Symposium 2017

Congratulations to the committee who organised the NZ Quilt Symposium held earlier this month.  It was held on the grounds of St Andrews College in Christchurch.  Exhibitions were located at four venues and each participant recieved a catalogue containing photographs of quilts on display in the main and challenge exhibitions.

Christchurch is a city still rebuilding after a major earthquake 22 February 2011 and it was the first time I had been there since.  There is still more buildings to be repaired or demolished.  I can't really describe how I felt.  Very emotional.

A humming merchant mall,  fun happy hour sessions and a great Carnival evening kept us entertained.  Lots of classes to inspire.  I was fortunate to be one of the tutors at this symposium.

Here are only a few of my photographs.  Enjoy.

The Cardboard Cathedral (the tempory Christchurch Cathedral)

Exhibition Catalogue

St Andrews Collage.  Venue of the Symposium

Bitter Sweet by Claire Smith (tutors exhibit)

Silence by Jean McLean (won best use of colour)

New York Lights by Sophie Wood

Merit in the Creative Construction section.

Im a fan of Sophie's work.  There is always lots to see in her quilts

Chirpy by Rosemay Rush 

Merit Best Applique

Aide-Memoire for the Post-Modern Quilter

by Catherine Croucher

Unknown Furtre by Kat Martin

One of the quilts published in the 2018 Aotearoa Quilters Calendar

Luke Haynes
I attended Luke's lexture.  He's very inspiring.

Year of the Cat by Tracy Carew

Winner Modern Quilt

Ties that Bind by Jeanie O'Sullivan

Winner Traitional Quilt & Viewers Choice.

Simply stunning - my photo doesn't do this quilt any justice!

Fly by Donna Ward

Best in Show, Merite best Piecing, 

Mughal Dynasty Reflextions by Michele Hill

Tutors Exhibition

Breaking Waves by Dianne Southy

Merit Landscape / Pictorial

Watermark by Alison Laurence

Isolation by Sophie Wood

See What My hands and Feet Can Do

By Ruth de Vos (Tutors Exhibition)

Star Burst by Linda Rae

Paint the Town Red by Natalie Murdoch

1 of 20 quilts to tour New Zealand in the

"Aotearoa Quilts on Tour"

Most Fragile by Sandy Briggs

One of the quilts published in the 2018 Aotearoa Quilters Calendar

Cheers by Camilla Watson

One of the quilts published in the 2018 Aotearoa Quilters Calendar

There are so many quilts still on my camera so I may get round to posting more later next month.

Wimsical (with out the h).

My entry in the Tutors exhibition.

Here is the story of my quilt.

Wimsical  (without the H)

Fabric designers spend hours creating their unique fabric designs for quilters, crafters and dressmakers to enjoy.  For several years now I have been creating quilts out of one fabric.  Basically, I cut up a fabric and re-design a different look by manipulating the fabric using traditional blocks.

I love visual textures, illusions and where possible also like to add tactile surfaces to some of my quilts.

The inspiration for this quilt came from the fabric itself - Marianna by Gray Sky Studio for ‘In The Beginning fabrics’ (2015). I was drawn to the elegant shapes, curves and subtle colours of the print. 

The centre of my quilt is made up of kaleidoscopes using the four-sided kaleidoscope block method.  Inserted between each kaleidoscope I have added a windmill block to add colour.  It was exciting to lay out my blocks on my design wall.  Sewing them together incorporating the windmills was a bit of a challenge.

Wonderfil Dazzle has been couched into the borders to add sparkle.

This quilt is Whimsical but I have left out the H in memory of my uncle Wim who took me to visit a windmill for the first time in Holland in 1967.  I wasn’t so much in awe of the windmill itself, but of the family of eleven who were about to eat their dinner sitting around a dining table that stretched right across the room. 

One day this quilt will be passed on to a young girl to enjoy.  Very Wimsical.

Students wotk in my Stacking Bow Tie class

Students work in my weaving class

We had great classroom facilities at St Andrews College

Playing with layouts using student blocks in

my Quilt As You Go class.

(Another sample below)

More photos are available on the blog of my local club.  Capital Quilters

The next New Zealand Quilt sympoisum will be held in Auckland in 2019.

Click HERE  to register

Happy stitching
Shirls

QAYG class variation

These are two variations using my QAYG template.  The white background quilt has been my main class sample.  During my classes we have played around with layouts using students blocks.  I finally have put together another variation in the greys.





For those of you who have attended my previous QAYG classes, you can use the same templates but instead of laying the first piece at the bottom of your diamond batting/backing, you place it on the side of the diamond.
My grey quilt isn't finished although I have sewn on the binding.  In the future I will eventually square up the sides to create a more functional quilt but for now its an ok size and weight to travel to Christchurch for my QAYG 2017 symposium class.

One of the major hiccups when creating QAYG blocks is demonstrated below.  See even I do it!! - Sew without checking the previous seam has been sewn in correctly.

 

There is no getting around this.  I took out the block and unpicked it.
Here are two tips I hope you will find useful when unpicking and recreating your block.

Use a lint roller to help pick up your unpicked threads.

Close your sewing holes by lightly spraying water onto your fabric, then gently rubbing with your finger making sure you don't warp any bias edges.  Finally iron dry.










I have been focused on finishing a knitted blanket which needs to be completed this week.  Will post you the photos soon.

happy stitching
Shirley