Serendipity Studio Newsletter: Issue No 4

WELCOME to Issue No 4 of the occasional newsletter of Serendipity Patchwork & Quilting. Feel free to pass this link onto a friend or to invite them to sign up on the subscription page. As a bonus, all subscribers (including new subscribers) that are signed up by 29 August 2010 will go into a draw to win a set of Twelve by Twelve Postcards. Watch my blog for details!

PS: You can also find me on Facebook at:www.facebook.com/brendagaelsmith

Since the last newsletter in February, it's been an exciting whirlwind of teaching engagements including the Australasian Quilt Convention, Be Creative by the Sea, Material Obsession and Quilt Encounter in South Australia. I extend a big THANK YOU to my students for their enthusiasm and to the workshop organisers for their energy and support.

I love to see the work emerging from these workshops. Take a look at the new Serendipity Student Galleries now on Flickr. Many of the photos are work in progress shots but feel free to send me images of completed quilts too! I'll be updating the gallery pages on a regular basis.

My teaching focus is on striking designs and the effective use of colour. I aim for a low-fuss approach so as to promote fun and encourage the creative confidence of my students. I am taking bookings for 2011 and beyond. Contact me about my availability.

The Serendipity Patchwork & Quilting Workshops Brochure is a complete listing of the workshops that I offer.

I'm a great believer in using a quilt finish that best complements your quilt. A facing finish is ideal for wall and art quilts where a binding would detract from the design.

The current issue (No 143) of Down Under Quilts magazine contains step-by-step tutorials (with new and improved photos!) of two of my favourite facing finish techniques: Mitred Facing and Wholecloth Facing.

The international tour of the Twelve by Twelve exhibition continues in New Zealand next month:

• 9 - 12 September: Craft & Quilt Fair Claudelands Events Centre, Hamilton; and
• 17-19 September 2010: Craft & Quilt Fair Westpac Arena, Christchurch.

Come and see all 144 quilts from the first theme series. I will be giving daily floor talks at 11am and 2pm. Do come and say hello!

To help fund some of our exhibition expenses, we are offering a special set of thirteen Twelve by Twelve Postcards for sale.

Since undertaking an exhilarating workshop with Nancy Crow back in 2006, I've had a stack of Kona cotton solids that I am endeavouring to use up. I made Neapolitan as a fun teaching sample for my Strata Various workshop.

Neapolitan will feature as a project in Quilters Companion # 46 in November 2010.

When Diane invited me to join the Twelve by Twelve International Art Quilt Challenge in September 2007, I had little inkling of how rewarding and enduring this project would be.

Inspired by the bright lorikeet parrots that feed on the banksias outside my studio window, I set Lorikeet as the palette for the next Twelve by Twelve Colourplay challenge.

The reveal date is 1 September (US time). Be sure to check the Twelve by Twelve blog to see the results and find out what Terri selects as the palette for the next challenge.

My quilt Timelines#1: Remember the Date is a finalist in the 2010 AP&Q AQC Challenge “Remember” The design is based on a colour-coded calendar with different colours denoting birthdays, anniversaries and so on. All 30 of the challenge finalists will be on exhibition at the Craft & Quilt Fairs in New Zealand in September and in Adelaide (4-7 November).

The AQC Team have just announced that the theme for the 2011 AP&Q AQC Challenge is "Seven Deadly Sins". Entry forms are available from the AQC website.

MY PLACE is an exhibition of 90 contemporary art quilts from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and includes my contribution, Tudibaring. You can view the quilts on the MY PLACE website or in person at Carrefour Europeen du Patchwork: 16-19 September 2010 Ste Marie aux Mines, Alsace, France.

I joined Studio Art Quilts Associates last year and am enjoying their newsletter, on-line forum and other activities. The annual SAQA auction is one way to support SAQA’s programs and exhibitions. I’ve decided to donate Simple String Theory which I made during the exploration of the Twelve by Twelve Mathematics theme and went on to become the foundation work of my Desire Lines series. The auction commences on 20 September. For more information and interesting quilts, see: SAQA Benefit Auction 2010: One Foot Squares

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