SYDNEY QUILT STUDY GROUP INC

Final letter to SQSG from Karen Fail

2009-05-06T20:08:00.001+10:00

Quilt Study Group of Australia
PO Box 398, Neutral Bay, NSW 2089

Dear Members,
It is exciting times for the quilt study groups of Australia.

The Quilt Study Group of Australia (QSGA) was formed by Margaret Rolfe with a small group of enthusiasts in Canberra, ACT. The group exists to promote interest and research into quilting in Australia. Members are committed to the study of quilts both past and present, this study encompassing both the social and historical context in which quilts are made. The group encourages the preservation of significant historical quilts and while not itself having the resources to preserve quilts, will aim to facilitate preservation through appropriate organisations and institutions.

At the recent Australian Council of Quilters meeting, all Presidents of the state guilds agreed in principal to embrace the idea of forming a quilt study group in their state. Currently, ACT, WA, Qld and NSW have active study groups.

Following the British model to some extent, it is proposed that each state guild to form a focus group or sub-committee to maintain the current quilt study group or to form a new quilt study group in their state. Members of each guild would then be able to join in all activities of the quilt study groups and current quilt study group members are encouraged to join their local guild. Most members of the existing quilt study groups are already members of their state guilds and hence would only have to pay one lot of membership fees under the new structure.

To this end, The Sydney Quilt Study Group is being unincorporated as it is brought under the umbrella of the Quilters’ Guild of NSW Inc and the group will be now known as the Quilt Study Group of NSW. It is hoped that each state will name their study group similarly. For NSW members, the Quilters Guild of NSW usually renew membership in on June 1 but have agreed to have memberships paid for at the Quilt Show in Darling Harbour.
Contact the guild office on (02)92873737. Other states, please contact your state guild for further information on membership if required.

The aims and objectives of the Quilt Study Group of NSW will not change. It will still continue to be committed to the study of quilts both past and present as stated in the original aims established by Margaret Rolfe and restated at the beginning of this letter.

Currently, as members of the Quilt Study Group of Australia, you receive a newsletter, which provides you with information regarding events and news. From now on matters relating to the Quilt Study Group of NSW will be published in The Template and all other state quilt study groups will be able to publish information in their state guild’s newsletter. Everyone will have access to information on the web via the Quilt Study Groups of Australia blog at australianquiltstudygroups.blogspot.com Here you will find information on what’s on, what’s been on, reports on research, interesting quilt finds and other matters of interest to quilt study group members. We are hoping this is a vibrant blog with lots of information for and from the Australian quilt study groups.

It is intended that the biennial seminar which has proved so popular each year since its inception in Canberra will continue with the responsibility for the seminar moving from state to state. In 2008, The Southern Queensland Quilt Study Group hosted a very successful seminar with well over 100 participants from just about every state in Australia. It is hoped that there will be another seminar in 2010/2011. You will be able to find all information, registration forms etc regarding the next seminar on the blog.

Currently, ACT, NSW and Qld have embraced this new structure, while WA, SA, Vic and Tas have agreed in principle and are investigating their options. NT is making enquiries regarding the availability of quilts to study in their state before committing to forming a quilt study group. It is suggested that a committee of 4-5 people can happily organise the activities of a quilt study group and I am delighted to report that the current committee of the Sydney Quilt Study Group are continuing as the committee for the Quilt Study Group of NSW.
Karen Fail – Convenor,
Liz Bonner – Minute Secretary,
Janet Marwood – Treasurer,
Sandra Lyons – Reporter and
Dr. Annette Gero remains the Patron of the Quilt Study Groups of Australia.

This will be the last formal letter you will receive from the Quilt Study Group of Australia or the Sydney Quilt Study Group. From now on you can find information about your quilt study group’s activities in your guild’s newsletter or on the blog. Put the address in your favourites list. australianquiltstudygroups.blogspot.com

Warm regards and best wishes,
Karen Fail and the committee of the new Quilt Study Group of NSW.

Homage to the Wagga

2009-02-18T08:39:00.003+11:00

Quilting and Collecting : Homage to the Wagga
An Exhibition of Quilts in Three Parts

My Journey - My Inspiration- My Interpretation
by Cynthia Harvey Baker
To be held at the Koja Place, Albany Highway, Kojonap
June 13-July 10 2009
Open Monday - Sunday 9am - 5pm
Floor talks Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 11.00 am
or by appointment. Phone The Kodja Place (08) 9831-0500
Admission to the Kodja Place: Adults - $6, Children and Concession - $3

AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT PROJECT

2009-02-16T11:11:00.002+11:00

Bobby Goldsmith Foundation celebrates 25 years with the launch of the Quilt Project

The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation and the Powerhouse Museum last night joined to celebrate 25 years of the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation and launch the exhibition of the Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt Project at the Powerhouse Museum.
In a cocktail event hosted by media personality Ita Buttrose and attended by The Honorable Michael Kirby and his partner Johan van Vloten, Dr Dawn Casey, Director of the Powerhouse Museum, Todd McKenney, Ian Roberts, Harry M Miller, Simmone Logue and BGF directors, staff, supporters and clients, Fergus Kibble, President of the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation reflected on the importance of The Quilt.
“The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation was delighted to contribute funds to the curation and restoration of The Quilt as we strongly believed it is a poignant and symbolic reminder of our culture and heritage and it should be protected,” he said.
“I think it is important not just to remember the people who died, represented by these quilts, but also to remember those who made these quilts as a remembrance. They were the lovers, the mothers and fathers, the brothers and sisters, and of course the friends of these people. Without their love there would be no Quilt.”

The AIDS Memorial Quilt Project will run until 26th February at the Powerhouse Museum.
The next BGF fundraising event, the BGF Glamstand at the Mardi Gras Parade on March 7 2009, is selling fast. For tickets or to make a donation to BGF go to www.bgf.org.au.
The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation is Australia’s oldest HIV/AIDS charity. Established though community efforts in 1984, the organisation continues to focus its efforts on improving the quality of life for men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS.
For media information please contact: The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation
Murray Black Phone: (02) 9283 8666
Email: murray.black@bgf.org.au

2008 Quilt Study Group Seminar by Karen Fail

2009-02-02T21:45:00.003+11:00

Bayeux Tapestry Repro, Pam Holland

Reflections on Sharing Our Legacy – the 2008 Quilt Study Group of Australia Seminar
By Karen Fail

I make it a practice to attend the QSGA Seminar wherever it is being held because I know from experience that these are not to be missed! So, along with several other visitors from interstate including fellow New South Welshmen, we arrived in Brisbane to the usual ‘beautiful one day, perfect the next’ weather. Some of the girls had arrived much earlier and arranged to visit several of the quilt shops in Brisbane on Friday. Dinner on Friday night was held outdoors under a balmy night skies and provided a great opportunity to renew friendships and meet new likeminded quilters.

When I arrived for the first session on Saturday, I was welcomed by Gail Chalker who was sitting at the desk with her hat on. I thought she was dressed very formally and wondered if I was underdressed until she took the podium as the first speaker. Her topic was the Rosewood Redwork Quilt and she was dressed in the fashion of the day complete with corset. Now that’s dedication! And we were all thrilled to learn of the Queensland groups’ reproduction of this important quilt discovery. One of the original embroiderers was present – I am sure she never expected that her small square made when she was 7 would have caused such a fuss nearly 80 years later.

Dr. Gero, the patron of the Quilt Study Group of Australia, enthralled us with her talk on Gold Rush Quilts as we were transported back to those times when women had few resources but still managed to make beautiful things. But it was Karen Barrett’s delivery of The Quilting Legacy of Ruth and Denise that quietened the room as we heard about these two well-known Brisbane quilters, now deceased, whose legacy lives on through all those whom they encouraged and taught to love quilts. Thanks so much Karen for your sensitive presentation.

We can always rely on Margaret Rolfe from the Canberra Quilt Study Group to deliver a well-researched paper and this year’s seminar was no exception. She took us on the journey she herself had taken in her presentation ‘The Rajah Quilt – Developments and Descendents. She discovered much that was new about this iconic quilt made by convict women on the Rajah bound for Australia, but the mystery of why it was back in Scotland when found and bought for the National Gallery remains unsolved. Margaret’s research continues.

Michael Marendy is a good friend of the Queensland Quilt Study Group and gave an excellent presentation on Conservation of Quilts. He had many samples of his own team’s work, which were available for close inspection, and gave us all invaluable information regarding conservation of quilts of national importance and our own more modest collections.
He was, however, nearly escorted from the building when he confessed to vacuuming twice a week to preserve his own textiles from accumulating dust.

Margie Creek delighted us with A Family’s Legacy of Quilts – quilts from her grandmother, mother and of course her own. We were all just a little envious of her and wished our mothers had been diligent quilters too.

Many of you will know that Pam Holland is recreating the Bayeux Tapesty. She agreed to share her progress with us at the seminar, generously stopping over in Brisbane on her way to USA for a frenetic teaching schedule. Her presentation to say the least was awe-inspiring using the digital features of her computer to the max. We learned about her journeys around the historic areas depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry and were thrilled to see two finished panels of her work. This was the last time that the work will be seen until all the panels are complete. We are indebted to Pam for her generosity in sharing with us.

The day finished with the usual dinner and auction but was made memorable by Patty McCormack of How to Make an American Quilt fame delivering a speech on how to be a true blue Aussie resplendent in Aussie flag boxer shorts and a cork hat – in fact every item of clothing she had on was in some way Aussie flavoured. She laid us in the aisles.!

Dinner was great, the auction raised around $1000 for the Queensland Women’s Historical Association and we made many new friends. Thanks Queensland Quilt Study Group.

Rare Nineteenth Century Quilt

2009-02-02T07:18:00.010+11:00

National Gallery Victoria hangs beautiful and rare early nineteenth century quilt

Late in 2007 the National Gallery Victoria (NGV) acquired, through generous donation, a rare and valuable ‘frame’ quilt about which very little was known. The quilt was given to the donor two decades earlier by someone who had, in turn, been given it by relatives who were also unacquainted with the original maker.

Quilting was a common pastime of genteel and middle-class women in colonial Australia, yet there are only a few extant examples of these quilts in Australian collections. Quilts of this type were particularly popular in the first half of the 19th century, with examples using similar fabrics and designs found in England (and subsequently Australia) from between 1800 and 1860.

A large medallion-style, pieced patchwork, the quilt comprises many graduating, linear borders around a central panel. The particularly impressive central design consists of appliquéd cotton chintz partridge and flower motifs executed in the broderie perse technique (a technique used to appliqué small flowers and leaves using a tiny chain stitch). While on the reverse, embroidered in black cotton cross stitch is the enigmatic dedication: E. Dickins / The Gift of Her Mother / Finished When 60 Years / Of Age.

Sadly for us, no date accompanies this dedication, although it has been suggested that the embroidered ‘signature’ may mean that the quilt was sent to an early Australian settler as a gift – a practice that has been previously documented.

When the quilt first arrived at the NGV it was in a fragile condition. Damp storage had caused mould and mildew to develop while the presence of iron in dye mordants had corroded fibres, resulting in areas of discoloration and loss over time. The surface of the quilt was badly soiled and despite initial cleaning with a low-suction vacuum, it still appeared grimy.

On the recommendation of our Textile Conservator a wet-cleaning treatment in de-ionised water was undertaken (to remove degradation products and to minimise their effect on the quilt in the future). The challenge, however, was the quilt’s large size. A tank was custom-built by NGV’s Conservation Art Technician, which enabled the quilt to be completely submerged. At times this required the assistance of nearly all the conservation staff! Yet the result has left the quilt in a much-improved state both visually and structurally.

Through the process of acquisition and a combination of expert opinion and curatorial knowledge, the NGV has also endeavoured to recover some of this quilt’s lost history.

A quilt is usually dated from the most recent fabrics used in it. In this case, we discovered that many of the printed cotton fabrics along the outer patchwork bands were similar to those seen in 1840s dresses from the NGV Fashion & Textiles Collection. The floral chintz was also found to resemble fabrics from the 1830s. The most exciting revelation, however, was that the central bird chintz fabric could be identified as an English furnishing chintz called Partridge and May Tree printed circa 1815, making our quilt a valuable piece of textile history.

While the name of the maker and the actual date of the quilt’s completion may never be known, it remains a rare surviving example of textile endeavour and a significant example of early domestic skilled handicraft.

The quilt has just been hung on the 2nd floor of National Gallery Victoria at Federation Square, Melbourne and will be on display until March 2009. Entry is FREE.

National Gallery of Victoria 180 St Kilda Road Melbourne Vic 3004 Australia
Telephone: +61 3 8620 2345 Mobile: 0438 582 727Fax: +61 3 8620 2555ngv.vic.gov.au

Keep informed of the latest NGV exhibitions, special events and programs atThe Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia and NGV International by subscribing to NGV@RT, the NGV's free e-newsletter.

Annette Gero helps NGV to aquire their new wonderful old quilt & identifies the central 1815 fabric, "Partridge & May Tree"

This quilt has an interesting story. It turned up some time ago at the Victorian Quilters, annual Quilt Show and was shown to Mary Hitchens, the President of Vic Quilters. It was obviously special, so the owner was advised to donate it to a museum or institution. The owner tried four times and each time the quilt came back with words like "doesn't fit into our collection? or "it is the wrong time period?!

Meantime, Annette Gero was researching the early fabrics in several other wonderful early 19th century quilts for inclusion in her new book "The Fabric of Society, Australia's Quilt Heritage from Convict Times to 1960, (See http://www.annettegero.com/ for information about the book, The Fabric of Society). As soon as Annette heard about this new quilt she was keen to include it in her book and the delighted owner gave her permission.

Research into the fabrics of the quilt by Annettte revealed that "The bird chinz fabric in the centre of the quilt was an English furnishing chinz called Partridge & May Tree printed c1815. It is block printed in madder colours with pencilled blue on a tea ground. The birds and trees appeared in many fabric variations between 1814 and 1816 *This Partridge & May Tree fabric is in the Victoria & Albert Museum's Textile collection, however there are also reproductions and Annette found a roll of it in the USA. She was able to send the NGV some of this reproduction fabric so it can be exhibited with the quilt when it is on show. In addition Annette found that "The floral chintz within some of the outer borders is unknown but has been dated against similar fabrics from c.1830. The flowers along the border are very similar to those in the centre of a chintz quilt brought to Australia from England by the LLoyd family in 1833 (also in her book) and the fabrics here date from c1825-30.

* Several months after undertaking her research into the quilt Annette was contacted by the textile curator at NGV to say they had been offered an old quilt and could she give them an opinion as to whether this was an important quilt! The curator obviously knew this was a wonderful example of an early 19th century quilt but the acquisition committee needed an outside opinion. Annette's research on the fabrics was invaluable in providing this proof. There are about 10 such quilts in Australia of similar age and quality of early fabrics. These quilts are probably equal to any other quilts of their period found in the world. We are extremely fortunate to have them in this country as part of our quilt heritage.

Annette Gero 2009

SPECIAL MEETING: March 8th at 2pm

2009-02-02T06:12:00.002+11:00

All members of the Sydney Quilt Study Group and the Quilt Study Group of Australia are invited to a Special Meeting of the Sydney Quilt Study Group
Purpose: To dissolve the incorporated body currently known as the Sydney Quilt Study Group and to advise the future structure of the group.
Where and When: March 8th, 2.00 pm at Powerhouse Museum.
Please bring: - Your first quilt and your latest project as well as any intersting show and tell of recent textile purchases or finds.

(You will not have to pay an entry fee to the Powerhouse Museum. A member of the SQSG committee will be on the door to direct you to the meeting room)

Floor Walk with Dianne Finnegan

2008-10-22T17:41:00.004+11:00

Hi everyone, I am just heading off to Brisbane for the Quilt Study Group of Australia Seminar. I hope to see many of you there. Annette Gero is staying for the Quilt and Craft Fair in Brisbane to promote her new book so if you are planning on attending, call in and say hello. She will have a few quilts on display including two reproduction quilts made from patterns in her book -The Fabric of Society.
Details of the next meeting are below:-Floor Talk - Dianne Finnegan at her exhibition - Ground Saturday 29th November at 2.00 pm.
Dianne Finnegan - quilts Meredith Peach - basketry and paintings.
The theme of the exhibition is Ground Cover, the layering of textiles that make up quilts as well as the layering of the environment. Dianne Finnegan has made quilts for nearly thirty years and along the way was President of the Quilters Guild during the Bicentenary, written books, traveled around Australia and internationally teaching, fundraising and meeting wonderful people. Her quilts are process driven and are inspried by two sources, the rough geometry of the landscape and the possibilities of the cloth. The exhibition will be held at Primrose Park Art Gallery Address: Matora Lane, Primrose Park (off Young Street), Cremorne
Telephone: 9936 8200 Website: www.primrose-park.com.au and will open on Friday, 28th November - December 5th.
Our floor talk will be on Saturday November 29th at 2 pm. This will be the last meeting for the year and hopefully as many people as possible can come. Directions for getting to Primrose Park: Car: Approx 10 min from city. Take the Ernest st exit off Warringah Expressway if you are coming from the city or anywhere south. From Manly or Northern Beaches, use the Spit Junction Cremorne Junction bypass route that brings you to Gerard St and Belgrave St and turn right at Young St in Cremorne. If you are coming from the north or west, you will need to travel via Crows Nest and preferably Ernest St, turning left into Young. If it is your first time visiting Primrose Park, check your directory first. Its a bit tricky but there is plenty of parking once you get there. See you then, Karen Fail Convenor.

PATRON of the SQSG

2008-10-14T08:10:00.004+11:00

Recently Karen Fail and the committee of the SQSG invited Dr. Annette Gero to become the Patron of the SQSG, after her role of 10 years as the founder of the SQSG and the Convenor.
We thought you would like to know a little about Dr. Gero and what contribution she has made in the quilting world.

Dr. Annette Gero
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES: QUILTS AND TEXTILES

Annette Gero, one of Australia’s first quilt historians, has been documenting and collecting quilts since 1982. She has travelled widely around Australia giving lectures and exhibitions on the history of quilts. For this work she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts (London). She was the first Australian to present a paper on the history of Australian quilts at the American Quilt Study Group Symposium in 1987 (Australian Patriotic Quilts) and at the quilt symposium "In the Heart of Pennsylvania " at the University of Lewisberg, Pennsylvania, USA, on Australian Waggas in 1988. She has also presented papers on her quilt research at the Quilt Study Group of Australia seminars; “Unleashing Collections”, the symposium of the NZ Costume and Textile Section of the Auckland Museum Institute; and at overseas conferences in Edmonton, Canada, New Zealand, France and London, UK. She has also studied quilt conservation and quilt documentation at workshops in the USA. She has published over 80 articles in magazines and journals on Australian quilt history.

She is perhaps most highly recognised for her own quilt collection which as been regarded as a "National Treasure" by the Manly Art Gallery. Her collection contains Australian, English and American quilts that have been exhibited in over 30 exhibitions throughout Australia in Regional Art Galleries, in NSW, Queensland and Victoria and through The National Trust. Her Australian quilt collection has been invited to the International Houston Show (USA) in 2002 and in 2003 to "Mosaiques d'etoffes : a la recherche de l'hexagon" at the Musee des Traditions et Arts Normandy , Martainville, France. In 2006, her quilts were exhibited in France at the textile museum, Musee De L'impression Sur Etoffes, Mulhouse and at the European Quilt Symposium at Ste Marie aux Mines, Alsace. Her first book Historic Australian Quilts was published by the National Trust in 2000. Her second book, The Fabric of Society - Australia's Quilt Heritage from Convict Times To 1960 with Kim Mclean, is to be published in 2008.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Dr Annette M. Gero
PO Box 398 Neutral Bay,
NSW 2089
a.gero@unsw.edu.au

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES: QUILTS AND TEXTILES

1983 Joined The Quilters Guild of NSW

1985 Elected Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts (FRSA London),
in recognition of research of historical quilts.

1988 Committee, for Australian Bicentennial quilt exhibition

1996 Faculty, Australian Academy of Decorative Arts, Sydney

1996 Founder and Convenor of the Sydney Quilt Study Group

2000 Work in relation to Australian quilts archived in National Library of Australia

2001 Convenor, Quilt Study Group of Australia

2002 Postgraduate Guest Lecturer, School of Fine Arts, Newcastle University.

2003 Elected Board Member, International Quilt Study Center, Nebraska

2003 Associate Fellow, International Quilt Study Center, Nebraska
2007 Patron, Sydney Quilt Study Group

Powerhouse - September

2008-08-28T08:44:00.003+10:00

At the Powerhouse Museum in September there is the shoe collection free talk on Wed 17th September
http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/whatson/wednesday_talks.asp
Annette Kellerman collection free talk on Sunday the 14th September
http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/whatson/sunday_talks.asp
There is also a Preservation Seminar called 'Caring for your collectibles' to be held at the Castle Hill store on the 12th September.
http://castlehill.powerhousemuseum.com/events/history_week.php.

Rajah Quilt

2008-08-05T08:48:00.010+10:00

The Australian National Gallery is displaying the Rajah Quilt during the Craft fair and beyond - it will be on display on the entrance level from 7-29 August, with two accompanying lectures:
Piecing together the Past: The Rajah quilt, by Robert Bell Senior Curator,Decorative Arts and Design, on Friday 8 August at 3pm;
The Rajah quilt: all in the detail, presented by Debbie Ward, Head of Conservation, on Saturday 9 August at 3 pm This is a great opportunity to see the Rajah quilt, which cannot be displayed often and for long due to its fragility.

For further information go to the National Gallery of Australia Link below, or CLICK on the Rajah Quilt heading above.

a RED world

2008-06-23T09:00:00.003+10:00

Celebrate A Red World- contemporary australian textile art & Wangaratta’s Stitched Up Textile Festival. This exhibition is curated around the theme of the colour RED and all of the connotations, emotions & responses it evokes and features some of Australia’s most respected textile artists: Beth Hatton, Dianne Firth, Ilka White, & Pamela Fitzsimons.
Wangaratta exhibitions Gallery
56 Ovens Street Wangaratta VIC 3677
T: 03 5722 0865 F: 03 5722 2969 E: d.mangan@wangaratta.vic.gov.au
Hours: 1-4 Sat-Sun, 12-5 Mon-Tues, 10-5 Wed-Fri Free Entry
• Closed Public Holidays + for installation www.wangaratta.vic.gov.au

Textiles Tour at NSW Parliment House

2008-06-18T09:44:00.006+10:00

*An Invitation to Tour the** Textile Art Collection** of the New South WalesParliament with artist Diane Groenewegen*
This tour takes you through the textile artwork of the NSW Parliament. Diane, your guide, will explain these artworks in terms of technique and history and reveal some of the behind-the-scenes stories associated with their creation. At the time these were commissioned she was the President of the Craft Council of NSW and is a well-known textile artist and teacher.
Join us for a unique opportunity to view and learn about these important works.

The program is organised by the Education Section of the NSW Parliament.
*BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL*, please contact us on 9230 2047 or email:education@parliament.nsw.gov.au
*Date: Monday 7 July 2008
*Times: 10:30am -12noon* (registration 10:15am) or* 2:30pm -4:00pm*(registration 2:15pm)*Cost: $10* (includes colour booklet)

Venue: Parliament House is in Macquarie Street, almost opposite Martin Place. Public transport is recommended as parking at the Parliament is not available. The nearest train stations are Martin Place and St James. Participants should enter Parliament via Macquarie Street and make their way to the Legislative Assembly reception desk.

Any further information go to LINKS

Narelle Grieve Saturday, 10th May

2008-04-14T14:09:00.004+10:00

Saturday 10th May
Time 1.30 pm
Place Powerhouse Museum – Powerhouse Education Centre rooms
(Note: no entry fee to museum required.)
Members and Non-members welcome. Members no charge, Non-Members $5.00

Narelle is well-known in Australian quilting circles for her outstanding hand made white on white quilts and most recently, her silk hand appliquéd quilts.
She has a comprehensive collection of antique quilts and will bring a collection of both her antique and contemporary quilts to delight and inspire us.
Find out how Narelle developed the complex and unique patterns for her white on white quilts and what her latest quilting obsession is. Enjoy her wonderful collection of old quilts and hear the stories of how they were collected. Then see if you can tell which quilts have been completed by quilters from time past and which Narelle has finished!

Elizabeth Fry - Quaker Prison Reformer

2008-04-04T10:56:00.003+11:00

Exhibition - WD Booth Gallery
13th June to 22nd August
16 Degraves Street, South Hobart, Tasmania

Women's Domestic Life in the Colony

2008-04-04T10:42:00.005+11:00

Exhibition - WD Booth Gallery,
Official Opening Friday April 18th
16 Degraves Street, South Hobart, Tasmania
For more information about this exhibition go to the http://www.femalefactory.com.au/

Mark Making in Stitch 5th April - 25th May 2008

2008-04-04T10:20:00.004+11:00

Responses to a workshop in 2007 by American textile artist Llize Aviks, bringing together stitch and fabric collage. Students were invited to examine ways that stitch and fabric collage work together more powerfully than when used on their own. This exhibition showcases the work of Llize Aviks and twenty one of the students involved in the workshop.
Exhibition opened by well known Sydney textile artist, Helen Lancaster
2- 4pm Saturday 5th April

Fairfield City Museum and Gallery
Corner Oxford Street & The Horsley Drive, Smithfield
Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 4pm, Sunday 1pm - 4pm, Closed Mondays.
Bus 828 & 829 from Fairfield Station

Textile Talks at the Powerhouse Museum

2008-03-27T20:15:00.002+11:00

Coming up this week are two illustrated talks at the Powerhouse Museum on Sunday 30 March and on Wednesday 2 April (free with museum admission, no bookings required).
Sunday 30 March, 2pm, Camel Caravanwith Susan Scollay associate of Josephine Powell,Contributing Editor of HALI Josephine Powell, who recently died at the age of 86 years, was a renowned American photographer and ethnographer who spent the last thirty years of her long and extraordinary life based in Istanbul. Her mission was to document the life of Turkey's dwindling population of carpet weaving nomads and to form a collection of tribal weavings. Her aim was to leave behind a body of work that would enable future generations to know about a textile culture and way of life that was fast disappearing. In this talk Susan Scollay will show slides taken by Josephine in the late 1980s during the summer migration of the Saçıkara tribe in Anatolia. It was the last time this group of nomads used camels rather than motorised transport on their annual trek. Susan will also show images of the major exhibition of Josephine's kilim collection displayed at the Yildiz Palace in Istanbul in April 2007.

Wednesday 2 April, 12.30pmEmbroidery from the Powerhouse Museum collectionwith Christina Sumner Principal Curator, Design and Society
The Powerhouse Museum's embroidery collection is richly diverse and representative of the majority of the world's great embroidery traditions. This talk, illustrated by examples from the collection, offers an introduction to this highly decorative aspect of our specialist textile holdings. Embroidery is typically ornamental; it is also often used to strengthen a fabric and, when decorating clothing, may convey information about the wearer's social circumstances. The Museum's embroidery collection has been growing steadily since the early 1880s; the objects chosen for this talk reflect a range of materials, techniques and cultures and include 17th century English beadwork, a child's hat from Afghanistan, an early Tasmanian sampler, a late 19th century American quilt, a Japanese wrapping cloth, a raphia dancing skirt from Zaire, a gold-encrusted Punjabi waistcoat, and an Akira Isogawa dress.These talks are part of the Powerhouse Museum Talks After Noon program. For other talks and more information go to www.powerhousemuseum.com/whatson

Membership Forms

2008-03-21T12:32:00.004+11:00

Sharing Our Legacy

2007-12-11T11:23:00.001+11:00

QSGA Conference – October, 2008

The Southern Queensland Quilt Study Group is inviting us to Brisbane for the 2008 Conference. They have already had a lot of interest from local quilters and are looking forward to having a strong contingent from the south and west. The annual Queensland Quilters' Quilt Show starts the Wednesday following our Conference – so it would make a really nice week away in sunny Queensland – just packed full of all things associated with our chosen artistic outlet!!!

We have whetted your appetite – you want to know all the details – here goes – put these dates in your diaries.

Venue – WATERMARK HOTEL, Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill, Brisbane

Friday, 17th October – Drinks & Dinner (at your own expense) at the Watermark Hotel
Pre-registration available

Saturday, 18th October – Conference Room, Watermark Hotel – Speakers include:

Lorraine Cazalar of the Qld. Women’s Historical Society,
Gail Chalker on the Rosewood Redwork Quilt that is being reproduced by the South Queensland QSG members
Dr. Annette Gero – Gold Rush Quilts
Karen Barrett – Quilting Legacy of Ruth Stoneley & Denise Lawson (Brisbane Quilters)
Margaret Rolfe – Rajah Quilt & their descendants
Michael Marendy – Conservation of Quilts
Margie Creek – A Family’s Legacy of Quilts
Pam Holland – Topic to be announced

There will be a dinner in the evening at the Watermark (this cost is NOT included in the Conference cost), we will have a guest speaker and a Silent Auction that will benefit the Qld Women’s Historical Society.

Sunday, 19th – We plan to have the choice of three very interesting venues for you to visit.

Now that takes care of the Conference – you will have Monday and Tuesday to fill before the opening day of the Craft Show at the Convention Centre. This Craft Show includes the Queensland Quilters' Quilt Show. We are working on a couple of interesting outings that will take you to different parts of south-east Queensland. As these details are confirmed, you’ll be advised via the Newsletter, and Blog.

Accommodation will be available at the Watermark Hotel – they have set a conference price that is reasonable. Any accommodation bookings are to be done directly with the Watermark Hotel.

The Watermark Hotel is centrally located in Brisbane – just opposite the Roma Street Parklands, a short taxi ride to the Convention Centre for the Quilt Show – we are sure you will enjoy your stay there.

Bookings open in July, 2008 for members and then to non-members in August 2008. A registration form will be available in the next newsletter and we look forward to receiving lots of forms. As we said at the beginning, there is already a great deal of interest in the Conference by Queensland quilters. Start planning your week away in Brisbane, October, 2008.

If there are any queries, you can contact Sue Morrison (Convenor of the Conference) on mailto:ggodhabits@optusnet.com.au

AGM - March 15th 2008

2007-12-08T14:37:00.002+11:00

Dr. Gero will discuss her extensive quilt collection - what she looks for when adding quilts to her collection and what is the current focus for her collection. She will also discuss why some quilts have left her collection as no longer relevant to it and what she does to document and store her collection. Her talk will be illustrated with many of the quilts in her collection.
Don't miss this treat!
Venue :Quilters' Guild of NSW Office
Level 5, 276 Pitt Street, Sydney 1.30pm

Farewell to Alysoun Ryves

2007-12-07T14:00:00.000+11:00

Karen Fail.
I can't remember the first time I met Alysoun. I think it was a Quilters' Guild of NSW function or maybe at the Hunters’ Hill quilt shows. It seems that she was always about. Her distinctive blue and white dresses and lavish silver jewellery matched her vibrant personality as she busied herself with whatever needed doing.
Her energy seemed boundless as she involved herself with many community projects and local protests. Her no nonsense approach meant that she led many of the committees she joined. Because of her ability to think clearly and quickly, she was able to cut through extraneous and irrelevant thinking and find solutions to problems others less able might struggle with. But she never flaunted these innate abilities, but always offered her services and solutions with quiet modesty.
I had the privilege of working with Alysoun on the QUILTS 2000 committee. Ten quilters from Sydney raised funds for the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games with this community project. The group worked together for 18 months, setting up the structure to sell 650 plus quilts through its website and were able to raise $500,000 for the Games. Input from Alysoun was vital to the success of this venture and it was always such a pleasure to watch her in action when there were complex issues to decide. She was able to identify the issues quickly and make such sensible recommendations that everyone held her ideas in high esteem.
When the committee was commissioned to produce several special quilts to mark the countdown of days to go to the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, Alysoun was the first to volunteer, making 500 Days to Go which was purchased for $3000 by Pinworkx in the Rocks.
It was always evident that she was not only a wonderful organiser but also a fine and generous quilter.
More recently, Alysoun held the role of Treasurer for the Sydney Quilt Study Group when Sydney took over the management of the Quilt Study Group of Australia. Working closely with the then Convenor, Annette Gero, she effortlessly managed the financial side of the change in management, always providing clear guidelines for decision making on money matters and of course, continued to have valuable input on all matters relating to the group.
It seems that we always migrated to Alysoun’s home for the AGM of the Sydney Quilt Study Group. It was so much part of Alysoun’s nature to be hospitable to her friends. Even though we never really knew how many people we would get on the day, this never seemed to bother Alysoun who managed to welcome any number of people graciously and provide afternoon tea in style on her wide verandah overlooking the water.
Alysoun died peacefully in the arms of her husband, Carl on Saturday, 10th November 2007.
Farewell Alysoun.

November 7th 12.30 - 1.30pm Powerhouse Museum

2007-10-20T21:28:00.000+10:00

This is a FREE (with entry) talk in conjunction with the 'Embroidering the future' Hand & Lock International Conference being held on Nov 5th at the Powerhouse.
(cost $195 for the day conference - see http://www.handembroidery.com/)
Wednesday 7 November from 12.30pm to 1.30pm, Sue Prichard, Curator,Victoria and Albert Museum - Under the covers: revealing the V&A's quilt collection. The V&A's spectacular quilt collection has never been comprehensively researched, catalogued or exhibited. Sue Pritchard will talkabout V&A's new major exhibition focussing on the British tradition of quilting and will put the collection in social, historic and political context. This exhibition draws together a body of work linked by reference to themes and issues such as women and the domestic interior, consumerism, national identity, the class divide and the use of needlework as a tool of social reform.

FREE (With Entry)

November 10th ( Saturday at 2pm )

2007-10-20T18:02:00.000+10:00

Conservation Know How for Quilters with Christine McKenna.
At the Burwood RSL Club, 96 Shaftesbury Road, Burwood.

Christine McKenna is a costume maker, and most recently has been specializing in reproduction historical clothing for house museums and historical societies in the Parramatta and Liverpool areas.

There is more information about this event in our current newsletter.
Bookings call Virginia Pascall (02) 9519 5637 or Email vcp@bigpond.net.au

October 21st 2pm - 3pm Powerhouse Museum

2007-10-19T21:21:00.000+10:00

This is a FREE (with entry) talk in conjunction with the 'Embroidering the future' Hand & Lock International Conference being held on Nov 5th at the Powerhouse
(cost $195 for the day conference - see http://www.handembroidery.com/)
Sunday 21 October from 2pm to 3pm, Alastair Macleod, Chairman , Hand & Lock - a brief history of embroidery (a very entertaining talk, I have heard). Hand & Lock is an embroidery company that is a fusion of two, great, long established embroidery businesses supplying the world's finest hand embroidery since1767. More recently Hand & Lock has worked with couturiers including Alexander MacQueen, Stella McCartney, Jade Jaeger and Christian Dior. Royal commissions have included gowns for the Queen, the Queen Mother, and Princess Anne's wedding ensemble. Princess Diana added a new glamour with her love of richly embroidered clothes. This talk encompasses information about how embroidery has developed over the years, including the tambour beading used in creating the wonderful embroidery for Princess Diana.

FREE (With Entry)

October 24th - 2pm -3.30pm Powerhouse Museum

2007-09-28T14:23:00.000+10:00

Basement tour: Quilts. Back by special request, Dr. Kimberley Webber leads a follow up to her popular historic quilts tour. Join her as she shakes out some beautiful examples illustrating the history of quilts and quilting.

Cost $15, members only.

October 6th (Saturday at 1.30pm)

2007-09-16T18:03:00.000+10:00

Brigitte Giblin will bring along some old French quilts and her own quilts for her talk to us in October. She will tell us how the English, French and Australian quilts she has seen over the years have influenced her quilt designs. We will also have 4 French quilts and a jupon ( wedding skirt) from the committee members' collections on hand for viewing. There will be a raffle, afternoon tea and non-members are welcome. (SQSG members attend free).

VENUE: Quiltsmith shop at 75 Nelson Street, Annandale. The shop is situated between Parramatta Road and Booth Street - get off the 470 bus to Lilyfield at the corner of Nelson Street and Booth Street or take a bus along Parramatta Road and get off at Nelson Street.

For further information Contact Liz Bonner at (02) 9692 8853 or lizbonner@ozemail.com.au

The Collectors!

2007-08-16T18:03:00.000+10:00

Annette Gero will be featured on the ABC show 'The Collectors'.
Friday, 5th October, at 8pm.

May 26th Show and Tell (Saturday at 2pm)

2007-04-18T09:02:00.000+10:00

SYDNEY QUILT STUDY GROUP - SHOW AND TELL
Always a fabulous meeting!
Bring your latest quilt, your old quilts and textile treasures found or bought. You will be amazed at what is still being unearthed in Sydney and beyond!

Venue: Mercure Hotel 383-389 Bulwara Road, Ultimo, Sydney
(Parking at the hotel or at Entertainment Centre. A short stroll from the Powerhouse Museum)
Afternoon tea provided.
Entry for non-members-$5. Members free.

The story behind Dark Nightz by Jan Mullen

2007-04-16T18:00:00.000+10:00

During a night of reckless bidding in aid of the Quilt Study coffers I successfully purchased a bag of scraps. If I remember correctly I was the only bidder, so was surprised to win these colourful treasures already precut for me roughly cut into big or small triangles. At $15 I think I got the bargain of the night.
This plastic bag of scraps got shoved around the studio at home for a couple of months whilst I occasionally tried to decide on a new quilt for our bed. We plan to sell our current home later in the year and, as I am a career quilter, I thought that the fifteen year old version should be updated. As usual, ideas were plentiful, most revolving around a black chenille jacquard that I had purchased in the USA but I could not committ.
One night the bag of scraps jumped into my field of vision and I decided that using up what I had, these tie scraps and all the black fabrics I could muster, would actually help me when it came time to move.
The process;
I simple paired the triangles, big with big, small with small and edged them with black strips. In my usual style everything is a bit skewed until the final squaring up of the block. Working with velvets, silks, brocades, linen, lining fabrics in different weights was no bother. I had almost enough for our queen size bed, making only about four more blocks from my own tie stockpile.
Quilting was simpler than usual, merely echoing the centre triangles and in the pattern of the jacquard. The bulk and size of the quilt being the only down side to the process - bring on domestic long arms!

May 21st 2007 (Monday at 10am)

2007-03-29T13:22:00.000+10:00

Special meeting of the Sydney Quilt Study Group.
Monday, May 21st at 10am at the Embroiderers' Guild offices - 76 Queen Street Concord West.

Quilts in the Embroiderers' Guild collection - a special viewing of the quilt and patchwork collection of the Embroiderers' Guild of NSW with the curator Marie Cavanagh.
Cost to non-members of the Embroiderers' Guild $5.00

For bookings contact Sandra Lyons
(02) 9589 2537 or sandra.lyons@idomaus.com.au

June 27th ( Wednesday at 3.00pm)

2007-03-28T12:54:00.000+10:00

Maree Gebhardt will take us on a poignant journey through Pe-ac-ed Quilts an exhibition of quilts made by families whose men are Vietnam War Veterans.
The exhibition will be on display at the Sydney Quilt Show, Darling Harbour, from June 27th to Sunday, July 1st.

To book please contact Anna Brown (02) 9402 0134 or annabrown@optushome.com.au
There will be no additional cost for this talk.