A U S T R A L I A’ S F I R S T P A T C H W O R K M A G A Z I N E
Down Under
Quilters’ re u t n e v d A to JAPAN
Flying Geese techniques to try Double-ikat Silk Issue 156, 2013
AUS $9.95, NZ $11.95, USA $12.95, CANADA $12.95
of India
DON’T MISS Part I of Vintage Sweetness Piecing and Embroidery
Introducing the
Height Adjustable Sewing & Cutting Table
Height Adjustable! Manual Height Adjustment
Lockable Castor
BIG working area! 90 degree Tilt Top for Space Saver Storage
New flat bed Cut - out design
Minimum table height: 690mm (27�) Maximum table height: 920mm (36�)
Email.
HORN Australia Pty Ltd ACN 007 860 077 - ABN 16 007 860 077
horn@horn.com.au
w w w. h o r n . co m . a u
**Accessories shown not included. HORN Australia Pty Ltd reserves the right to change product specifications without notice.
Horn.indd 1
duQ156p2-21.indd 2
19/09/2012 4:38:59 PM
15/12/12 10:57:07 AM
The
Down Under
Issue 156 – 2013 Editor: Deborah Segaert Subeditor: Lorraine Moran Photography: Joe Filshie Styling: Georgina Dolling Designer: Colin McCulloch Advertising Sales: Nadja Kelly nadja.kelly@practicalpublishing.com.au Tel: 07 3300 4022 SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscription Manager: Linzi Wilkinson linzi.wilkinson@practicalpublishing.com.au Online: www.practicalpublishing.com.au Tel: 07 3160 9940 PUBLISHING Managing Editor: Debra Hudson debra.hudson@practicalpublishing.com.au Associate Publisher: Gavin Burrell gavin.burrell@practicalpublishing.com.au Finance Manager: Linda Constable linda.constable@practicalpublishing.com.au Group Publishing Director: Rob Wilkinson rob.wilkinson@practicalpublishing.com.au Published by Practical Publishing International Pty Ltd. The style and mark of Down Under Quilts is used under license from Newlife Media Group Pty Ltd. See copyright and trademark notices on page 98. ISSN: 1448-7888. HEAD OFFICE AUSTRALIA Practical Publishing International Pty Ltd GPO Box 1457, Brisbane, Qld Australia 4001 Tel: 07 3300 4022 www.practicalpublishing.com.au EUROPEAN OFFICE Practical Publishing International Ltd St Christopher House, Stockport Cheshire England SK2 6NG Tel: +44 (0) 844 561 1202 www.practicalpublishing.co.uk DISTRIBUTION Australia: Gordon & Gotch Tel: 02 9972 8800
Inside story
T
This is the second issue I have completed under the new publisher, and we have fallen into the groove very quickly. My new Managing Editor, Debra, is just great, and has been a big help with introducing new procedures as we have gone along. They do say ‘Two Debs are better than one!’ Don’t they? Well, we think that’s the case. I look forward to the exciting changes ahead – yes, there are plans! No, I can’t tell you yet. But, stay tuned, it’s all very thrilling. This issue welcomes in the New Year, 2013. By now Christmas is over, and hopefully you had some special time with your family and friends. Is it time to get back to sewing projects? Do you have a New Year’s Eve promise to finish off UFOs? Hmm, good luck with that! If you are like me, and starting new projects is much more appealing, then take a look at this issue’s four inspirational quilts and a quilted bag. We share the first part of a simply delightful hand-embroidered quilt, a quick, bold, large quilt – just perfect for favourite prints – a soothing one-patch quilt, and a cute Flying Geese baby’s quilt. While I was researching the lead story – Up & Away with Flying Geese – I became fascinated by the different techniques for making Flying Geese units, and so I decided to share five techniques with you – see page 52. They all have their merits, some have drawbacks, but take a look and see which technique suits you. Then, why don’t you make a Flying Geese quilt, this unit is so much fun to make and so versatile. Last issue I promised that I would share the story of our fabulous trip to Japan last November. It was my first visit, and Lynn’s third, and 14 other quilters travelled with us. The textile gods were smiling on us every single day, as was Mother Nature and the weather was just glorious. We saw so much and learnt traditional Japanese textiles techniques and shopped-until-we-developed Shopper’s Elbow! You can find out all about our Quilters’ Adventure on page 30. I hope you enjoy your armchair journey! Maybe you will even consider joining us on one of our 2013 Quilters’ Adventures, I’d love to have your company.
New Zealand: Gordon & Gotch Tel: +64 (0) 9979 3000 England: Comag Tel: +44 (0) 1895 433600 South Africa: Magscene Pty Ltd Phone: 27 11 805 502 Email: tarrynf@magscene.co.za
Editor
www.downunderquilts.com.au | 3
duQ156p2-21.indd 3
11/12/12 10:25:06 PM
Contents: Up & Away with Flying Geese
12
Flying Geese can be found travelling up, down, across or on the diagonal in rows, they can feature in block patterns such as Double T, Dutchman’s Puzzle and Railroad Crossing and they can appear flying in the round, or winging their way every which way through contemporary patterns.
Issue 156
Maples, Quilts and Ginkos
30
Lynn Hewitt and Deborah guided the group to many cultural centres, famous sights and textile and fabric adventures, travelling by airconditioned coach with an English-speaking local guide. Two of the major finds were Textile Town and an amazing museum in Tokyo that showcased historical pieces of pieced and patched clothing and blankets from the northlands of Aomori.
Warp and Weft
24
Cynthia Harvey Baker wonders how is it that people can achieve the beautiful patterns of Double-Ikat. How do they just ‘know’ how to tie-dye both the warp and the weft which, when woven, creates the design? She declares that it is a mystery; a living art.
Regulars 6 Snippets & Scraps 50 Diary Dates 58 Computer Quilting 65 Reflections 75 Quilting Mumma 76 In the Library
Subscribe now and save
29 Down Under Quilts 93 Down Under Textiles 96 Creative Expressions Down Under
HOW-TO Flying Geese
52
We share five different methods for making the Flying Geese unit. Each has its benefits and drawbacks, and it is up to the quilter to choose, and use, the technique that best suits them.
Exhibitions 20 Quilt Festival SA 60 NT Quilt Show 66 Queensland Quilt Show
4 | www.downunderquilts.com.au
duQ156p2-21.indd 4
11/12/12 10:25:12 PM
Vintage Sweetness – Part I
40
Bella
Sea Glass
42
Designer Shoulder Bag
44
Project Instructions
Vicki Tucek
Erica Spinks
Joshua’s Quilt Pam Jansen
46
Siobhan Rogers
48
Janelle Fischer
81
ONLY AVAILABLE IN PRINTED VERSION
www.downunderquilts.com.au | 5
duQ156p2-21.indd 5
11/12/12 10:25:26 PM
Wangaratta Exhibitions Gallery holds a biennial Award for Contemporary Textile Art. Professional Australian artists working in any style of textile medium are invited to make an entry for consideration within a competitive assessment process. A judging panel will select a shortlist of finalists for the Award exhibition. Closing date for submissions is 22 March 2013. There is an $8000 Acquisitive Award. The selected entries will be displayed at Wangaratta Exhibitions Gallery between 1 June and 14 July 2013. Visit the website to download the entry forms. www.wangaratta.vic.gov.au
Wangaratta Contemporar y Textile Award
2013
7th Heaven or New Horizons? Whichever you prefer, as a quilter, you will find a superb machine under your hands. The Bernina 750 QE includes a meticulously-engineered free-arm with 10in (254mm) of space to the right of the needle. Expand your sewing options with a wide range of accessories. The Bernina 750 QE is equipped with the BSR function which keeps stitches consistent at variable sewing speeds. The BSR foot comes standard with the B 750 QE. The new heart of the Bernina machine features a novel, centrally-placed driver, which allows the B 9 Hook to run steady and quiet. The B 9 Hook sews high-precision stitches up to 9mm in width with speeds up to a 1,000 stitches per minute. And the bobbin has 80 per cent more thread capacity, allowing you to sew longer without interruption. Finally, the B 9 Hook is made of high-quality materials that allow the thread to run smoothly with consistent tension.
The new Horizon Memory Craft 8900 QCP by Janome combines the wide-open sewing space and speed of the top-of-the-line Horizon Memory Craft 12000 with the quilting features of the popular Horizon Memory Craft 7700 QCP. The MC8900 features 11in of work space to the right of the needle, sewing speeds of up to 1,000 stitches per minute, 9mm stitch width, and the innovative AcuFeed Flex™ fabric feeding system. The Horizon Memory Craft 8900 QCP comes with 270 built-in stitches, hundreds up to 9mm wide. These include more of the popular Play stitches, 11 buttonholes, three alphabets, and six Direct Select stitches. Navigation through all the choices is sped along through a combination of jogdial and button selection.
6 | www.downunderquilts.com.au
duQ156p2-21.indd 6
11/12/12 10:25:27 PM
deborah’s snippets Art Quilt Australia Celebrate
Art Quilt Australia will be a curated exhibition of innovative, contemporary art quilts to celebrate the centenary of the naming of the nation’s capital city as Canberra. Works will be selected that are inspired by, or reflect on ideas of people, place and nation. With the definition of a quilt as ‘a stitched layered textile’, the exhibition is open to all artists across Australia. It will be curated by Valerie Kirk, Head of Textiles at the ANU School of Art. Entries will be exhibited at Craft ACT Design Gallery in Canberra from 31 October to 14 December 2013. The closing date for entries is 19 July 2013, you can download Conditions of Entry and an Entry Form in PDF Format or word document from www.ozquiltnetwork.org.au For further details, contact AQA2013@ozquiltnetwork.org.au
International Women’s Day Internationally-recognised and well-loved, Pam Holland will be the guest speaker at the 2013 Maleny Magic Patchwork & Quilts annual homage to International Women’s Day. Originally a fashion designer, Pam has turned her creativity into quilt design, experimenting and attempting different modes of working with fabric and film. Pam’s topic at this celebratory lunch will be Quilts for all Occasions. Bev Perel, owner of MMP&Q says, “This is an occasion for women to come together and celebrate.” On the day there will be fundraising that will be directed to UN Women, the agency created to raise the profile of gender and women’s issues at the United Nations. You are invited to make a block to assist with raising funds. It should be 10 1/2in square finished, it can be any design, but must be made in the ‘women’s’ colours of purple, green and white. Visit MMP&Q website to find more information, contact details and an RSVP form. www.malenymagicpatchworks.com
Top Pressed Foundation Piecing Make this traditional pattern the easy way using foundation piecing in Sumiko Minei’s Top Pressed Piecing method. After pondering the difficulties some people have with the various techniques used – sewing onto foundations, upside-down, with fabric facing away – she developed the method she shows throughout this book, allowing fabrics to be sewn in a facing position Sumiko has also developed a method of piecing on paper foundations using embroidery software and an embroidery machine. Sumiko Minei says, "Double Wedding Ring is a
& S C R A P S
popular pattern, but difficult to draft; with this book you don’t need to draft patterns, just use the easy sewing technique. It’s an intriguing method, easy to do, and creates a marvellous result." Atusko Ohta, the editor of Patchwork Tshushin, (who has been a lovely friend to me and Down Under Quilts), translated this book into English to be published by AQS. She is very proud of her friend’s work, and this resultant book. Ask at your favourite patchwork store, online store or contact American Quilter’s Society to order your copy www.aqs.com www.downunderquilts.com.au | 7
duQ156p2-21.indd 7
11/12/12 10:25:29 PM
Quilts 1700–1945 Comes to Brisbane! This exhibition explores more than 200 years of British patchwork and quiltmaking. The exhibition resonates with historical and cultural references that challenge the assumption that stitching is simply ‘women's work’ – every quilt has a hidden history: an unspoken story which is concealed within its layers. Exclusive to Brisbane’s Queensland Art Gallery (QAG), this exhibition
will comprise objects drawn from the extraordinary textile collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. with additions from some of the UK’s finest regional museums and private collections. The exhibition also includes one of the world’s most important textiles, the Rajah Quilt 1841, from the National Gallery of Australia, sewn by convict women during transportation to Van Diemen’s Land. The exhibition will be on display 15 June – 22 September 2013, and is a ticketed event, for more information visit QAG website www.qagoma.qld.gov.au
Eastwood Patchwork Quilters Biennial Exhibition Make time in your diary to visit the 2013 Eastwood Patchwork Quilters exhibition. There will be an amazing collection of traditional, appliquéd, modern, contemporary, Japanese, picture, baby, children's, male, simple and art quilts - around 150 in total. The venue is Brush Farm House at Eastwood; a beautiful old house set high upon the hill with views down to the Parramatta River. As well as the quilts, there will be other textile displays, a number of vendors, and a fabulous craft stall with handmade items by members. This year the group is raising funds for The Special Olympics a worldwide movement that inspires children and adults with an intellectual disability to reach their personal best through regular (weekly) sport and competition. Giving them opportunities not only to develop physical fitness, but also demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendships with their families, coaches and other Special Olympic athletes and the broader community. To aid the fundraising they have made two raffle quilts with the Canyon Star block. Each member was asked to make at least five blocks and were given blue fabric for the stars and a mix of green fabrics for the centre triangles. See page 50 for more details about the exhibition or contact the Exhibition Coordinator Robyn Shipton at 0412 314 754.
8 | www.downunderquilts.com.au
duQ156p2-21.indd 8
12/12/12 11:42:04 PM
A Stitch in Time An exhibition of Ruth Stonely's (1940–2007) quilts will be in display at the Queensland Art Gallery at the same time as Quilts 1700–1945 from the V&A. Stoneley was an inspirational figure, not only in terms of the expressive, innovative works she made, but as an active member of the Brisbane quilting and arts community, connecting with other makers through Patchwork Supplies, her Highgate Hill shop, and as a teacher to many local practitioners. While Stoneley came to quilting later in her life, only committing herself to her craft full-time from 1982, she quickly made up for lost time, making prolifically, and exhibiting widely in Australia, and internationally. This exhibition will showcase exemplary examples of Stoneley’s
Quilt: It’s not all sweetness and light 1983, Purchased 1988, Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
practice, showing her transition from early experimentations with the contained patterns of the traditional quilt through to the free-flowing,
abstract and expressive works she made in later years to reflect her feelings, emotions and ideas about herself and the people around her.
Dear Jane Exhibition 2013
In 2008 fifty members of AQA (Australian Quilters Association) took up the challenge to each recreate the historic Dear Jane quilt made by Jane A Stickle in 1863, following instructions and patterns from Brenda Papadakis’ book Dear Jane. AQA is inviting quilters who have made this iconic replica to share your completed quilt, even if you are not one of those 50 members, for a special, once-off display. Whether you are an admirer of quilts, a quilter or just enjoy an exhibition, this will be an exemplarily-grand show. The exhibition will be shown at Box Hill Town Hall from 8–11 February. See page 50 for more information, or visit the website at www.australianquiltersassociation.com www.downunderquilts.com.au | 9
duQ156p2-21.indd 9
12/12/12 11:42:17 PM
Spreading Wings once again Wilma Simmons has initiated an exciting community fibre arts event to prepare for celebrating International Women's Day 2013, and Timeless Textiles Gallery of Islington, Newcastle, will be hosting free workshops. Spreading Wings is a series of workshops designed to create a collaborative fibre sculpture. The sculpture will be a bird (or a flock of birds) to represent the wings of change – giving momentum to the gender agenda (International Women's Day 2013 theme). At each of the workshops embellished and decorative fabric/textile/fibre items will be created to add to the sculpture. Participate in one, some, or all of the workshops. The workshops are free, but you will need to book your place. For more information, please contact Wilma at wilmasimmons@hotmail.com or to book contact Anne from Timeless Textiles Gallery by email anne@timelesstextiles.com.au or phone 02 4961 6660.
Mystery Quilt raises $75,000 for Charity! Leesa Seigele and Faye Packham headed up the third Mystery Quilt fund raising event in 2012, preparing 1000 kits to make up the Mystery Quilt. For those 1000 kits, there were 200,000 pieces cut from 3000 metres of fabric. The cutting, counting and packaging took many hours. Members of the Quilt Encounter committee have been raising funds for
Bedford over the past 20 years, with this event being the most successful. The proceeds from the sale of the kits, and a few other activities combined to raise a massive $75,000 for the Bedford charity. Bedford provides services to more than 1,800 people with disabilities or disadvantages across South Australia. Their focus is addressing people's needs in a caring and supportive environment.
Springwood Community Quilt Show The Springwood Community Quilt Show is now in its seventh year. Besides being a great showcase for the wonderful quilts being made in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney NSW, the aim is to raise money for the Blue Mountains Rural Fire Service The guest quilter for 2013 Springwood Community Quilt Show is well-known mountain resident, Nerida Richmond Benson. Nerida has lived in Canada and the United States for many years and was inspired by the revival of quiltmaking in these countries. She returned to Australia in 1996 and has taken up residence in Leura. Many of Nerida's quilts reflect her time spent in Japan, visiting her daughter. Her love of Japanese fabrics and her
Nerida Richmond Benson with one of her quilts
skill in sashiko stitching are evident in many of her quilts. The Amish people and their beautiful quilts have also influenced her craft. In more recent years she has moved away from the traditional, geometric designs to more creative, abstract quilts. At times, these pieces of art incorporate her love of poetry and offer the viewer a story or an invitation to become part of the adventure of the quilt. She has created several quilts with pockets that contain small souvenirs from bushwalks in the local area.
Let’s Piece Geese! Check out the how-tos on page 52 to see five different techniques that you can use to construct the versatile Flying Geese unit.
2012 Friday Viewers’ Choice Dragon Fly by Lesley Prince
HOR
10 | www.downunderquilts.com.au
**Acc
Horn.indd 1
duQ156p2-21.indd 10
11/12/12 10:25:36 PM