Best of Show: American Quilter's Society Show, Paducah 2013

AQS Best of Show winners in Paducah, Kentucky last week were Renae Haddadin and Karen Kay Buckley for Fiesta Mexico. Photos are all over the internet - the Quilt Show blog has some of the best, including a number of the back, showing the quilting in detail, as well as the hand-appliqued front. It is, as you would expect, stunning.

• AQS video interview - Bonnie Browing, Show Director interviews the makers of Fiesta Mexico
• A very fast-paced video: 2013 AQS QuiltWeek - Paducah Official Winners Trailer
•  For more photos and video from AQS Paducah, visit AQS on Facebook

During the interview with Bonnie Browning, Karen and Renae say that Fiesta Mexico will be given to the  Museum of the American Quilter's Society, so there will be many more opportunities to see it.

Saffron Craig - new range of organic cotton

Valley View (Image courtesy Saffron Craig)

Sydney designer Saffron Craig has released a new range of organic cotton fabric, Valley View:

The Valley View organic fabric range captures the essence of Australia's breathtaking valley’s with hidden spots and natural secrets while paying homage to folk art, cross stitch and patch work. Colours include pink, magenta, purple, yellow, black and white. 

The 8 fabrics on the range include six prints, a 'cheater' design (that Saffron suggests as a quilt back), and a printed panel. They 'are 100% organic cotton of the highest quality with a super soft feel and vibrant colours.' Click here for more photos of the whole range.

Saffron will have a stand at the Sydney Stitches and Craft Fair at Darling Harbour in June, and at Red Berries show next weekend, where she will have Valley View and her earlier ranges for sale.

Coincidentally, the current issue of Quilter's Newsletter (April/May 2013) features an article on the growth of organic cottons designed for quilting and other uses, and provides additional interviews with some  designers as a 'web extra', here.

Fairholme Quilters' show and tell

Georgie's gorgeous blue and white fabrics have been settling in to her stash since our first visit to Boolooroo, some years ago. The blocks are made by the 'quilt as you go' method. note the placement of the darkest value fabrics in the block borders - they really help the eye to move around the quilt.

Jill followed Elizabeth Hartman's directions (substituting 3" finished squares for a larger quilt) for laying out simple nine-patch blocks in a lattice, with counterpanes of Kona 'Coal' (Robert Kaufman), for this community quilt. 

'Quilt-as-you-go' also turned these four patch circles ...

 ... into scrappy hour glasses on one side ...

... and scrappy circles on the reverse, under Lyn's magic wand.

Thanks to Sue Crowe for the images.

Viewers' Choice in AQC Challenge

Viewers' choice in the AQC 2013 Challenge, 'Free' has been won by Bernadine Hine's Coreopsis - be sure to click on the photos on her blog for excellent detailed views.

Bernadine says that Coreopsis is 'My interpretation (of) the lovely Coreopsis flowers that grow wild where they aren't supposed to.'

Australasian Quilters Convention Awards 2013

National Awards were presented at the AQC Gala Dinner in Melbourne on Saturday night:

The Bernina National Quilt Award 2013 has been awarded to Rachelle Denneny from South Australia for her quilt  Golden Ivory (photo on Bernina Australia website).
The Bernina National Quilt Award is presented to the maker of the quilt that is judged the best from the Best of Show quilts from the annual state guild shows around the country.

The 2013 Rajah Award was presented to Jenny Bowker.
The Rajah Award acknowledges the outstanding contribution by an individual to quilting in Australia.

The 2013 Lut-Da Award was presented to Ruby Houston.

The Lut-Da Award goes to a quilter who has made an outstanding contribution to their local or quilting community via the medium of quilting.

Awards at AQC 2013

This page on the Bernina Australia website features the stunning State Best of Show winners in contention for the Bernina Best of Australia award at the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne, in session now.

Which one will win - could you choose? All will be revealed soon (at the AQC Gala Dinner on Saturday night).

The AQC 2013 Challenge (theme 'Free') winner and runner-up are announced here, with the viewers' choice to be announced on Sunday.
Judy Hall (Punch with Judy) provides some details about the quilters' process, and more detailed photos on her blog.

23/4/2013:
Viewers' choice in the AQC 2013 Challenge has been won by Bernadine Hine's Coreopsis - be sure to click on the photos on her blog for excellent detailed views.

Quilt show in Berry

RedBerry Quilters was established recently in the beautiful NSW south coast town of Berry. They are jumping right in with an exhibition:

Quilts in May
Quilt Show and Challenge
Friday 3 - Sunday 5 May, 2013

Berry School of Arts

Alexander St Berry

Proceeds to Noah's Ark Children's Services

Recent Fairholme members' show and tell

Click on the images for a larger view ...

These beautifully intricate blocks demanded a lot of time, concentration and skill of Pat! 

Robyn T tried several alternatives for the centre panel of this enormous quilt, until this one told her that it was exactly the right one.

Community quilt pieced by Jill using fabrics donated by the Quilters Guild of NSW, some from our community stash and a little from home. There are some more blocks ready to make another one.

Well done Elizabeth on the first quilt you have quilted yourself. A very nice adaptation of a four patch design.

These 1" hexgons just might belong to someone who said fairly recently 'Oh, I'll never make a hexagon quilt!'

Calico and Ivy Balmain is closing

Saturday, 4th May 2013, after two years of trading, and is having a closing down sale until then.

Liberty of London fabric is down to $45.00 per metre, all other fabric is 50% off.
Giftware is 50% off and books 10% off.

Calico and Ivy in Perth is not closing.

10 Birchgrove Road, Balmain
Phone  02 9555 9909

www.calicoandivy.com

Calico and Ivy Balmain on Facebook