Australian Quilt Show 2026 entries open

 All details from Craft Events:

https://craftevents.com.au/2026-aqs-enter-your-quilt/

Community quilts

‘Plaidish’ quilt, designed by Kitchen Table Quilting,
 made by Susan Mack. The fabric was chosen from the
community stash by Miriam and Sue C.

Susan’s pieced backing complements both
the colours and design of the front.

Quilted by Laura

Susan Mack also made this quilt with arrow head blocks,
 from a coordinated range of fabrics donated
to the community stash.

The colourful zebra print makes a touch of whimsy on the back.

Just a few of the zebras are multicoloured in neons. 
Quilted by Laura.

Val has donated her Provençal colours quilt, formerly
 a teaching sample to the community collection.

The backing design makes the quilt double sided.

AQC 2025 award winners and finalists

Photos and full lists of award winners and finalists at the Australasian Quilt Convention (held in Melbourne 10 - 13 April 2025) have been posted to the AQC website (links below):

2025 AQC Best of Show and runner up

Best of Show prize of $10,000 goes to Bronwyn Hill for her amazing quilt ‘Horatio’.

Runner up to Best in Show goes to Linda Steele and her fabulous improv quilt ‘Freedom’

2025 AQC Challenge Finalists and award winners

Winner: Helen Duncan with The Unofficial Mascot who wins $3500 

Runner Up: Alison Withers with Trek – Day 1, who wins $1,500.

AQC 2025 Viewers choice

Keep Me on the Map, by Lynn Keogh (NSW) was voted Viewers’ Choice at the Convention. It can be seen in the link to the Challenge Finalists.

Winners of the 2025 AQC Awards

The AQC awards recognise achievement in the quilting community, and are presented by Expertise Events. The criteria for each award and nomination procedures are given on the AQC website. The winners of the 2025 AQC Awards are:

The Hall of Fame award: Pauline Rogers

Shining Light: Nickel Lambie

Rajah Award: Brenda Gael Smith

Lut-da Award: Beverley Perel

 

Opportunities

Two new opportunities to display your quilts have been announced - one in Australia, one international, online.

aqc.com.au

The Challenge:

Create a 90cm square quilt, using your own unique interpretation of the theme.
Enter online before Thursday 6th February 2025.

Judging will be based on interpretation of theme, excellence in design and craftsmanship.

Submissions opening soon.

Grab your quilt and join the parade! 
The American Quilters Society is hosting a virtual Show and Tell, 
celebrating the incredible creativity of quilters around the world.

Learn more about the AQS Worldwide Quilt Parade 
sponsored by Rowenta here: 
go.americanquilter.com/quilt-parade-2024

All submissions must be received by September 24, 2024
The Quilt Gallery for the Parade of Quilts opens for viewing on 
October 1, 2024.

The New Quilt 2024

 

QuiltNSW posted previews of quilts juried into The New Quilt 2024 in the lead-up to the exhibition’s opening  on Friday 3 May. This quilt is Val Nadin’s - Val is a Life Member and founding member of Fairholme Quilters. Congratulations on being selected for this exhibition Val:

‘A Fractured Landscape - After the Flood by Val Nadin considers the destructive power of nature and, in particular, when the Nepean River burst its banks in 2022 and inundated the Yarramundi bridge.

Val’s interest in quilts began in 1980, while she was living in Singapore. She developed her skills and technique in both traditional and art quilt-making over 40 years. She has taught many classes, judged exhibitions, and worked on Valuation Committee for 25 years. Many of her works are in Australian-themed series, for example, ‘Convicts and Soldiers’, ‘Bushfires’, ‘Drought’, and more recently, ‘Floods’. Val’s quilts have been exhibited across Australia and internationally. Her favourite techniques include strip piecing, and the inclusion of her own hand-dyed fabrics and found objects such as teabags, plastics, and beads. She is currently working on a series of small quilts, using fabrics identified with specific cultures, such as Australia’s First Nations, Indonesia, France, England, and Africa.’

The exhibition is now open until 23 June 2024 at the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Windsor NSW. 

Congratulations to Sue Dennis, who won the major prize with her quilt ‘Tempest’, and to Anna Brown, runner-up with her quilt ‘Canopy 27’, announced at the exhibition opening on 3 May. You can see their winning quilts, all of the juried quilts in the online gallery, and the program of exhibition events at the QuiltNSW website. We recommend a visit to the beautiful Hawkesbury Regional Gallery if you can make it.

 

New community quilts

A small pile of 5” squares and some complimentary
border strips became this sweet, gentle quilt under
 Lynette’s sure hand.

A scrappy floral binding is the finishing touch.

2 1/2” strips were the ingredients for small log cabin blocks
made by several members at our last AGM, at Lynette’s
suggestion. She then organised them into rainbow order
on the diagonal for a very appealing quilt,

Sue used Miriam’s design of squares with two
corner triangles, and a collection of her many
blue fabrics for her blocks.

And they became stars.

Can you tell that Sue loves blue? These blues are all
 from her own stash. There are plenty more.

Louise has been rationalising her not-quite-finished
 accumulation of quilt tops and generously donated several
 to our community collection.

Another member Janet quilted it on her long-arm machine,
 and Sue finished with the binding.

QuiltCon 2024

QuiltCon 2024 is the large modern quilt exhibition and convention hosted by The Modern Quilt Guild in Raleigh, North Carolina from 22 - 25 February. Photos of the award winning quilts can be found on Instagram, Facebook and on the MQG website: https://quiltcon.com/quiltcon-2024-winners

The Best of Show was awarded to Ginny Robinson for ‘What We Will Use as Weapons: A List of School Supplies’, a powerful commentary on school shootings in the US.

Most of the entries and award winners came from the United States, but others came from a number of other countries, including Australia. Tara Glastonbury from Melbourne won a second place award in the Super Scrappy Challenge with her quilt ‘Multifarious Me’. The category rules required a minimum of 30 different fabrics to be included in the quilt. You can find Tara on Instagram @stitchandyarn, and on Facebook at Stitch and Yarn, where she has also shared photos and information about other Australian exhibitors.

Lorena Uriarte from Sydney was invited to make the QuiltCon 2024  raffle quilt, ‘Caminito’ (Spanish for ‘little laneway’). The quilt was pieced by Lorena, machine quilted by Cat Jones from Tasmania, with additional hand quilting by Lorena. You can see more detail and photos in Lorena’s Instagram post @lorena_in_sydney.

The Peoples’ Choice award, announced at the end of the show on Sunday was won by Irina Timofeeva from the Russian Federation for her very clever quilt ‘White Babbles’, which can be seen on Instagram, Facebook and the QuiltCon website and Instagram.

Congratulations to the award winners, all the entrants and to The Modern Quilt Guild.

QuiltCon 2025
Convention Centre

Phoenix Arizona
20 - 23 February 2025

Tara Faughnan will be the featured speaker and exhibitor

More new community quilts

Helen is finishing off a few projects she has found in her
sewing room, donating several to our community collection. 

The red - blue- cream palette was popular at show and tell.
Quilted by Laura.

Elaine G used squares and strips in a five piece block,
rotated to add layers of interest..

She used an interesting layout on the back too,
to make a feature of a join.

Machine quilting more visible on the reverse.

Susan made this one some time ago, and decided it
needs to be used rather living in a shelf.

Two challenges to start the quilting year

Looking for a stimulating quilting challenge for the new year? Here are some newly announced local opportunities to stretch your wings. See our ‘Calls for entries’ page for others.

QUILT NSW

2024 SUITCASE CHALLENGE - BLACK and WHITE

The 2024 Suitcase Challenge theme is 'Black & White'. 

It's time to get creative and start planning your entry now!

You can use solid colours or prints but they must read as black and white 

(no grey, cream or other colours are permitted). 

 As always, your quilt must be 40cm x 40cm and made of three layers.

Entries will close on Friday 11 October 2024. 

 The quilts will be judged, and winners announced at the 

Annual General Meeting in November.

More information and the conditions of entry are on the QuiltNSW website.

TEXTILE FEST 

ONE RED THREAD ART PRIZE 2024:

‘I SEE RED’

The competition/exhibition

• is open to fibre, thread and textile artists  
• is a non-acquisitive competition and exhibition
• accepts entries representing any use of fibre, threads and textiles andencourages the artist to explore traditional and non-traditional practices
• the focus of this textile art prize and exhibition is Colour, Composition, Creativity and Craftsmanship
• textiles encompasses fibre, thread, stitching, quilting, embroidery and includes fabric, fibre, felt, wool, wire, paper, even metal
•  works to be received no later than 14 June 2024
•  judging and prizes will be awarded at the Sydney Quilt and Craft Fair 2024

More details, conditions of entry and online registration are on the Textile Fest website 

Best of Show, Sydney Quilt Show 2023

 Congratulation to Sue De Vanny for winning Best of Show with her quilt ‘She Matters’.

Quilt NSW 2023 Exhibition is at Rosehill Gardens this weekend, 15 - 17 September.

AQC challenge 2024

 

Australasian Quilt Convention 2024 Challenge

Deadline for entries: 9 February 2024

Judged Quilt Competition

Sponsored by Expertise Events Pty Ltd

The AQC challenge is run annually and welcomes entries from quilters around the world. 

Entries are juried and judged with up to 30 finalists selected and displayed at the AQC in Melbourne in April, 2024 before touring at various craft events.

AQC 2024: 11 - 14 April 2024, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne

New event notices

Conditions of entry and further information are now available:

• http://quiltersguildnsw.blogspot.com

 

10th Anniversary QuiltCon

QuiltCon 2023, the annual show hosted by The Modern Quilt Guild in the US was held in Atlanta last weekend. 

QuiltCon is a juried show, attracting entries from around the world. There are many posts on social media sharing the wonderful modern quilts, and the award winners, you can also view on the MQG website here.

The spectacular Best of Show quilt was Bullseye made by Barbara Strick from California.

The Quilting Excellence award was taken out by Northern Territory quilter Simone Symonds for her quilt Sawtooth No 3: Betelguese.

International quilt shows - photos online

These two large international quilt shows have been held over the last few days. If you didn’t get there, you can see many of the quilts here online, with excellent photography and commentary. Both Okan Arts and the International Quilt Festival (Houston) have published many posts from the shows on Facebook and Instagram.

World of Quilts 2022, Yokohama:  3 - 5 November 2022
https://okanarts.com/blogs/blog/yokohama-2022

After the cancellation of the Tokyo Quilt Festival nearly two years ago, a new Japanese quilt show is strutting its stuff. While the Yokohama International Quilt Show is smaller than the famed Tokyo event, it’s no less elegant and exciting … Victoria Stone, Okan Arts blog.

International Quilt Festival Houston 3 - 6 November 2022

https://www.quilts.com/quilt-festival/judged-show-winners/
Judged show award winners. International Quilt Festival has its own You Tube channel.

One Red Thread Textile Prize and Exhibition

Closing date for on-line entry, entry fee and photos: 30 December 2022

Works to be received no later than Friday 27 January 2023

Judging and prizes will be awarded at the Australasian Embroidery Convention, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 17 to 19 February 2023 - Sponsored by @intocraft 

 All details:

www.textilefest.com.au/ort-2022-23.html

 

Community quilt finishes

Sue has used the quiet days of summer to finish off some community quilts made last year, with their bindings and labels.

‘Play Ball’ made by Susan M

Made by Sue C

Also made by Sue C

SuperStars made by Dawn