Newsletter No. 14 September 2016 Contacting The Appliqué Guild 2016 Committee For general information email [email protected] President: Margaret Mew For membership enquiries email [email protected] Secretary: Chris Colavizza For correspondence enquiries email [email protected] Our postal address is The Appliqué Guild of Australia Inc. P.O. Box 406 CASTLEMAINE VIC 3450 AUSTRALIA Vice President: Janet O’Dell Treasurer: Chris Colavizza Membership Secretary Irene Blanck Chapter Coordinator: Veronique Diligent Committee: Bev Bannard Sue Cheney Ros Devine Annabelle Edwards Mary Hitchens Jo Lawrence Alison Gardner President’s chat, Apologies for the delay in the delivery of the September newsletter… my work load was not cooperating with my other responsibilities unfortunately. I would like to extend a very warm welcome to our newest members, and there has been many since our last newsletter ~ From NSW; Julie Kennedy, Anastasia Powers, Leisel Moult, Catherine Babidge, Megan Manwaring and Kate Webster. From ACT; Michelle Law. From SA; Alison Smallacombe. From Queensland; Lynette Rutley and Cheryl Hobson, and from Vic; Jenny Bear, Barbara Van Leese, Rosalie Collie, Margaret Hyam and Marilyn Lewis. Our AGM is set for February, the next newsletter will have the details re nominations etc. But for now, please note the date which is 25th February, in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne… There is more info on page 9 of the newsletter. The Applique demonstrations were so popular last year that we have decided to do more of these, so it will be a fun and informative day. We’d love to see you there. Despite the workload (and not getting the newsletter done on time) I did manage to get to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne for their exhibition ‘Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950’. It is a truly wonderful exhibition. If you haven’t yet been, do try very hard to get to it. Only a few of the quilts are behind glass, and photographs are permitted...Thank you NGV. It is on until the 6th November. I will definitely go at least once more. Until next, Happy stitching, Margaret Mew Don’t forget… If you have a Blog, Facebook page or Instagram page for your quilt making work and would like other members to know about it… Then drop me a line at [email protected] and I will add it to the Members’ Links page on our website. It’s great to see what everyone is 1 working on. Eddy Says: Well Everyone...three loud cheers because Spring is here. That means beautiful blossom, blue skies, warm days and weeds that need pulling everywhere we look. And what better way to avoid the weeds than a comfy chair outdoors in the beautiful spring weather with a cuppa and our September newsletter. It may even be wise to have some lovely hand sewing at the ready too, because you will be so inspired after reading this newsletter you will want to spend the rest of your day stitching. We have two book reviews in this edition, one from Ros Devine and another from Veronique….two very different books with a diverse range of techniques...maybe one will be a perfect addition to your quilting library. Irene Blanck has a brilliant product review for us, and if you don’t already have Irene’s featured product you will definitely be off to your nearest fabric store or on line shop to get your hands on this amazing gadget quick smart. If you have a favourite gadget or technique that you would like us to review just drop us line and we can feature it in a future edition...there are heaps of handy tips and tools out there that make our sewing lives easier so let’s share the joy. In this edition our President interviews Katrina Hadjimichael. It is great to read Katrina’s story and find out a little about what makes her tick...sometimes a designer interview is the very thing that fires us up and makes us head straight to the sewing room...usually when we should be doing something else. We hope you all enjoy reading our spring newsletter and hope it leaves you with lots of new ideas and inspiration. Til next time, Annabelle TAG on Facebook There’s lots of activity on our Facebook group page. Remember this is a closed group for members of TAG only. Thank you Bev for finding articles of interest for us and to all the members who regularly post photo’s of their work, questions and advice. It all makes for an informative place to connect. We all enjoy seeing what other members are working on. If you are not yet connected to the Facebook group, but wish to be, you will need to request to join. On Facebook enter The Applique Guild of Australia in the search bar and send a request to join. TAG on Instagram And TAG is now on Instagram as a Public Page (not restricted to members only). Here we will share with you what the guild is doing and we also want to be inspired by what you’re doing. We invite you to follow us @theappliqueguildofaustralia and please send us your photo’s to post as well. To share what you are doing you can do any of the following Send a photo to [email protected] along with a brief description and your Instagram name Instagram DM a photo and description to @theappliqueguildofaustralia Add #theappliqueguildofaustralia to your IG post and we will pick it up and regram it. If you haven’t already watermarked your photo’s we will use The Applique Guild of Australia and also your IG name as a watermark. Follow along the fun and hashtag tag #theappliqueguildofaustralia 2 Katrina Hadjimichael talks appliqué with Margaret Mew. I don’t think there are many of us who have not seen Katrina Hadjimichael’s beautiful and intricate quilts or not heard of her Jane Austen series of quilts… each named after a property from Jane Austen’s novels. Katrina is an active member of the NSW quilt guild, a busy appliqué teacher (her schedule is a testament to her talent) and a quilting tour guide. Many well deserved awards have been won by Katrina and her quilts and I know you will enjoy hearing Katrina’s story . Katrina, welcome to the pages of our newsletter... let’s start off by talking about how you got started on this journey. I started quilting in 1992 after I purchased a kit for a small hand pieced wall hanging while on holiday in Perth. This was hand pieced and hand quilted, no applique but I enjoyed it very much and made several versions of it by hand. I actually cannot remember my very first applique but my mother started patchwork years before me and I admired her hexagon quilts and Dresden plate cushions which were English paper pieced and hand appliqued to a background. We used to get together every second Sunday afternoon and make quilts together. I remember we made lots of applique quilts in those days. The style was very country like the decorating in our homes. These included lots of bird houses, bee hives, teddy bears and flowers in country colours and plaids. Above is pictured Pemberley. How did you learn your techniques and start developing your style? Mum taught me a lot of her techniques. Otherwise, we worked together from patterns and magazines. In those days we fused most of our applique and attached it with matching hand button hole stitch in stranded embroidery thread. I remember a cute quilt with dolls and hearts. Flowers were also a feature of our work as we are both keen gardeners and love all flowers, especially pansies and roses. After I had my two boys I made some small cot quilts with machine appliqué embellishment and also some cushions. I sold these at several local markets but it was hard work duplicating items and trying to sell them for what they were worth. I was invited to teach my designs by the owner of a local patchwork shop who saw my work. In about six weeks I designed, made, quilted and bound two new quilts from original designs and wrote up the patterns. One was a simple machine strip-pieced quilt but the other one was more elaborate. It combined machine pieced sampler blocks with fused and hand appliquéd blocks. It was called “My Favourite Quilt Shop” and included a pieced and appliquéd shop in the centre and appliqué blocks of favourite sewing equipment. It was very popular with students and started my teaching career. It was later published in Australian Patchwork and Stitching magazine. How and where do find inspiration for your designs Katrina? My style has developed a lot since that first original design I made in 2001. I now favour reproduction fabrics from the 1800s and lots of my quilts include a lot of English Paper Piecing (EPP) and hand appliqué. I am inspired by the quilts and designs pictured in my antique quilt book collection, designs on floors and wall tiles, carpets, decoration in cathedrals, palaces and stately homes. I take lots of photoWinchester Cathedral floor graphs wherever I go and file them for future reference. I am also inspired by the patterns printed on some of the reproduction fabrics I use and love to “fussy cut” and play with the fabrics to create secondary patterns. Continued next page... 3 Can you tell us what methods of appliqué you have tried or currently use and do you have a preferred method. If so, what is it and why? I have tried quite a lot of different appliqué techniques. I read a lot of different books and blogs to see how designers work and early on I attended as many classes as I could with well known teachers. However, I have now developed my techniques of appliqué which suits me best. Firstly, for machine made quilts I use a very fine button hole stitch with a fine thread on my Bernina machine with fused pieces. Secondly, I use a method of paper basting for my hand turned edge appliqué. Where do you live Katrina? Tell us about the location? I live at Harrington Park, near Narellan and Camden 60km Above is pictured Winchester southwest of the Sydney CBD. When I first moved to the area it was very rural but nowadays suburbia is encroaching and we are surrounded by housing developments and major shopping centres springing up. Despite this, I can still drive in the countryside 10 minutes from home. Camden is a very historic area which I love. There are some lovely old country buildings and scenes around town. We would love to know what your quilting room or studio like? My sewing space is tiny in a very small house. I use what should be the dining room for my sewing room. It is a small open plan room with book shelves along one wall, completely filled with books and magazines, and folders of my patterns. The cutting mat is squished in between those two. Sometimes there is so much fabric in tubs and quilts in bags in the room that I have to shimmy sideways to get to the sewing machine. Not luxurious, but I manage. What challenges do you face as a textile artist? I like to make all of my quilts different using different techniques and different colour schemes, to challenge both myself and my students. I have tried lots of different techniques over the years and taught these quilts to my students. Where do you normally purchase fabrics and notions? We would like to know about your favourites. I am very fortunate to have a fabulous quilt shop 5 minutes from my home, The Stitchers Cupboard in Camden run by Kathy Vanbeers. This is my home base and I do most of my teaching from this local store. Kathy has a fabulous range of fabrics in many styles (including reproduction). She also sells lots of paper template shapes, notions, wadding, haby etc. and has an excellent website http://www.thestitcherscupboard.com.au/ Do you have a business that is related to quilt-making? Tell us about it. I have begun to sell a few of my quilt patterns on www.craftsy.com (then enter Katrina Hadjimichael in the search Above is pictured Longbourne bar) I am trying to break in to the USA quilt market—it is a slow process. I have also begun holding my own retreats at Kurri Kurri in the Hunter Valley. I will be holding two retreats there next year to teach my original designs. One is in April and the other is in August 2017. The first retreat I held was very successful and we all had loads of learning, laughing, eating, drinking and sewing! Katrina, you have a very busy teaching schedule… tell us more about that. I started teaching my own quilt designs in 2001 to a local patchwork shop. Over the past 15 years I have taught at many patchwork shops around Sydney. As my two boys have got older and are able to fend for themselves, I have started to travel more for teaching. I teach regular stints in Adelaide, Wodonga, Castlemaine and Broken Hill. It was a privilege to teach at the 2015 New Zealand Quilt Symposium in Palmerston North. I have actually just returned from New Zealand again, teaching at a couple of patchwork shops. Continued next page... 4 Another highlight was teaching for Needlework Cruises on the Celebrity Solstice, cruising the South Pacific. And of course, teaching in Bath, UK, on the Jane Austen tour. The room had chandeliers! What is your favourite appliqué you have designed. Pictured above is Hartfield I call “Pemberley” my signature quilt. It was the first major EPP and hand appliquéd quilt I made in an antique style. It was inspired by a photograph of an English quilt made in the late 1790s. This quilt has led me on an amazing adventure. I decided to name the quilt “Pemberley” after watching the BBC production of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” with Colin Firth. Mr Darcy’s residence is called Pemberley. My students loved this quilt and wanted me to make more like it. Since then, I have made a quilt for my Jane Austen Quilt Collection every twelve months. I am now up to making the 9th quilt. In order they are… Pemberley, Netherfield, Longbourne, Rosings, Hunsford, Meryton, Lambton and Hartfield. I am currently working on Donwell Abbey. On the basis of this collection, I have been invited to address the Quilt Study Group of the Quilters Guild of NSW, travel overseas for teaching and been invited to attend a tour in the United Kingdom to visit places associated with Jane Austen. Whitecroft Traditional Tours runs this fabulous tour, the first one was last September and I loved every minute. I am going again in May next year and now dates have been released for another tour in April 2018. This has been a once in a lifetime opportunity which only came about as a result of my appliqué quilts. Finally Katrina, What would you like to say to today’s appliqué enthusiast? Take as many classes as you can and find techniques that you enjoy, with the results that please you. Pictured below is Meryton (left) and detail of the centre. At right is Lambton. Katrina has a long established blog where she posts regularly featuring her work and the work of her students in class. You can also keep up to date with her teaching news and schedule as well as her travels. And there is a gallery of all of her Jane Austen Quilts thus far, and the stories behind them. Katrina is also a regular on instagram and facebook. http://katrinahadjimichael.blogspot.com.au/ https://www.instagram.com/katrinahadjimichael/ https://www.facebook.com Search for Katrina Hadjimichael Many thanks to Katrina for taking the time to talk with us. Katrina has provided a beautiful cushion pattern (pictured above right and detail below) for our members to make and enjoy. The PDF will be added to our member section of the website (under Patterns… remember to log in to access) as well as attached to your newsletter email. Many thanks to Katrina for her generosity. The finished cushion measures 18” square and has a 12” applique block pattern. 5 CHAPTERS REPORT. No news is good news….I have been away and since coming back from my holidays life has been hectic and I haven’t contacted any of the Chapters organisers. So I am assuming that everything is going smoothly. We are delighted to have two new Chapters starting, one in Bendigo and one in Bayside. As for the Warrandyte Chapter, it has now moved to Eltham. More news in the next newsletter. Happy sewing. Veronique. Great news about another new chapter….The City Bayside Chapter will now be meeting on the 2nd Monday of each month from 10.30 to 2.30 at Amite Textiles, 103a Gardenvale rd. Gardenvale, Melbourne. We would love to have you join us, all are welcome...bring your lunch and a mug, a project to sew and some show and tell if you would like to share. Attendance fee is $10.00 and tea and coffee will be provided. If you have any questions you can contact Chris on 0410680226. Apologies to everyone for the delay in kicking off our Bendigo Chapter and our thanks again to the Ladies that left their email details for us….we are happy to tell you all that we have a new date for our first meeting of the Bendigo Chapter and we will email you all with updates as the day gets closer. So put Saturday February 11th, 2017 in your diary and plan to come along and start the new year off with some applique fun. Feel free to come along with a friend that is not a member and introduce them to all the fun and inspiration, and if you have had any time for sewing over the holiday break we hope you will bring some great “Show and Tell” to share. If you would like to see some of the great times the Warrandyte/Eltham Chapter have been having just follow the link to our blog http://www.theappliqueguildofaustralia.org.au/blog/ for updates and some great photos...and if you would love to come along to any of our chapters for some applique and chat you will be welcomed with open arms and a cuppa. The Cranbourne Chapter will meet on the fourth Thursday of each month. November 24th will be the final meeting for 2016 and will recommence in 2017 on 23rd February. *Come along to The Church Hall, 41 Lesdon Ave, Cranbourne. *Cost will be $5.00 *For any questions just give Tracy Leonard on 0412640855...All Welcome. *Come along to The Church Hall, 41 Lesdon Ave, Cranbourne *Cost will be $5.00 *For any questions just give Tracy Leonard on 0412640855...All Welcome. Recipe for a Chapter The Warrandyte Chapter has been going for nearly two years now and I would love to inspire other quilters to start their own TAG Chapter. It doesn’t take much, just a couple of people to start with...you will find it will grow quickly but not to the point where you have to worry about hiring the Town Hall! Being two to start a group takes away the pressure of always being available on the day… sharing is better. You need a place… it can be a church hall, someone's place or a shop. A book to keep a record of the dates, time and names of the quilters turning up. Tea, coffee and cakes are a must… we need to keep the blood sugar levels up for inspiration. A camera or phone because we are all suckers for Show & Tell. And to drop a line on the TAG website… but mostly pictures because they are worth a thousand words. Through all the Sundays, and now Saturdays, I have seen incredible quilts and blocks. I have been inspired and we have all shared some incredible moments. And it is not a prerequisite to do only appliqué, but to have fun is definitely on the list. I hope to see more Chapters popping out everywhere this year, Happy Stitching, Veronique Up to date information about TAG Chapters is listed on our website and the dates of Chapter meetings are listed on our website calendar. Veronique Diligent is our Chapter co-ordinator. We welcome the forming of new TAG Chapters. If you are interested in starting a Chapter in your area, please contact Veronique. [email protected] 6 Book Review by Ros Devine Ideas for appliqué ~ The appliqué artist’s workbook by Eileen Campbell Published 2008 by Sally Milner Publishing ISBN 9781863513883 (127 pages, paperback) This book has been available for the past 8 years and is still available. It may be forgotten on your bookshelf or on that of a quilting friend. The techniques are so well described that they are not dated and would inspire and encourage. We often forget older publications amidst the plethora of brightly coloured newer entrants into the market. This book can be used with any style of fabrics and quilt projects. Eileen is an award winning Melbourne quilter and her amazing creations are to be seen at Australian and international quilt shows. She commenced quilting in 1984 and has worked as a textile artist since 1993. For those unfamiliar with Eileen’s quilts there is a full colour gallery of 15 of her works at the back of the book. More than 150 full colour photos, complemented by line drawings, illustrate and explain the text. After a short introduction of the history of applique the book is, as the title suggests, a book on some techniques and starting points for exploring different fabric possibilities and threads. Eileen focusses on machine stitching methods. If you have never tried machine applique this book may well encourage you to try. For traditionalists there are still many interesting ideas to explore. Given that this book was published 8 years ago, the techniques are transferrable to the more recent products that are now on the market. Sections are devoted to Techniques: the applique method Vliesofix (or similar), stabilisers and broderie perse are investigated Stitching the applique in place explores the use of the sewing machine, feet, needles, threads, satin stitching, free form stitching with the darning foot. Three-dimensional Applique is well illustrated with flowers and assorted creatures. Some are padded, others use wash away and heat away stabiliser products. The middle part of the book illustrates specific styles of Trees and Grasses, Creatures Great and Small, many varieties of Flowers, then Buildings and Iron Lace. Embellishing Backgrounds and Appliques describes the use of a great variety of widely available products such as fibres, paints and trinkets Suggestions for Machine Quilting concludes this very useful book. It would be great to one day see some of your work inspired by Eileen and her techniques. “Ideas for Applique” is still available from www.candobooks.com.au CLOVER QUILT DOME review by Irene Blanck. This is one of the BEST gadgets that I’ve found in a long time. Do you know how you sometimes sit and sew for long periods of time and sigh every time you have to thread your needle? And how many times do you question whether you need to get a new pair of glasses because you have difficulty seeing? And how many times do you swear (nice words like fudge, of course) when doing this. Well… Here’s a gadget that will help alleviate at least some of your angst. It’s CLOVER QUILT DOME! Whilst it is marvellous I still think that they can perfect it even more. Currently I believe it was invented by a man. When a woman perfects the next model it will be self threading. As it is now, you have to thread your own needles (but get your kids or grandkids to do this for you). The CLOVER QUILT DOME holds 10 threaded needles. Personally, before start sewing I make sure that I have all the needles threaded and stored ~ all I have to do then is continue sewing until all 10 needles have been used. For me, particularly when teaching as it’s great for demonstrating, I don’t have to continuously thread needles. I think I have helped Clover’s finances by recommending them to so many of my students and boosted their sales greatly. So do yourself a favour (you know the rest…) Here’s a YouTube clip on how to use it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z_OYneocN8 7 Exhibitions ~ Quilt-Ins ~ Workshops Please let us know what’s happening in your Town, State or Country so we can add it here Check our TAG Website Calendar for a comprehensive listing of events. Click links or copy and paste in to your web browser. http://www.theappliqueguildofaustralia.org.au/calendar/ Check the events listings on the State Guilds’ Websites for news of workshops & exhibitions VIC http://www.victorianquilters.org/ NSW http://quiltnsw.com/events/calendar/ ACT http://canberraquilters.org.au/calendar/ http://canberraquilters.org.au/workshops/ SA http://www.saquilters.org.au/Workshops.htm http://www.saquilters.org.au/quilt-encounter.htm WA http://waquilters.com/activities/workshop-calendar/ TAS http://tasquiltguild.org.au/diary-dates/ QLD http://qldquilters.com/members.html#workshops NT http://darwinquilters.com.au/# Quilt & Craft Fairs with State Guild Quilt Exhibits, Australia and New Zealand.http://craftevents.com.au NOT TO BE MISSED…..NGV Making the Australian Quilt 1800-1950 http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/making-the-australian-quilt-1800-1950/ until November 6th 2016 Open Daily 10am to 5pm. 2017 NATIONAL QUILT SYMPOSIUM http://www.quiltsymposium2017.org.nz/ New Zealand National Quilt Symposium 2017 5th—10th October If you would love to combine a fantastic holiday in New Zealand with a great opportunity to attend this fabulous event then this diary date is a must. There are classes on offer from New Zealand and International tutors including many wonderful Australian applique Designers…. *Leonie Bateman http://www.thequiltedcrow.com.au/ *Katrina Hadjmichael http://katrinahadjimichael.blogspot.com.au/ *Lisa Walton http://www.dyedheaven.com/ *Brenda Gael Smith http://www.brendagaelsmith.com/ *Jenny Bowker http://www.jennybowker.com/ *Gloria Loughman http://www.glorialoughman.com/ *Michele Hill https://www.michelehillquilts.com/ *Jan Clark http://www.janclark.net *Ruth de Vos http://ruthdevos.com/ *Helen Godden http://www.helengodden.com/ And for more info follow the link for details on all New Zealand and International tutors http://www.quiltsymposium2017.org.nz/tutors/new-zealand http://www.quiltsymposium2017.org.nz/tutors/international 8 Book review by Veronique Diligent Color-Blend Appliqué by Jane Townswick That Patchwork Place/ Martingale Publishers Now even beginners can reach a new level of beauty and sophistication in floral appliqué. Jane Townswick reveals her secrets for blending an array of colours to achieve a painterly look. A dozen blocks show how to stitch realistic renditions of roses, orchids, poppies, and more. Create visual depth with inking, shadowing and stippling. A photo gallery features quilts from the author’s inspired students. Elly Sienkiewicz author and owner of The Elly Sienkiewicz Appliqué Academy ® says “A superb quilt-maker and beloved teacher, Jane Townswick has once again written a succinct, teachyourself appliqué book. Her wonderfully original designs are as delightful to look at as they are to make. Color-Blend Appliqué is a must have 2017 AGM Essendon Appliqué-In Saturday 25th February 2016 Masonic Hall 840 Mt Alexander Rd, Essendon, (Melbourne) VIC 3040 10am to 4pm Admission $5.00 TAGA members $7.00 non members Please bring: sewing for Sit and Sew, quilts for Show and Tell, mug, BYO lunch and a slice or savoury to share for morning tea. We’ll be featuring Appliqué Demonstrations for you to learn techniques. Patch ‘n’ Quilt from Gisborne will be in attendance for your shopping pleasure For further information [email protected] Sue 0417 545 672 Margaret 0409 165 601 Or check our Calendar page on our website www.theappliqueguildofaustralia.org.au 9 FRIENDLY REMINDER For all of our members that joined prior to June 1st 2016, memberships are now due. As always you can pay by direct deposit or cheque. For all our members who receive their newsletters on line, membership fees remain the same.. $25.00 per year. Owing to the increase in printing and postal charges we have had to raise fees for those members that like to receive a printed newsletter by mail. Fees will now be $45.00 for print and post and $65.00 AUD for international members. We have lots of good things planned for the year ahead so you will not want to miss out. We are looking forward to some great “appliqué-ins” and gatherings for 2017 and have already started work on another wonderful Applique Academy planned for mid 2018. We love hearing from our members so if there is anything you would like to see us do or include in your newsletters please let us know….if there are any products or book reviews that you would like to see please tell us and if you have any favourite designers that you would like us to interview we will do our best to feature them. We look forward to a great year ahead for all members...let’s make it fun. Websites: click links or copy and paste in to your web browser Machine Quilters Association Australia http://amqa.com.au/ The Stitchers Cupboard http://www.thestitcherscupboard.com.au/ Needlework Cruises http://www.needleworktours.com.au/ Whitecroft Tours http://www.whitecrofttours.co.uk/ Eileen Campbell http://www.eileencampbellquilts.com/ Clover Products http://cloverproducts.com.au/ Can Do Books http://www.candobooks.com.au/ I would appreciate any articles you think may be interesting for our newsletter. Or indeed any suggestions at all for stories, interviews, techniques/tools etc. Please forward any ideas you may have to [email protected] The copy deadlines are as follows Autumn ~ March Newsletter deadline 28th February Winter ~ June Newsletter deadline 28th May Spring ~ September Newsletter deadline 28th August Summer ~ December Newsletter deadline 28th November The Appliqué Guild of Australia Inc. Incorporation No. A0058117V P.O.Box 406 Castlemaine 3450, Vic. Australia www.theappliqueguildofaustralia.org.au Email: [email protected] The entire contents of The Appliqué Guild Newsletter is copyright ©2016. Please do not reproduce any part without the written permission of the Appliqué Guild Inc. 10
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