Merit Award in the Aotearoa Quilters Aqua Challenge

Aotearoa Quilters runs a colour challenge every year or so, and this time around the theme colour was aqua. They also changed up the size (usually a 12" x 12" square) this time they chose a 12" x 16" rectangle in a portrait orientation. I confess to enjoying the rectangular shape more than the square, it's easier to work with design-wise. But I know squares fit together beautifully on an exhibition wall, so it's swings and roundabouts.

And I was delighted to win a merit prize! Those are the good emails to open. The unexpected ones that tell you you've won something (and not $7.3 billion from a nice man in Nigeria!)

All the entered quilts will be on show at the Taupo Quiltmakers exhibition called Pearls and Water. This is on at the Great Lake Centre, Taupo, October 2nd till October 4th and would be well worth a visit. 

When you think of aqua, what colour do you think of? Greeny-blue? Bluey-green? Teal? Kingfisher? Here's a screenshot of when I search for images of aqua colour - what a variation! 

So I did a colour pull of all my 'aqua-ish' fabrics to get more of an idea of what I had, and to see if anything sparked my ideas button.

As you may know if you've been reading my blog for any length of time, birds feature heavily in my quilts. I have been working with birds in flight recently so I decided to downsize the shapes I'd been working with and play with them on the surface of a piece of aqua hand-dyed fabric I found.

They fell into place so nicely, with such a great sense of movement, that the design didn't take long to finalise at all. The colours of each bird travels from dark teal to lightest sea foam, with a dark purple for some visual interest.

I know this is an absolutely terrible photo, but it gives you an idea of how I sometimes plan quilting lines. This is a photo of the quilt top, placed in a page protector and then drawn on with a dry erase marker.

I finished the quilt with a facing as I felt a binding would constrain the birds and you would lose the sense of them flying off into the distance. I named the quilt "Let Your Spirit Fly Free" in dedication to the first Covid-19 victim in New Zealand, who passed away around the time I was making the quilt.

I quilted it using my trusty domestic BERNINA Aurora 440 as the quilt was nice and small and this machine gives me great control over my free motion quilting. The threads are tied and buried. 

All the quilts will be for sale for $150, and I'd be pleased if it went to a new home. But I'd also be secretly pleased if it came back home after touring New Zealand, as it's one I'm really pleased with and it reminds me of the strange and difficult, but weirdly beautiful time that NZ's Covid-19 lockdown was for me.

The winning quilt and the other merit prizes can be seen on the Aotearoa Quilters Facebook page. I'd like to thank the sponsors who make the prizes possible, especially Quiltique who sponsored my prize. 

Lockdown Day 5

I almost forgot to post today. But here I am again. Day 5. On a Monday that feels like a Sunday. School again for the kids. Beautiful Autumn weather.

I got quite a bit of work done on my Aotearoa Quilters aqua colour challenge quilt today. It's due 1st of June, so plenty of time, but it feels good to work towards checking something off a list. I can't show it in it's entirety because of the rules of entry, so here is just a snippet.

I'm going to call it "May Your Spirit Fly Free" in honour of Anne, the first NZ'er to pass away from Covid-19 infection.

All I have left to do on it now is hand-stitch down my facing and add the hanging sleeve. And label it. Oh, and make the cloth bag to protect it. And photograph it and document it. And do the entry form, payment and postage. Why does it always feel like I'm are almost done when I get to the binding or facing, when clearly I'm not even close?!

The aqua challenge is open to both members and non-members of Aotearoa Quilters. Basically you make a quilt that is any style, technique and theme, it just needs to be predominantly aqua coloured. And 12 inches wide by 16 inches high. If you want more info, click here.

Auckland Symposium 2019

I haven't written anything about symposium yet. Even though it was three weeks ago! It's such a 'big' experience that it's always hard to know where to begin.  So I'm going to start with Aotearoa Quilters, as I'm super passionate about the good work they are doing to support and encourage NZ quilters.

I began my symposium week by arriving the day before it officially opened. My aim was to help out the Aotearoa Quilters committee hang the silver colour challenge quilts and the New Zealand through our eyes challenge quilts. It took me a while to navigate scary Auckland traffic (remember, in my town there is only one set of traffic lights and they are for a pedestrian crossing!) but I made it in time to help Shirley get everything sorted and hung to the best advantage.

From left to right: Donna, myself, Shirley and Mary. I'm not on the committee anymore, but these other women are and they work so hard as volunteers to run AQ, think up challenges, organise the Great NZ Quilt Show, support regional groups, and promote and support NZ quilters in as many ways as they can.

Here's the wall of the silver colour challenges. This year, being AQ's 25th anniversary, the colour was silver. The hexagon shape was to shake it up a bit as some folks were getting bored of the 12" square. We thought there may be a few less entries because of the changes, but happily there were just as many as usual, so good to see NZ's aren't scared of a challenge!

The winners and merit quilts nicely displayed in the centre. Thanks to Mallee Textiles and Cottage Flair for the sponsorship of the awards.

And better shots of the winner, by Kat Martin.

Merit for Fyvie Murray.

Merit for Caro Stewart. 

And Merit for Mary Metcalf.

Here's my entry. I decided to have a bit of fun with this one. I hate working with metallic thread and I'm pretty sure there are many others who share my feelings! So I let my frustrations run riot, illustrating what happens to my rolls of metallic thread when my back is turned.

I'm really excited to let you know that we signed up HEAPS of new members at symposium (here's Flicity and Kerry at the AQ table waiting to tell you how awesome the organisation is), which means NZ's are getting behind the spirit of the organisation. AQ's mission is: to provide New Zealand quilters the opportunity to expand horizons, to share work, and to learn. We do this by supporting quilters and textile artists at all levels through offering a variety of classes, exhibitions, regional meetings and professional development opportunities.

Of course, the more members we have, the better we can do that, so it's great to see the organisation growing and thriving.

There was also a short and sweet AQ breakfast to give out the prizes for the suitcase exhibition winners - this is a travelling exhibition of small quilts picked from the main symposium exhibition and supported by Aotearoa Quilters - to meet and greet and to hear some of our life members talk about the history of the organisation. We were encouraged to dress up in silver, and above you can see my scary silver mask I found at the $2 shop!

If you'd like to hear more about what Aotearoa Quilters is up to you can follow their page on Facebook, or their Instagram feed, or even better, become a member and get their newsletter and access to the members only FB page.

The Great NZ Quilt Show 2019

Phew!  Aotearoa Quilters once again put on an awesome event.  The Great NZ Quilt Show was held in Rotorua, and I had the opportunity to attend all three days, both viewing the lovelies and helping out.

I helped out at the door, selling tickets; as a white glove lady, showing people the backs and closeup details of the quilts; and on the AQ stand selling raffle tickets and templates for the new colour challenge that AQ unveiled at their breakfast (silver and hexagon shape btw.)

I also got to help out of the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) stand, which AQ generously let us have set up to inform everyone of what SAQA was and hopefully attract a few new members.  And I think we signed up at least five!

All of those helper jobs let me blab away about quilts and techniques and colour and all the things I'm passionate about, so they are not really jobs, I love doing them!

But I know you don't really want to hear about my croaky voice from talking too much, you want to see pictures!  So here goes.  These aren't all the prizewinners, they will be up on the Aotearoa Quilters website shortly, but they are quilts that caught my eye for some reason or another, and, since I love talking about quilts so much, I'll be giving you a rundown on exactly why they caught my eye.

These three quilts were part of the NZ Through Our Eyes challenge display.  I'm excited to report that all quilts submitted for this challenge are travelling to Canada for the Ailsa Craig Quilt and Fibre Art Festival in May.  The top quilt is mine, titled Subantarctic, the middle is by Lorraine Holmes, Braided River - Raikaia and the bottom quilt by Shirley Sparks, Hinemoa.  I liked how these three quilts looked together and I appreciated how, throughout the whole show, the quilts had been hung sympathetically so that they worked as a whole display as well as showcasing individuals.

Another NZ Thru Our Eyes quilt, only 8" x 8".  Look at that glorious colour scheme!  And the detailed hand stitching gives a wonderful texture to the background without distracting from the subject.

Here was another pleasing collection from the NZ Thru Our Eyes.  Anne Groufsky made Christchurch Window 1 and 2 on the left and Margaret Rogerson with Layers on the right.  The windows particularly caught my eye, beautifully composed and with interesting colour schemes, the stitching was such an important element in bringing them to life.

At first glance I thought these three must have been made by the same person because they looked so good together.  But no, from left to right: Rae van't Hof, Weatherboard Gothic; Donna Cumming, A Maori Paddle; and Lorna Newsome, Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud.

The church reminds me of the small country churches we have dotted around the countryside and one in particular that I pass on the way to work.  I'm a sucker for clean lines and symmetry and both the church and paddle exhbit this in spades.  The button NZ is very clever, for at first glance this seems simple, but Lorna has managed the shape almost exactly, which I can imagine is much harder than it looks.

Mary Jane Sneyd.  Me and My Sisters. What gorgeous painterly work!  And it's not photos on fabric, this is applique at it's finest.  My phone tried to insist that I tag a few of the woman as it was sure it recognised them!

Here's another by Lorna Newsome, titled Swan and Rush.  As I said, I'm a sucker for symmetry.  I also appreciate the slightly unusual treatment of the subject matter - no lifelike stitch painted birds, or dreamy romantic perfect swan on pond applique, but an interesting arts and craft style rendering.

Timeless by Shirley Sparks.  I really enjoyed the painterly quality of this quilt.  The hexagon is a timeless shape in quilting, but this is quite a different treatment of them.

NZ Bush Walk - Please Stay on the Track, by Valda Sutton.  Valda has been working with the circular format for a while and I'm pleased to see her stick with it and hope she continues to push it to see what else she can do with it.  This was laid out on a plinth in the middle of the show and it was a good counterpoint to have something horizontal to balance all the vertical quilts.  I wasn't able to get directly above it for a perfectly circular shot.

La Passacaglia by Maggie Bentley.  La Passacaglia quilts aren't anything new anymore, but this one has a particularly pleasing difference with colour scheme.  And I immediately thought of my quilting buddy, Jane, who the colours may appeal to.

Anna Williams, Catch a Falling Star.  Lovely piecing with silks, lovely quilting, lovely flow across the top, just an all round lovely quilt.

Whytangi by Merrilyn George.  I listened to some viewers comment that it seemed very somber and why hadn't she made it more cheerful?  I took the time to ask if they'd read the artist's statement, which commented that this treatment of the poppy, a symbol for our ANZACs (returned servicemen), may more accurately depict the effects of war.  So for me, the quilt was poignant rather than somber.

Exotic Wildflowers by Mary Metcalf.  I had to take a detail shot of this so you could delight in all the colours and details as I did.  So fun!

Peace by Piece. By Lois Parish Evans.  I see a theme of symmetry happening!  An interesting quilt with beautiful workmanship.  There are clever shading details on the white lillies, which take them from being white shapes to lovely curved flowers.

Jean McLean with Lava Flow.  Stunning use of colours and the section below imitated the way lava cracks as it cools and you can still see the red glowing under the crust.  Jean won best of show with another of her applique quilts, she has a real talent for it.

I adored the colours in this quilt, Southern Abstraction by Rachel Ratten.  Rachel said the colours of the wild South were her inspiration, and I can totally relate from my recent trip around the South Island.  The turquoise of Lake Tekapo, the purples and pinks of the lupins, the tussocks, the blue and purple of the mountains in the distance....

And another quilt that firmly reflected my memories of the South Island.  Lindis Pass by Rae van't Hof was a small delight.

My Mother was Dutch and this quilt called A Piece of Holland by Ann Gregory was just a beautiful reminder of her.  Such a peaceful, beautiful and cohesive quilt, no wonder it won first place in the large category.

My favourite piece in whole show.  "As man disappears from sight, the land remains".  Merrilyn George has such a strong sense of place that comes across in her landscape quilts.  And I adore these colours.  Whenever I drive through the central North Island, I see Merrilyn's quilts everywhere I look.    And this one has a sobering message too.  Closeup below.

And last but not least, Kaleidoscope by Mary Metcalf.  Perhaps another in my symmetry collection?!  I love this play with how one block can look so different when made out of different colours.  The change in scale and the half blocks lift the level of interest nicely.

So that's it from my photo roll.  There was plenty more to see, great merchants and other attractions like the daily judges talks and the guest speaker, Linda Werner, who was very interesting.  Next time the Great NZ Quilt Show comes around, I urge you to come along and see for yourself!

A Quilty Weekend

Foyer window at Caccia Birch House

Last weekend was the Aotearoa Quilters (AQ) International Quilt Expo at Caccia Birch House in Palmerston North.  Caccia Birch is a beautiful old historic homestead with amazing wood panelling inside.  I could imagine taking tea in the parlour (said with a very posh accent) or taking my morning constitutional stroll around the grounds - my parasol up to protect my complexion of course... Although no need for that over the weekend!

AQ is the national association of quilters in New Zealand and we were having our AGM, so the hard-working committee organised an event around it.  There were great quilt exhibitions including the PINK colour challenge and the Art Deco challenge - both of which were exhibited for the first time and had the winners revealed.  The International Wonders of the World challenge was being shown for the last time in NZ before it heads to Europe, and the Hoffman challenge and the AQ travelling exhibition from Symposium were also there.

One wall of the Art Deco Challenge

This was my favourite of the Art Deco challenge entry.  Melanie Martin used blue velvet and metallic vinyl like fabric to create this art deco pattern.  Her mastery of such difficult materials was astonishing!

The winners - Sonya Prchal took out first prize.

There were three wonderful merchants:  Brother was the main sponsor and Fox Cottage were demoing their machines.  Plume was there and Jenny sold me the most wonderful inspiration book called 'Art Quilts International. Abstract & Geometric' by Martha Sielman.  Lastly, Fabric by Three were doing a good trade in their hand-dyed, colourful fabric.

Pink Challenge winners.  Sonya Prchal took out first prize in this one also - congrats!

This was my viewers choice, which I believe was by Lois Parish Evans.

Here's my pink entry, titled 'Flamingo Four Ways'

And the wall of pink!

I had the honour of being invited to be the guest speaker after dinner at the AGM and I'm really thrilled and relieved that it went down well!  I steered away from a more traditional trunk show or talk about my subject matter and chose to delve into a deeper conversation by discussing the future of in person quilt groups, including presenting the research findings from the little survey I posted a wee while back.  

It was Cook Island week, so there were Tivaevae classes running through the weekend.  I had a go and I think I got the hang of it after a bit of an ugly start!

Sunday saw more excited people coming through to view the exhibitions.  There was a cafe on site too, offering a cup of tea or bowl of soup and a piece of cake for those needing sustenance.  Then in the afternoon, the Golden Threads Quiltathon began!

Five teams were competing to make a cot quilt in 60 minutes.  We chose a mystery pack of fabrics donated by Tiffanies Fabrics and then off we went!

The Triple T Team - because we came from Top to Toe locations around the country.  From left to right: Fliss, Marie, myself and Bev.

Our winning cot quilt.

And our Triple T Team won!  It was a lot of fun with the lovely Robyn MCing, lots of jokes, a bit of sweat, thankfully no blood and five quilt tops that will be finished into quilts and then donated to Cozy Kiwi Kids to keep kids warm around NZ.

The next big AQ show will be The Great NZ Quilt Show, to be held in Rotorua March 8-10, 2019.  Hope to see you there!