In the news

Handmade quilts weave culture into Forster NAIDOC Week baby celebration

On Worimi Country in northern  New South Wales, a baby's tiny hand clutches a handmade patchwork quilt, eyes captivated by its striking  red, black and yellow patterns. The quilt is one of many gifted to families during a NAIDOC Week baby celebration at Forster's Tobwabba Aboriginal Medical Service. The annual event brings together Indigenous mothers and local elders to celebrate babies born over the past year, strengthen community connections and honour each child's cultural heritage … ABC Mid North Coast, Emma Siossian and Wiriya Sati. 11 July 2026

Liberty embraces sewing boom with craft classes as it expands fabrics section

Liberty has more than doubled the size of its fabrics department as it prepares to embrace the social media interest in sewing by hosting crafting classes this autumn … This autumn, Liberty will also be expanding its haberdashery area, where it will be providing workshops for crafters. “More and more department stores have moved away from [haberdashery and fabric] but we want to celebrate and elevate the customer experience,” King said.

The rising popularity of crafts such as quilt making and crochet has been partly driven by social media demonstration videos on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, as well as crafting TV programmes such as The Great British Sewing Bee … The Guardian, 27 July 2026

Recent community finishes

A recent generous donation to our community collection
for a children’s support service. Amanda combined curved
elements from some classes in an original layout, a saturated
palette and animal prints, all designed to appeal to a child.

Beautiful blue batiks in several shapes are an absolute
winner, made by Janice. Quilted by Laura.

Hilary paired the large donated tree-of-life panel with the wide 
print border donated by a friend to produce this handsome 
quilt, generously quilted by Janet. It is finished with a black 
and white striped binding. Quilted by Janet.

Julie has made several versions of the ‘Zoo Dwellers’ pattern
by Andy Knowlton. This one highlights the happy
sunflower print donated by Hilary. Quilted by Laura.

Another ‘Zoo Dwellers’ community quilt made by Julie
features soft floral prints. Quilted by Laura

Fairholme members’ recent finishes

 

A large stash of animal prints prompted Amanda to make a
quilt for her grandchildren 

And more and more animals on the back!

Summer school was way back in January, but Miriam has
finished her Rachel Porter designed zip pouch well before the
next event! This side is appliquéd.

The reverse is elongated hexagons.

Marilyn’s grown-up book bag protects her book as it
bounces around in her large tote.

Laura made a quick quilt for a an old school friend
she will meet up with on a trip.

The patches are are a mix of Japanese prints.

She incorporated a subtly quilted message in the border for the
friend who is navigating a difficult time …

… and a nod to his fondness for cats.

A stack of May Gibbs gumnut prints, and her favourite
Zoo Dwellers pattern allowed Julie to make this baby
quilt, quilted by Sue Olma.

It is for a friend to gift to a newly arrived couple expecting
their first child with no family in the country - a lovely gesture.

August events

 

Living Ornament - Islamic Architecture in Needlepoint

By Natalie Fisher

Exhibition dates: 24 July - 18 August 2026

Gallery 76

76 Queen Street, Concord West 2138

Open 9 - 4 Monday - Friday

10 - 2 Saturday and Sunday

Closed public holidays

Timeless Textiles Gallery

90 Hunter Street Newcastle 2300

Open 10 - 4 Wednesday - Saturday

10 - 2 Sunday

Closed public holidays

The Great Hall, Tocal Agricultural College
815 Tocal Rd, Tocal NSW 2421
Tocal is 180 km north of Sydney via the M1;
 14 km north of Maitland on the Paterson/Dungog Road

Book free tickets at Humantix

The Third International Art Textile Biennale

Presented by Fibre Arts Australia

Exhibition dates: 21 August - 22 September 2026

Gallery76 is proud to be the Sydney host for this touring 

exhibition of innovative artworks by 39 artists 

representing ten countries.

Gallery 76

76 Queen Street, Concord West 2138

Open 9 - 4 Monday - Friday

10 - 2 Saturday and Sunday

Closed public holidays

New community quilt finishes

 

Our community quilts are often made as a team effort.
This one landed with us as a small collection of churn dash
blocks, made in her typically bright prints, and generously
donated by Bernice Krige. Susan Mack added in some
additional blocks with animal print centres and a mix of
bright and pastel borders, and added a very cute elephant
print outer border, for an enchanting quilt.

A quilt designed to use lots and lots of small scraps.
Elaine G made this one for our community quilts collection,
using Vinuta Sewing’s video tutorial on You Tube:
https://youtu.be/cGUo_RDVHFQ.
It’s less complicated than it looks, using just two pattern
pieces, and clever rotation in each block.

It aroused a lot of interest, so we expect to see more.

The larger low volume square is the meeting point of four
smaller squares.

This quilt grew from just a few left over hand appliqued purple
circle blocks and grew and grew as Jill added more turquoise to
reduce the purple-ness, and push it to the edges.
And now it’s a 50” x 60” community quilt.

Brilliantly quilted by Laura.
The Tula Pink ‘Swallows’ wideback
was a donation to the community stash.

Roslyn: craft stall magician

 It looks like magic - the appearance of a fully stocked craft stall offering hundreds of items made and donated by our members, all beautifully presented and individually packaged and priced, ready for business from the first minute our Quilt Show opens. 

But it isn’t magic, it’s the culmination of two years of creativity, skills and hard work. While members work on individual items, Roslyn Pullen turns her creativity, skills and hard work to managing the whole: the build up of the stock, keeping track of what’s been made, storing, packaging and pricing every item, planning the display and welcoming customers.

Roslyn has been an active member of Fairholme from its earliest days, and has taken on many roles. For the last few years she has developed the craft stall into a much appreciated fundraiser with hundreds of very happy customers at quilting shows and smaller events.Roslyn and her family must be grateful for the brief respite they have from being the craft stall warehouse in between events, but Roslyn will already be casting an eye over what little remains and how that might inform planning for the next one. 

Roslyn is ably assisted by friend and fellow Fairholme quilter Jo-Ann Phillips - storing and transporting loads of stock, setting up and manning the stall. Jo-Ann says she just does as she’s told, but we know it’s much more of a partnership than that. 

This year for the show Roslyn enlisted the help of Chris Roy, another Fairholme member, to put together vintage style packs of fabric, trims, threads and linens, for use in slow stitching projects - a new, and successful line for the craft stall. There will be more.

The front foyer of our show venue (Thornleigh Community Centre) lends itself to becoming the craft stall, being visible and accessible on the way into the show and on the way out, and with good light from its north and west facing windows - it’s one of the busiest ares throughout the two days.

Thank you Roslyn and helpers for the work and talent you have put into the craft stall over the years and in 2026, and to everyone who has supported the stall by making and donating to it, and by buying from it. Congratulations on its success. We look forward to the next one.

New finishes

Do these colours remind you of anything? Laura made a Rubik’s
cube quilt for her daughter, and kept the triangular off cuts, making
them into a complimentary cushion.

A whimsical bag using some of Janice’s very favourite things -
 Liberty fabric and embroidery, working beautifully together.
Pattern by Susan Smith @notjuzahuswife, with a tweak.

Chris has made a clever block keeper, rolled around a postal
cylinder with a detachable lid that she has decorated with
the backing fabric. She chose the cylinder so that she could
not only lay her block pieces on the quilted surface, but when
it’s rolled up and secured with the ties.

Notions like threads, pins, small scissors can be stored in the
tube, its lid closed, and everything you need is kept together.