Last week I was one of three judges of the Victorian Quilters annual members’ exhibition – Quilt Showcase. Protocol means that I will refrain from commenting on individual quilts but here are some links for you to look at:
- Quilt Showcase 2011 Prize Winners slideshow (6MB PDF); and
- Blog post and images by Desley Maisano who was awarded Best of Show and three other awards for Ruled by Chocolate which is both classic and modern.
Jan Frazer kindly consented to me sharing this image of her quilt that I selected for my judge’s award:
I was not a judge of the Fabric of Society challenge but was very impressed by this exhibition of classic quilts that is due to tour Australia. The challenge was to make a quilt that is inspired by, recreated from, or adapted from any quilt as published in the book The Fabric of Society – Australian Quilt Heritage from the Convict Times to 1960 by quilt historian, Dr Annette Gero. Here are some links:
- Fabrc of Society Special Presentation (9MB PDF);
- Dear Prudence blog post by challenge winner, Linda White; and
- blog post by Di Jobbins about her Scrappy Hexagon entry.
I especially enjoyed the wagga entries in the challenge. According to this essay about Wagga Rugs by Wendy Hucker on the National Quilt Register website, the original waggas were made of sacking or flour jute bags. These days, the term is often used loosely to refer to any improvised, functional quilt. The waggas on display in the exhibition were striking designs made of wool and suiting fabrics. I have lots of wool crepe from my corporate wardrobe that may make it into a wagga. One day.