Friday, April 3, 2026

Some reading and viewing links for the long weekend


QuiltCon 2026 award winners

QuiltCon is the largest modern quilting event in the world, presented by the Modern Quilt Guild. It is a quilt event full of quilters, makers, artists, vendors … from all around the world!

QuiltCon features a vibrant quilt show full of competition quilts, community outreach quilts, and special exhibits as well as an enticing vendor hall, with all booths curated with the modern quilter in mind. 


Handmade quilts bring comfort to palliative care patients

Kaye-Maree Hinton's husband Garry was in end-of-life care with a rare type of brain cancer, when a nurse laid a bright, handmade quilt over his hospital bed.

Ms Hinton, 62, says the simple act of kindness provided a spark of colour and comfort in the stark and sterile hospital environment.

"The fact that somebody cared and thought about him," she said.

"It was so comforting … to cover him with something so beautiful, instead of just hospital sheets and hospital blankets in cold, stark white."  Emma Siossian, ABC Mid North Coast, 22 February 2026


3D Landscape Embroidery Captures Colorful Aerial Views of Rural England

…Inspired by aerial views, textile artist Victoria Rose Richards creates colorful, 3D embroiderydesigns based on the rural landscape of her hometown of Plymouth, England. Each highly-detailed piece looks like a textile snapshot taken from the sky … Emma Taggart, My Modern Met, 17 October 2020


In my experience as a textile artist and educator, imperfection is not a flaw in creative work. It is an essential ingredient. It is where movement appears, where decisions become visible, and where the hand leaves a trace that no machine or formula can replicate. Imperfection is not the opposite of skill. It is the evidence of presence … Carolina Oneto, Modern Quilting Blog, 17 February 2026


Many quilters learn technique. Far fewer learn how to critique quilts.

Yet the ability to analyze and articulate what we see is essential for artistic growth. Whether you are attending QuiltCon, visiting a local guild show, or reviewing your own work on the design wall, developing skills in art critique for quilters transforms instinctive reactions into informed evaluation … Carolina Oneto, Modern Quilting Blog, 24 March 2026


Why value contrast matters in quilting

What is most important in quilting? Is it the design, the fabrics, straight/curved/matching seams? Or is it most important that one’s quilt looks unique – or just like the model in the pattern?

All of the above may be important to you, but when you get the basics right in quilt construction, one more thing is key. It is important to have proper value contrast in your quilt Tilkunviilaaja blog, 1 February 2026


Color Theory and Quilt Background Color Selection

In many traditional quilt designs built from repeated blocks, a motif naturally reads as the foreground, while a single—often neutral—fabric functions as the background or negative space. While this convention doesn’t apply to all of my work as a modern, improvisational quilter, there are times when a clear relationship between foreground and background emerges. That’s the case with this quilt in progress. As I pieced these motifs together, I had a fairly clear vision: I imagined them set against a neutral grey background. From years of hands-on experience and study of color theory, I know that a mid-toned grey can support colorful motifs without competing with them. Unlike white, which can wash colors out, or black, which can create high contrast and visual drama, a mid-tone grey tends to allow colors to relate to one another more naturally. … Claudia Shearer Quilts Blog, 6 February 2026

Friday, March 27, 2026

Latest finishes

 

‘Zoo Dwellers’ is a free fat quarter friendly design by
Andy Knowlton that can be downloaded here. The quilt
top uses 7 fat quarters and sashing/border fabric
Julie’s gentle blue and green version is for a friend
of a friend. It was quilted by Sue Olma.



Jeni’s log cabin, made with large pieces, is a quick ‘quilt in a weekend’ called ‘Weekend Stripes’ designed by Mel Storey Patchwork.

The colour contrast and subtle differences in the prints add interest to the straight forward design. Quilted by Sue Olma.


Roslyn chose a colour palette reminiscent of Provence
for her ‘Ellenbank’ quilt, designed by Emma Di Stefano
from Treehouse Textiles. Choosing fabrics block by block,
and hand piecing provided Roslyn with little oases of
calm in a busy life and an enjoyable quilting experience.

Hand quilting added to the hand piecing experience, with
machine quilting by Laura finishing the outer border.

The perfect Provençal blue for the backing.



Sunday, March 22, 2026

Introducing our 2026 Quilt Show vendors: The Makers Stash

Quilt shows are a wonderful opportunity to meet and shop with online shops, and of course to see their stock in real life. We are delighted that The Makers Stash will be one of three vendors at our 2026 Quilt Show on 16 - 17 May:

Leela Gillett,  also known as Miss Leelais the maker and designer behind The Maker’s Stash, a boutique patchwork business devoted to the gentle crafts of English paper piecing and slow stitching. Based in the Blue Mountains, Leela has been stitching for over 20 years and designs patterns, paper templates and curated fabric collections that celebrate mindful, hand-stitched creativity. Through her shop, tutorials and online community, she loves sharing the joy of slow stitching and encouraging makers to embrace beautiful scraps, traditional techniques and the simple pleasure of creating something by hand.  




She will be bringing curated fabric bundles, vintage sheet bundles, fabric packs, slow stitching packs, vintage linens, a small selection of EPP paper templates, threads and notions as well as my patterns and kits to the show.


You can preview how beautiful The Makers Stash range of fabrics and other products is on the website, and on Facebook and Instagram. If you love English paper piecing, you will find much to love, and if you are a beginner, lots of encouragement. 

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

April events




Peppin Heritage Centre Gallery
295 George Street, Deniliquin NSW





76 Queen Street, Concord West 2138
Open 9 - 4 Monday - Friday; 10 - 2 Saturday and Sunday
Closed public holidays





90 Hunter Street Newcastle 2300
Open 10 - 4 Wednesday - Saturday; 10 - 2 Sunday
Closed public holidays










Thursday, March 12, 2026

Introducing our 2026 Quilt Show vendors: Fabric Garden

We are very pleased to have three local vendors attending our 2026 Quilt Show on 16 and 17 May:


Sue Miller’s Fabric Garden is at  
Level 2 Andrews House, 15/185 Military Road,
 Neutral Bay 2089 on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, 

You can follow Fabric Garden on both Instagram and Facebook.

Fabric Garden specialises in modern quilting fabric, keeping up with latest releases, notions, threads, patterns, kits, and a range of crochets and knitting yarns and notions. Also on offer is a wide range of classes, including for beginner quilters, children, and teens. Sue teaches herself and invites guest teachers throughout the year.

This month Fabric Garden is hosting a two day Laura Hein Collage quilting workshop with accredited teacher Maru Sato, on 28 and 29 March. Details and bookings here on the Fabric Garden website.



You will be able to see our raffle quilt, ‘Bespoked’ hanging at Fabric Garden later this month, and to buy raffle tickets there.


We will introduce our other two vendors The Makers Stash and 60 Stitches in future posts.

You will see that there will be lots of fabulous shopping opportunities at the show!




Saturday, March 7, 2026

More new finishes


A tessellating plus quilt always requires close attention
 to ensure that the simple square patches actually line up
so that they red as plus shapes to the eye. Elaine G’s use
 of high contrast colour and tone make the quilt vibrant
 but needed a high level of vigilance in their placement.


Elaine has quilted a variable grid to add interest for
 both the viewer and the quilter.

The quilt will be donated to a patient at Westmead Hospital.


Elaine’s 15 year old grandson asked her fora new cushion
for his bed when the one he’s loved since he was three
wore out. He is still a committed cat-lover, so Elaine re-made
the very same one, in somewhat more sophisticated colours
and prints to coordinate with his grown-up quilt.
He loves it - two excellent outcomes for a quilting grandma
- a quilted cushion worn out from use, and love
 for the requested replacement.


‘Cabin Fever’ is aptly named - during COVID lockdowns 

Miriam used a stash of scraps from her own collection and into 

her late mother’s. The long awaited result is a much loved, 

 eclectic mix of prints, replete with memories, stitched into 

a comfortable and comforting quilt loved by her family. 


Many of the pieces are small, the blocks are a miscellany of 
house blocks, log cabins, stacks and hearts made from many 
narrow strips, flying geese and others to be discovered - 
there is no pattern, but it is a completely cohesive design.

You might see this one at the #fairholmequiltshow2026 
16 - 17 May - look out for it!

Sunday, March 1, 2026

More new community quilt finishes

Daphne likes to experiment with block pattern. This one is
cleverly less complicated than it looks.
The pattern is ‘Entwined’ from Quilt Expressions, available
 as a downloadable .pdf file



A whimsical ‘Crossroads’ quilt, made for our community
collection, by Miriam 
@sewmiriam.
The design is by Emma Di Stefano from Treehouse Textiles






Another whimsical community quilt, this one made
by Elaine G has a fun summery feel.



Elaine W has made numerous quilts with hexagon
flowers - this one is a welcome addition to the community
collection. 







Tuesday, February 24, 2026

New quilt finishes

 
You will be able to see Robyn’s big beautiful quilt up close
at our 2026 Quilt Show 16 - 17 May. Robyn particularly enjoys
hand stitching and embroidery, and has used both in this quilt.
The hand appliquéd circles are all Liberty, and only a few
prints are repeated.

The centre circles are  hand embroidered, with a
variety of designs and stitches. 



The print borders are also a Liberty print, and the sawtooth
final border is needle turn appliquéd to the lawn border.



Tessellating windmills of bright batiks - a new
quilt that Chris’s grandchildren are enjoying.



Denise’s big. beautiful ‘Patchwork of the Crosses’, quilt,
designed by Lucy Boston reaches to the floor over her
queen sized bed. That’s a lot of English paper piecing.
 Quilted by Laura.

You can read more about Lucy Boston in 
a blog post by The Maker’s Stash.
The Maker’s Stash is a Blue Mountains based business ‘celebrating 
the gentle art of English paper piecing and slow stitching’.
They will be one of three vendors at our 
Quilt Show 16 - 17 May 2026

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

March events

‘Echoes and Silences’ is an exhibition of works
by members of Untethered Fibres
Gallery hours Tuesday - Sunday 10am - 4 pm
(02) 67725255






14 FEB 2026—24 MAY 2026
Stitching Stories: 50 Years of Canberra Quilters

176 London Circuit, Canberra ACT

Founded in 1976 from humble beginnings in a Curtin home, 
Canberra Quilters has grown into a vibrant community built 
on friendship, creativity, and a shared passion for patchwork 
and quilting.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Canberra Quilters remains a 
vital contributor to Canberra’s arts landscape. The group skilfully 
unites a range of activities - including its annual exhibition and sale, 
the Quilts for Others program, and diverse special interest groups - 
forming a thriving and harmonious creative community.














Modern Quilt Show Australia 2026


Entries now closed

Early bird tickets now available

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TEXStyle 2026
Presented by the
Technology Educators Association of NSW
 1 March - 24 April 2026

The TEXStyle exhibition is the annual showcase of
excellence in HSC Textiles and D
esign, enjoyed
by both th
e education sector and wider community.

76 Queen Street, Concord West 2138
Open 9 - 4 Monday - Friday
10 - 2 Saturday and Sunday
Closed public holidays






www.yarnshow.com.au