More from Great New Zealand Quilt Show

Welcome back to see more from the Great New Zealand Quilt Show put on by Aotearoa Quilters in Rotorua. 

Below are the quilts that attracted my attention and that were able to be photographed due to the large number of people viewing them.

Sue Flego's quilt and prize 

Best of Show - Sue Flego with her quilt 'Mrs Billings Returns' and her prize

Close up of border

Best of Show 2003 Christchurch Symposium - Katherine Morrison

Silence by Jean McLean, Blenheim

, Jud

Close up of quilting by Judi Schon, Auckland on her quilt Inside Out

Kowhai Web by Ross Munro, Hastings

Fie n Ice by Kat Martin, Te Awamutu

Northland Green Gecko by Sonya Prchal, Whangarei

It is always a treat seeing this quilt hanging in a show, by Melanie Martin, Tauranga

That is all for now, check back soon to see what is under my needle at the moment. Until then happy stitching everyone.

TPQG Retreat 2016

Wow - we had another very successful retreat at the weekend. A weekend full of good company with like minded people, good food and lots of laughs and did I mention how productive it was. 

Retreats are a fantastic way of getting to know each other a little better and seeing what we are all working on, whether you stay over or just attend for the Saturday.

We had a little project on Friday night, which was great fun especially as it was an opportunity to create something pretty and useful from scraps - a bit like our quilts really.

Decorated jar with our prize - fabric flowers

We decorated jars and painted tins with doilies, lace, ribbon and anything else that we fancied. The varieties and ideas within the group was just amazing.

Pam's scones with jam and cream

Pam makes scones for morning tea on Saturday and they are the best scones around for sure, definitely the best I have ever tasted. 

Saturday we had a class for those that wished to participate and it was an incredibly busy but productive day.

This is what we were making and we had our centre rectangles and whites precut so we were ready to get going once we had set up our machines. This pattern is called Gridlock designed by Tanya Finken.

Here are some pics from the class. Everyone had different colourways and some used one colour for the T's in the background while others used an assortment of fabrics.

Rae's completed quilt top - just borders to add.

I can't wait to see them all finished at show and tell at the club. Well that is all for today, but please check back soon as I still have some more photos from the Great New Zealand Quilt Show to share. Until then happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree

Aotearoa Quilts and Great New Zealand Quilt Show 2016

Wow, what a fantastic show Aotearoa Quilts put on in Rotorua last weekend with their inaugural Great New Zealand Quilt Show.

The flight challenge was very interesting and I was very impressed with not just the number of quilts but also the caliber. I think I have everything, it was difficult getting photos as there were a lot of people looking.

WINNER Gone By Jeanette Gillies Wanaka

The background fabric, representative of a wall, inspired me to create a door indicating the owners have fled.

  MERIT  Leaving By Mary Transom Ohope

I visualised a flight of butterflies leaving on a migration. I challenged myself to make my quilt double sided. 

MERIT  KL1963 Departing Amsterdam... By Shirley Sparks Pauanui

Breathtaking views of the fields and fields of tulips in bloom when flying from Amsterdam on a clear spring day.

 

MERIT  I'm Flying By Camilla Watson Whitby

Held high in dad's strong hands, she spins and spins.

 

 

Homeward Bound By Annie White Auckland 

I loved the clean, sharp lines of this near 100-year design. Texture and dimension was added by dense quilting.

 

Kaleidoscope Scramble By Sandra Bentley Tauranga

My husband loves old aircraft and thought that this dramatic image of an aviation art book would make a stunning quilt.

 

Ungainly Grace By Charlotte Scott Paihia

The grace and ungainliness of a heron in flight intrigues me, I watch them at dusk when the light fades on the water.

 

Wings of Gold Take Flight By Anne Lawson Invercargill

Monarch butterflies teach children about life cycles -stretching their wings of gold, encouraging children's imaginations to take flight with them.

Night Owl By Juliet Van Der Heijoen Rolleston

Last year I designed 16 flying bird silhouette patterns. 'Night Owl' is an extension of that series.

Take Your Dreams and Fly By Catherine Parkinson Te Awamutu

Dragonflies are beautiful insects. They are the symbol of change. Make dreams, makes changes and fly to new heights.

 

Flying Home By Sonya Prchal Whangarei

Fond memories of playful kea inspired Flying Home. I enjoyed capturing the beauty of the kea and alpine environment.

Flight of Ideas By Mary Jane Sneyd Dunedin

Ideas take flight from the book and metamorphose, into action as they pluck the peach from the sky.

Unshackled By Catherine McDonald Christchurch

Escape and freedom to pursue your own destiny.

 

 

Flight of the Pheasant By Janice Danswan Tauranga

The pheasant was done with raw-edge applique. The wing feathers are tea-dyed to get different tones.

 

A New Life By Kathleen Burton Christchurch

Every day I see images of refugees fleeing persecution - a better life relies on peace and our acceptance of them.

 

Close up of quilting. 

 

 

Flight of the Godwits By Wendy O'Neill Palmerston North

These incredible birds fly 7,700 miles non-stop for six days from Alaska to their feeding grounds in New Zealand.

To Kiss the Sky By Kirsten Macbeth Pokeno

I enjoyed thread painting the feather with variegated thread. The birds are escaping the feather and quilt for freedom in the sky.

 

Howard Hughes Meets Andy Warhol By Vivienne Franklin Napier 

After seeing the remarkable aeroplane, I needed a quilt so used the minimalist, vibrant pop art style of Andy Warhol.

 

Revenge of the Birds: a "Whodunnit" By Clare Smith Wellington

Inspired by the book "The Amulet of Samarkland", in which the sparrows are not what they appear.

 

 

 

 

 

Metamorphose By Kathleen Burford Christchurch

Every year our garden has hundreds of caterpillars that change into beautiful monarch butterflies -nature is wonderful.

 

These are the flights quilts that I have photos of, I apologise if there is any that I have missed. I have more photos of the exhibition but they will have to wait for another post.

Hope to see you back here soon, until then happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update for April 2016

Wow, April is done and dusted and May is under way. I thought I would just have a recap on what I achieved in April as my focus this year is on being productive and moving some projects along.

The final block for Home Coming Lane was completed which felt absolutely amazing. These blocks are a combination of piecing and Applique and even though there are only four blocks, there is a lot of work in each of them. Having these finally completed is definitely an achievement in my book. They are half quilted but have been put aside for some other things to be worked on.

The Home Coming Lane blocks being quilted

The hexies are coming along and my little side projects are nearly complete. Two little hexie bags, one for me and one for a friend although there just might be a few more of these in my future as they are so easy and fun to do.

These just need the tops sorted and linings fixed in. The one of the left is having a hexie lining and the one on the right is having a round one piece fabric lining. Will post photo when completed.

At club we had a UFO weekend and that was incredibly productive for me with quite a few 'quilt as you go' 'string' blocks made. Once home I continued with making these blocks and before I knew it a quilt was completed. All that is left to do now is a label and to gift it to the recipient.

I quite like the blue grey traming on this and I think it has come out well.

Overall I am very pleased with what I achieved in April and am looking forward to achieving more in May. There is going to be no let up this year, 2016 is a very busy year indeed.

Just before I sign off, this weekend is the Great New Zealand Quilt Show in Rotorua by Aotearoa Quilters which is the main guild here in New Zealand. Rotorua is about an hours drive from Tauranga and there are a few car loads going from Tauranga this morning and I can't wait to see all of the quilts hanging in this exhibition. One of the displays is the Sewezi Flight Challenge quilts and it will be awesome seeing these quilts hanging together. Two quilts were chosen in the selection process from five for our region to get through for this exhibition. I will have more on all of that later in the next post as I have to get moving to be ready on time.

Until next time, happy stitching everyone.

Donna-Maree