine designed by Tara Sniedze. The custom quilting was completed by Michele Turner of Pinetree Cottage Quilting.

Marilyn Abbey

Thanks to Andrew Freelander for the photographs.

Fairholme Quilters Exhibition 2012 (15):More medallion quilts

Click on the images for a larger view.

10 ROYAL BLUE
I enjoy hand sewing; hence my quilts are all entirely hand made. Materials are my inspiration – ideas come from their patterns and my designs seem to grow from them.
Lorraine Kenchington

Thanks to Andrew Freelander for the photographs.

Quilting in the Highlands 2013

Berrima Patchwork has released details of their annual four day retreat for 2013, including the line-up of teachers and registration:

Saturday 27th July - Tuesday 30th July 2013

Quilting in the Highlands is a 4 day quilting retreat featuring 6 award winning teachers from Australia and the USA. Each workshop is for period of 2 days. You can choose to attend just for 2 days or all 4 days.

• Quilting in the Highlands 2013 web page.

Template Free: information about events in September

Check out Template Free (the Quilters Guild of NSW blog) for information on a number of events during September ... including  NSW History Week seminars,

• Heritage Quilts at Penrith City Library on 11th September (with Dr Annette Gero)  
• Quilt Connections at the Powerhouse Discovery Centre in Castle Hill on 12th September

Bookings are essential for both events.

Coolatai Hanging of the Quilts 2012 (via Quilters World)

We know from meeting them in July here in the big smoke, that Pauline and Rob Rogers of Quilters World get around. Yesterday they posted on their blog about the Hanging of the Quilts in the tiny northern NSW town of Coolatai (about 230 km north of Tamworth) ..." During the last weekend in August  they don't keep it hidden at all! It's on display everywhere throughout the village." Check out the great photos here.

New Bernina Australia website launched

Bernina Australia has launched a new website: 

In WHAT'S NEW you'll find our OzNews, Events, Promotions, Awards and Site Updates.
EXPERIENCE is where you'll find projects, free downloads & information about sewing stars.

We're still at www.bernina.com.au, however, if you have previously bookmarked our old site you will need to delete the bookmark before accessing the new site.

• Bernina Australia on Facebook