Hungarian Patchwork Guild on show in Canberra

As part of the 14th Annual Hungarian Cultural Convention there will be a show of quilts from Hungary. This is only on for a short time.

Times: Monday, 28 December 2009 to Saturday, 02 January 2010
Venue: Foyer of Multimedia Room,
Canberra Girls' Grammar School,
48 Melbourne Avenue,
Deakin ACT 2600

Further information is available at www.talalkozo.info/program/patchwork.htm

Art Quilt Australia 2009 Exhibition: 7 Nov - 19 Dec 2009

Congratulations to Canberra-based art quilters Helen Gray and Pamela Munday whose work has been selected for Art Quilt Australia 09, an exhibition of contemporary quilts presented by Ozquilt Network Inc and Craft ACT.

The exhibition opens on Saturday 7 November and continues until 19 December 2009 at the Craft ACT Craft & Design Centre, Level 1 North Building, 180 London Circuit, Canberra City ACT.

UFO Pledge for 2010

In 2009, 44 CQ members pledged to complete 62 of their UFO projects by the evening meeting in November 2009. Many CQ members have indicated that they want to clear a UFO our of the way and want to take the pledge for 2010. So here is am opportunity to set a goal for next year. Sign up and take the pledge to complete your UFO by November 2010.

The September newsletter contains a pledge certificate for your to sign and hand in to the Vice President Elizabeth Rose. Blank certificates will also be available at meetings. You will need to nominate a specific project on the pledge and be ready to show the completed quilt in November 2010. You may choose to show the incomplete UFO and tell the story at the December 2009 meeting. You may want to wait until you see the results of the 2009 pledge participants at the 5 November meeting before you take the plunge.

You have until December 2009 to make the pledge and you can nominate more than one project to complete.

Evening Meeting Bring & Buy: 5 November 2009

At the evening meeting on 5 November 2009, there will be a "bring and buy" element. This is an opportunity to sell of any unwanted fabric, patterns, books, tools and threads. NO COMPLETED ITEMS PLEASE. This is a casual arrangement - to be set up on chairs AFTER the formal part of the meeting. Please contact the Vice President Elizabeth Rose if you are planning to participate.

Exploring the Art Practice Conference

Art quilters in the Canberra area may be interested to know that the Ozquilt Network is hosting a one-day conference in Canberra entitled "Exploring the Art Quilt Practice". The conference will be held at Primal Space,Shop 12 Torrens Shopping Centre, Torrens Place, Torrens ACT from 10.30am - 4pm on 7 November 2009. Speakers include:

• Valerie Kirk, Head of Textiles, ANU School of Art, “Process, Ideas & Technique”


• Bea Brickhill, Director – ACT, Australia Business Arts Foundation, “Business Skills for Artists”


• Barbara Macey, eminent textile artist and founding member of Ozquilt Network Inc, “A Journey in Textiles”

Non Ozquilt Network members are welcome! See the booking form for the full program and other details. Conference papers are available for $15. Bookings for the Ozquilt Network annual conference close on 30 October 2009.

Made in New Zealand II

As evidenced at recent evening meetings, many CQ members have enjoyed participating in quilting activities in New Zealand including their fantastic biennial symposium. For those of us who can join the festivities at the 15th Carrefour Européen du Patchwork in Ste Marie-aux-Mines from 17-20 September 2009, we can still have the pleasure of viewing Made in New Zealand II - the the largest collection of New Zealand quilts ever assembled to travel overseas.

Fabric Search: A Message from Marie Lucas-Smith

Help Please! My friend from Fiji has started to learn patchwork and needs scraps of one particular fabric to complete her quilt. She is making a hexagon quilt so only needs scraps.

The material is a backing size cotton fabric and is a patterned fawn colour.
If anyone has any scraps even the size of the palm of your hand, I would be so grateful to help her complete her quilt.





Please contact me on 0401271854. I will come and collect or pay for postage. I hope one day to have her visit and come to Canberra quilters to show her quilt.

Marie Lucas Smith

ArtCloth Exhibition: Engaging New Visions

If you are heading up the Hume Highway, you might like to stop for at the inaugural International ArtCloth exhibition, 'ArtCloth: Engaging New Visions, Fairfield City Museum and Art Gallery, 29th August - 11th October 2009. Opening at 2.00pm Saturday, 29th August by Joan Truckenbrod, Professor of Art & Technology, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA.

The list of participants in the exhibition includes:

• Laura Beehler, USA
• Claire Benn, England
• Regina Benson, USA
• Jane Dunnewold, USA
• Susan Fell-McLean, Australia
• Claudia Helmer, Germany
• Cas Holmes, England
• Ken Kagajo, Japan
• Helen Lancaster, Australia
• Jurate Petruskeviciene, Lithuania
• Jeanne Raffer Beck, USA
• Julie Ryder, Australia
• Joan Schulze, USA
• Tjarya (Nungalka) Stanley, Ernabella Arts, Australia
• Norma Starszakowna, England
• Tjunkaya Tapaya, Ernabella Arts, Australia
• Annie Trevillian, Australia
• Joan Truckenbrod, USA
• Jurate Urbiene, Lithuania
• Els van Baarle, The Netherlands
• Marie-Therese Wisniowski, Australia

For further information visit Jane Dunnewold's website http://www.artclothstudios.com/

$1,000 Acquisitive Art Award & Braidwood Quilt Event

As part of the Braidwood Quilt Event (27-29 November 2009), textile artists are invited to create a quilt inspired by the work of Australian printmaker and artist Hall Thorpe (1874 – 1947).

The award is sponsored by Cheryl Hannah, Director of Fyre Gallery, Braidwood, in conjunction with an exhibition of Hall Thorpe’s work from November 13 to December 21

Entry forms available from the Quilt Event website www.braidwoodquiltevent.org.au

Email: dunvegan@activ8.net.au Ph (02) 4842 2355 or (02) 4842 2626

CQX Prizewinners 2009

Images of the prize winning quilts from Canberra Quilters Exhibition 2009 can now be viewed online including Best of Show - Happy Magic by Naomi Miyake:

A Slice of Canberra Quilters

You can now purchase your copy of A Slice of Canberra Quilters, a cookbook full of scrumptious tried and true recipes accompanied by colour images of quilts made by our members. Priced at $15 (excluding postage and handling), the book makes a wonderful gift.

The watermelon quilt on the cover is made by Dianne Firth.

Exhibition Awards

Our annual exhibition was opened this morning by Diana Lampe, a local Canberra embroiderer, author and writer of a column in the Canberra Times Food & Wine Guide. Diana also launched the new Canberra Quilters' cookbook, A Slice of Canberra Quilters.

These are the major award recipients:-

Bernina Best of Show: Happy Magic by Naomi Miyake

Best Use of Colour: Luminosity by Judy Turner

Chiatanya Designs
Embellishment Award: Corrugated Iron – Iron Lace II by Beth Miller

Retaining the Tradition: Cecilia’s Crazy Creation by Cecilia Skene

Excellence in Handquilting: Happy Magic by Naomi Miyake

Bernina Excellence Award
for a Junior Quilt Maker: Fairyland by Kristina Kleine Butron (age 7)

The Margaret Armistead Award for a first time exhibitor was awarded to Linda Gosnell for her quilt At Last! Linda's Seminole.
The Allan Armistead Award for a first-time Junior exhibitor was awarded to Gabrielle Ciacia for her quilt Butterfly Dots

CQ Exhibition 2009: 6-9 August

From traditional patchwork blocks to modern pictorial appliqué – more than 200 quilts will be on display at this year’s exhibition, showcasing the talent of Canberra Quilters Inc members. Many quilts will compete for awards across several categories, and there are two categories for the junior members to show their work, with the guild keen to encourage its younger members.

There will also be a number of other displays for visitors to enjoy:

• Challenge Quilts – with a theme of ‘In Your Dreams’ this is sure to produce some delightfully imaginative quilts.
• Creative Clothing – this always impressive display will have handmade garments and accessories created with two very different themes: ‘Everyday Items’ and ‘Anything Goes’.
• Best of Australia Quilts – the eight state finalists from the Bernina National Quilt award will be displayed together.
• Plus, in the Canberra Quilters’ Sales Room, visitors can purchase beautiful homewares and decorator items which are handmade by guild members.

Fair goers will have the chance to see how a quilt is cut, pieced, put together, quilted and bound as volunteers from ‘Quilts for Others’ demonstrate their stitching skills. Canberra Quilters’ members make and donate beautiful quilts to local charities each year – last year donating more than 200!

The Exhibition will be opened officially by Diana Lampe at 11am on Thursday, 6 August. Once a quilter, Diana is a well known embroiderer from the region and has published several successful books.

Diane is also a food journalist for the Canberra Times and she has the pleasure of launching the Canberra Quilters Cookbook at the fair. The book, which features fabulous food inspired miniquilts created by guild members will be available to purchase at the exhibition, and the quilts will be on display.

The exhibition is open from 10am to 4.30pm daily. See www.craftfair.com.au for more information.

Valuation Day - Saturday 26 July

Canberra Quilters is holding a quilt valuation day this Saturday.
Quilts must be booked in and delivered before Saturday, so contact the co-ordinator Beth Reid, on the number in Connecting Threads.

Southside Daytime Meeting: 15 July

The next "Southside"daytime meeting of Canberra Quilters is on Wednesday, 15 July.

The theme for the meeting is Festive Quilts: All Occasions


Christmas Star Wreaths by
Brenda Gael Smith

July 12: 2009 raffle quilt at Old Bus Depot Markets

On 12 July the Canberra Quilters raffle quilt will be on display, with tickets for sale, at the Old Bus Depot Markets at Kingston in Canberra. This is the annual "Creative Fibre" day at the markets - they are open from 10am until 4pm. Volunteers are still needed -if you are able to help out on the day please contact Pat Barter on the number in the newsletter.
Image of Butterfly Panzie by Jenny Casey. Alternative first prize is a Bernina Activa PE230 sewing machine.

AQCa meeting: 11 July

Art Quilters Canberra (AQCa) is the special interest group of art quilters within Canberra Quilters. It is meeting this Saturday, 11 July, at 'The Hub' in the Civic Library from 1.30pm until 3.30pm. Discussion on some of the elements of composition and printing with stencils.

CQ Evening Meeting: 2 July

The next evening meeting is set for Thursday, 2 July, 7.15 for 7.45-10pm. The program includes members sharing their experiences of attending the Quilt Symposium in New Zealand earlier in the year.

Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award & Forum

Congratulations to CQ member Dianne Firth who is one of the textile artists selected for the inaugural Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award and associated exhibition that opens at 11 am on 20 June and runs to 19 July 2009 at the Wangaratta exhibitions gallery, Ovens St, Wangaratta.

Image: Louise Saxton, Home-Tree, 2008

The Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Forum takes place on Saturday 20 June 2009 from 12.30 – 4.30pm

KEY NOTE SPEAKERS

Liz Williamson
Head School of Design Studies College of Fine Arts University of New South Wales

Intriguing the Senses: Contemporary Textiles
Textiles artists and designers have embraced innovative research techniques to explore complex concepts producing individual and innovative textiles. By exploring current issues of sustainability, environment and place combined with historical reference and new technologies, all are developing intriguing ways to inform the senses.

This lecture will illustrate current research projects by staff and postgraduate students at the College of Fine Arts, UNSW and at UTS in Sydney. It will also document research undertaken in developing woven textiles for Liz Williamson: Textiles a solo exhibition held at Object Gallery, Sydney in late 2008 as part of the Living Treasures series and now touring nationally.

Laura Jocic
Curator Fashion & Textiles National Gallery of Victoria

Australian textiles in the collection of the NGV
How the collection has developed and the range of works and techniques represented, including 19th century embroideries and 20th century printed and woven textiles.

ARTISTS FLOOR TALK
Sara Lindsay, Julie Montgarrett, Louise Saxton, Patrick Snelling, Emma Sulzer

Cost: $22/$16 concession includes light lunch
Bookings & prepayment essential. Tel: 03 5722 0761

CQ Evening Meeting: 4 June

The next evening meeting is set for Thursday, 4 June, 7.15 for 7.45-10pm. There will be a special show and tell of applique quilts. Doesn't everyone have an applique quilt tucked away? Please bring them, old or new, for us to all enjoy.

Joanne West - In the Red
Bed Quilts Non-Professional - First Place - Canberra Quilters' Exhibiton 2008

And don't forget the entries for Canberra Quilters' Exhibition close this Friday - 5 June! You can download the entry forms from the CQ website.

Quilting Market Day: 4 April 2009

Come and visit the Quilting Market Day for the sale of good quality cotton fabrics, books, magazines, and quilting notions:

Saturday, 4 April 2009
1:30pm - 4pm
Weston Creek Uniting Church Hall
Parkinson Street, Weston

Recipe Book Competition

Members of Canberra Quilters are invited to contribute to one or more of their favourite recipes, for the compilation of a recipe book to be published in 2009. You can send your recipes to out post address or hand it personally to a committee member by 7 May 2009. Depending on the number of submissions, either all the recipes wil be included, or only a selection, at the committee's discretion. In addition, a quilt competition on the theme of "Food" is also taking place, and pictures of the winning quilts will be included in the Recipe Book.

Competition Guidelines:

• The competition is open to all financial members of Canberra Quilters Inc.
• Each member may submit one entry only.
• An entry fee of $5 must accompany each entry.
• The theme is "food" which can be represented in any style you like, keeping in mind that it must come up well in a photograph.
• The finished quilts must be received, accompanied by the entry form in the newsletter by no later than 7 May 2009.
• The quilt must measure 12" x 16" (30cm x 41cm) in portrait orientation, with variations within one inch acceptable.
  

Sushi by Fiona Hammond

Annual General Meeting: 2 April 2009

Don't forget to attend the 2009 Annual General meeting! It's this Thursday:

2 April 2009, 7.15pm for 7.45 start
Weston Creek Uniting Church Hall
Parkinson Street, Weston Creek

Important business includes voting on adopting a new constitution. Bring along your bags from the bag workshops last year for a special show and tell.

CQ Evening Meeting: 5 March 2009

The next evening meeting is set for Thursday, 5 March, 7.15 for 7.45-10pm. This is an information night about the proposed new constitution. There will also be information about the Sales Room at the annual exhibition.

Help for Victorian Bushfire Victims

We are all dismayed by the terrible loss of life and property in Victoria. We are asking members to donate finished quilts to be given to those who have suffered losses in the Victorian fires. As well as donating quilts individually, friendship groups might like to combine their skills and time and make quilts for donation. We stress that it is not possible to accept quilt tops or blocks as we do not have the resources to complete them.

Canberra Quilters' immediate response is in conjunction with the four local patchwork shops, who have offered to act as receivers of finished quilts. The shops are Addicted to Fabric, Phillip; Rosemont, Tuggeranong; Calico Patch, Nicholls; and Hobbysew, Belconnen. Quilts delivered to them will be collected by Canberra Quilters Inc. up to the beginning of May and forwarded on to the Victorian Guild which is setting up a distribution network. Some shops may also use their own contacts for distribution – but all quilts left with them, will find their way to those in need in Victoria.

Later on in the year we propose to ask members to donate fabric, books, sewing notions, etc., which we will put into stash rebuilding packages for distribution to Victorian quilters . The arrangements for this project are not yet firm and, in any case, we do not believe that the need for such quilting items is immediate. However, we would like members to start casting an eye over their stashes to see what they can spare.

Renew Your Membership Now!

Have you renewed your membership?! The membership period for Canberra Quilters is 1 December to 31 December so subscriptions for 2009 are now due. The membership secretary will be at the evening and day meetings to accept your subscription or you can download membership form and send your fees in by mail.

Remember current membership if essential if you want to:

• exhibit at our annual exhibition in August;
• enjoy discounts from our sponsor;
  
• borrow books from our library;
• receive Connecting Threads newsletter;
• vote at the AGM and any special general meetings; and
• be an office holder.
  

tACTile @ CQ Evening Meeting: 5 February 2009

The first evening meeting for 2009 is set for Thursday, 5 February, 7.15 for 7.45-10pm. Please join us for a full and inspirational program including:

• accredited teachers decribing their forthcoming workshops;
• a special show and tell with the theme of "Summer Quilts" or "What I did in the Holidays"; and
• a presentation by tACTile sharing their latest exhibition of contemporary quilts - Collections - which will open in February 2009 at the Australian Quilt Convention in Melbourne.

Passions by Beth & Trevor Reid (see My Place Quilts)

tACTile was founded at the end of 2001 by a group of Canberra based textile artists to advance contemporary quiltmaking in Australia by exploring the opportunities of the art quilt. tACTile comprises 6 members; Jenny Bowker, Dianne Firth, Helen Gray and Beth Miller with Beth and Trevor Reid working together in partnership. All the artists are individually acknowledged as leaders in the field of contemporary quiltmaking at local, national and international levels. The name tACTile was chosen to allude to the touch of textiles while incorporating the fact that they all live in the ACT (Australian Capital Territory). The group has toured nationally and internationally three very successful exhibitions, ‘Pathways’ 2003-2004, ‘Five Squared’ 2005-2007 and ‘Eyeline’ 2007-2008 and are now in the process of completing their fourth exhibition ‘Collections’.

Collection (noun)

• The action or process of collecting
• A group of things collected or accumulated, Collectable (Adj)
• Worth collecting
• Able to be collected, Collective (Adj)
• Done by or belonging to all the members of a group.

The exhibition brief was for each artist to construct a number of quilts to fit within a defined area on the theme 'Collections', it could be a literal interpretation of a personal collection or whatever an individual sees as a collection. As in other tACTile exhibitions there will be a collaborative component to this exhibition. We are all collectors of something, look around and see how many collections surround you, it may be shoes, plants in the garden, books, buttons, rusty bottle tops, nails or a collection of interesting shapes, when two or more like objects are grouped together a collection begins.