Art Quilt Australia

Art Quilt Australia is a biennial juried exhibition open to textile artists resident in Australia and New Zealand and OZQN members worldwide. Art Quilt Australia 2019 is on exhibition at the National Wool Museum, Geelong from 6 September until 15 December 2019 and will tour to Yarra Ranges Regional Museum, Lilydale, Victoria from 8 February-16 May 2020.

Quilts that are for sale in this exhibition may be purchased directly from the artist. The works are not available for delivery until after the conclusion of the exhibition tour (16 May 2020). Download the AQA2019 Sales Listing.

FLORA Canopy 15
© 2019 Anna Brown
172cm H x 94cm W

Price: NFS

Statement: Patterns shift, as I gaze at the sky through a canopy of trees.

Materials: Thai silk.

Techniques: Raw edge reverse appliqué, machine pieced, and hand quilted.

PATTERNS 8 Honour the Past
© 2019 Anna Brown
151cm H x 108cm W

Price: SOLD

OZQN AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 2019
Highly Commended

Statement: Inspired by their wonderful colours and patterns, this is an homage to War Quilts.

Materials: Double layered woollen striped wholecloth and felt; wool thread.

Techniques: Machine and hand appliquéd, hand quilted.

SEA WALL #13:
© 2019 Sandra Champion
101cm H x 152cm W

Price: A$2000

Statement: Visitors to the small park in Secheron Bay near where I live would not notice the old sea wall. I love its tired grottiness, its many intriguing layers and hidden traces of history that can only be guessed at.

Materials: Vintage newspapers, books and magazines, vintage Kimono silks, scrim, repurposed dressmakers pattern tissue, silk.

Techniques: Rusted, burned, painted, oiled, collaged, patched and stitched.

Photographer: Bruce Champion

Carolyn Collins -Autumn Day on Victoria Street

AUTUMN DAY ON VICTORIA ST
©2019 Carolyn Collins
98cm H x 102cm W

Statement: The sun rises on a cool crisp morning and gradually warms the day until passing clouds cast lengthening shadows across the garden. When the sun returns in the late afternoon it lights up the brilliant golds and oranges of the persimmon tree.

Materials: Hand-dyed and printed cotton and silk; batik.

Techniques: Collage, appliqué and machine stitch.

DURATION
©2019 Sue Cunningham
203cm H x 181cm W

Price: NFS

Statement: Definition of duration: Continuance in time/ the time during which something exists or lasts. Merriam – Webster dictionary. Sue Cunningham has attempted to record the passing of time by using slowly made simple stitches which mimic the repetitive act of knitting. She acknowledges the influences of Agnes Martin and Claire Benn.

Materials: Hand knitted woollen rug made by my mother and grandmother, faded cotton curtains, hand quilting.

Techniques: Machine piecing, appliqué, hand quilting.

Photographer: John Simpkin. Photographer: Bruce Champion

DAY AND NIGHT DIPTYCH
©2019 Sue Dennis
100cm H x 102cm W

Price: A$990

Statement: The harsh sunlight of day in Australia gives way to the softness of night..

Materials: Cotton fabric, wadding, dye, textile paint, threads.

Techniques: Sun dyed, hand printed with foliage, hand painted, machine quilted.

PROTECTED ROOM
©2019 Heidi Drahota
126cm H x 94cm W

Price: A$3250

Statement: Basically, I felted structures in as many techniques as possible, nestled in an old moth-eaten loden that my father bought for my mother long time ago. I followed my intuition in color selection and my inner music while quilting. This resulted as a symbol of inner peace – my ‘Protected Room’.

Materials: Recycled loden, silk, merino, woollen yarn, polyester yarn.

Techniques: Wet-felted structures in 3-D, Nunofelt, pine needle technique, appliquéd, freemotion quilted.

FROM THE SEA
© 2019 Dianne Firth
208cm H x 92cm W

Price: $2500

Statement: This work is a meditation on the endangered status of many sea creatures. The gigantic slow moving whale shark and the more dynamic spotted eagle ray are but two. Their size and dramatic appearance make them prey to over-fishing and tourist-centred disturbance.

Materials: Wool blanket, wool dressmaking fabric, wool- cotton detail, polyester thread.

Techniques: Whole cloth with bound incisions, machine quilted.

Photographer: Andrew Sikorski

SECRET RIVER
© 2019 Dianne Firth
133cm H x 84cm W

Price: $2000

Statement: Australia is the driest continent on earth. Yet its dry inland regions hold vast reservoirs of underground water that are fed by infrequent, but torrential floods. The idea of a secret river, a river that cuts into the earth before it disappears underground, informs the design and materials selection.

Materials: Viscose felt, polyester net, polyester thread, acrylic paint.

Techniques: Reverse appliqué, machine quilting.

Photographer: Andrew Sikorski

10 SHADES OF RHODODENDRON
SEVEN BLOOMS INTACT
©2019 Pat Forster
147cm H x 147cm W

Price: A$430

Statement: Divine rhododendrons, seven blooms intact, three effected by the weather. The ‘flowerhead’ form is derived from the 7 Dragon fractal at fractalcurves.com. The arrangement of the flowerheads is that of the classic Pascal’s Triangle. Blue hexagon motifs, ‘buds ready to burst’, have fallen on the background leaves.

Materials: Cotton fabrics, polyester wadding, cotton- polyester thread.

Techniques: Paper piecing, hand appliqué, hand reverse appliqué, machine and hand quilting.

PODS
©2019 Pat Forster
154cm H x 153cm W

Price: A$430

Statement: The block shape emerged from reducing, rotating and nesting Drunkards Path blocks. The overall design came from play! The title of the quilt is a natural!

Materials: Cotton fabrics, polyester cotton thread, polyester wadding.

Techniques: Machine pieced, machine and hand quilted.

GALACTIC PROTOPLASM
©2019 Jan Frazer
96cm H x 124cm W

Price: NFS

Statement: A piece of wool fabric was hand-dyed and the complex pattern resulting from the process evoked a feeling of outer space and the cosmos. Hand-stitching has been used to partially delineate the galactic landscape and introduce a sense of the infinite.

Materials: Hand dyed wool, wool backing, 60% wool/ 40% poly batting, Genziana and Aurifil lana threads, Gumnut wool threads, Gumnut wool/silk threads, Sheep’s silk threads, Wonderfil metallic thread.

Techniques: Machine quilting, hand stitching.

Photographer: Eric Frazer

FLORA AUSTRALIS
©2019 Denise Griffiths
208cm H x 140cm W

Price: NFS

Statement: I love Australian native flowers, there are so many varieties, shapes, colours and are all so unique. I have used quite a number of different techniques for interest.

Materials: Hand-dyed fabric, batik, shrink magic, crayon,wool, felt, commercial fabric background, cotton batting and embroidery thread.

Techniques: My own Baglique technique which is a 3D padded appliqué. Machine pieced and appliquéd on, free motion embroidery, hand embroidery, crayon shading.

EUCALYPTIC TRANSITION
© 2019 Kay D. Haerland
62cm H x 93cm W

Price: A$800

Statement: The stark beauty of the Eucalyptus tree is something to behold. Here it is brought to life with the softness of a wool blanket and eco-dyed with its own leaves.

Materials: Wool blanket and wool fabric, clear mono- filament and polyester threads. Eucalyptus and red onion skins used for dyeing.

Techniques: Eco-dyed with different Eucalyptus leaves and red onion skins. Free motion machine stitching.

Photographer: Bard Haerland

WHITEWASH
©2019 Neroli Henderson
94.5cm H x 63cm W

Price: A$2555

OZQN AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 2019

Statement: Waves churn, hiding their depths, creating an illusion – for those who watch – of beauty, peace and tranquillity. A façade so mesmerising, yet one at odds with their tumultuous nature.

Materials: Silk, ink, 12wt thread, 100wt thread, cotton backing and wool/poly batting.

Techniques: Whole cloth quilt on fine silk, photography (artist’s own), giclée print, quilted with tiny stitches using heavy weight thread (12wt) on top and 100wt thread on the bottom to create as much texture as possible in the stitches.

Adventure Journal China by Judy Hooworth

ADVENTURE JOURNAL: CHINA
© 2019 Judy Hooworth
102cm H x 180cm W

Price: A$4500

Statement: Memories of travels in China... rows of gold knobs on red temple doors... etched stone stelae... calligraphy... heaven.

Materials: Commercial cottons.

Techniques: Discharge by the artist, machine pieced and quilted.

KATA TJUTA CAMEOS
©2019 Linden Lancaster
138cm H x 137cm W

Price: NFS

Statement: Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) is an ancient formation of boulders and sandstone, still used by the Arangu people for their cultural ceremonies. Walk around it for any amount of time and a myriad of vistas emerge from this awe-inspiring central Australian landmark.

Materials: Hand-dyed and printed cotton fabric, polyester, cotton and rayon thread.

Techniques: Deconstructed screen printing with thickened Procion dyes. Pieced and raw edge appliqué. Free-motion quilted.

Photographer: Cameron Lancaster

BANKSIA COUNTRY 3
©2019 Susan Mathews
89cm H x 96cm W

Price: A$1950

Statement: Part of a large body of work focusing on Australian native plants of which banksias are a particular favourite. The “Banksia Country” series is a natural progression from my “Ode to Banksias” series. It uses many of the the same elements in a more informal way.

Materials: Cotton fabric; water soluble fabric; printing ink; polyester threads; cotton threads; wool/polyester batting.

Techniques: Lino printing; silk screen printing; free motion machine quilting.

BY WAGGA DESIGN
©2019 Barbara Mellor
156cm H x 106cm W

Expressions Wool Quilt Prize 2019:
Acquired by the National Wool Museum

Statement:
Black night
campfire light
sheep in the shadows
dreams on the track
a comforting wagga stitched with love
for a homesick heart.

By Wagga Design is my contemporary ‘take ‘on the traditional wagga, which was born out of hard times and limited resources.

Materials: Recycled wool garments sourced from the local op shop; wool blankets; wool blanket for wadding; cotton flour sacks, ticking, money bag and reproduction fabric from my stash.

Techniques: Piecing, hand stitching, machine stitching. A facing has been used to finish the edge.

WINTER WEEPING
©2019 Barbara Mellor
153cm H x 200cm W

Price: A$600

Statement: In Winter Weeping the artist has been experimenting with using loose threads to create fluidity and movement. The frozen landscape has been created by a quilted background of randomly placed icicles. This magnificent stand of trees exists in Tasmania. Every change of season is different depending on rainfall and temperature.

Materials: White homespun, cotton wadding, cotton backing; cotton threads; polyester threads.

Techniques: Quilting: straight and free motion; use of loose threads to create the ‘weeping’; a facing has been used to finish the edge.

A LEAF OF LEAVES
©2019 Diane Mattiske
120cm H x 78cm W

Price: $1500

Statement: Explore the fractal nature and dye qualities of indigenous foliage on wool, to create a large scale image by multiplying individual leaf imprints..

Materials: Repurposed woollen blanket, leaf matter, cotton embroidery threads.

Techniques: Botanical dyeing using compression and steam. Hand stitching.

Marie Mitchell - Constructions Supervisors

CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISORS
©2019 Marie Mitchell
103cm H x 92cm W

Price: NFS

Statement: During the construction of Marie’s home in rural NSW, a large male Eastern Grey Kangaroo lounged on the hill above the house site. An inquisitive Noisy Miner bird regularly landed on the car side mirror to say hello. During the day he flew in inspect the progress of contractors.

Materials: Hand dyed & commercial cottons, upcycled dress fabrics, tulle & bridal illusion, thread.

Techniques: Raw edge appliqué, invisible machine appliqué, free motion embroidery, sundyeing, painting & drawing.

Photographer: David Mitchell.

A WET BLANKET 2
©2019 Alison Muir
120cm H x 145cm W

Price: A$2000

Statement: The euphemism suggests ‘ruining a surprise or event’; the pond of rotting eucalyptus leaves colouring the water disguises the depths beyond... water and wool hold memory.

Materials: Wool cloth, wool blanket, silk threads, oil stick, dye.

Techniques: Natural dye; indigo, mangrove. Arashi shibori, drawing, painting, machine and hand stitching.

Photographer: Andy Payne

OUR CUSTODIAL LAND
©2019 Alison Muir
174cm H x 85cm W

Price: $1500

Statement: Indigenous Australians have managed the natural resources of this vast continent with care for the present and future: custodial. Immigrant Australians have killed the river systems and introduced species that destroy the natural resources. When will all Australians look after ‘our custodial land’?

Materials: Recycled silk, paper, silk threads, paint, ochre & dye.

Techniques: Natural dye: indigo, onion skins, mangrove and eucalyptus. painting, machine & hand stitching.

Photographer: Andy Payne

Revisioning the Island Landscape by Judith Oke

REVISIONING THE ISLAND LANDSCAPE
(OF HARRIS)
©2019 Judith Oke
122cm H x 106cm W

Price: NFS

Statement: An impressionist landscape of the rocky hills of the Outer Hebrides where crofters have lived for centuries close to the land, sheltering in low, thatched stone cottages. The smell of peat fires hanging in the air. Inspired by memories of visiting the rugged Isles of Lewis and Harris, in 1988.

Materials: Quilt top re-purposes woollen Harris tweed, purchased from the weaver, woven on her loom on Isle of Harris, and blanket ends of unknown origin. Appliquéd with scraps of woollen suiting and blanket samples purchased in Scotland, April 2013. Backing of 100% wool, made in England.

Techniques: Machine-pieced with raw edged appliqué and machine quilting on a domestic sewing machine. Featuring some hand quilting in Japanese ‘Sashiko-style’ and ‘blanket stitched’ appliqué pieces. Postcards of photographs taken by the artist on Isle of Harris in 1988. Printed on ‘Inkjet Printable fabric’ Matilda’s Own MN206 100%cotton.

AUSSIE BUSH DELIGHTS
©2019 Lois Parish Evans
93cm H x 93cm W

Price: $1295

Statement: A compilation of Australian native flowers displaying their delicacy and uniqueness. Structured as a mandala and carefully placed Ikebana style in textiles.

Materials: Cotton, cotton and rayon threads, Inktense pencils and fabric colourfast medium.

Techniques: Raw edge appliqué, free motion quilting, free motion stitching, hand colouring.

AND THE WHEELS GO ROUND #4
©2019 Sue Reid
107cm H x 117cm W

For Sale: A$1500

Statement: It has been a blue day but as the wheels go round we must live our lives fully with no regrets.

Materials: 100% wool cloth, wool batting, wool embroidery thread, wool machinery thread, acrylic paint, machine embroidery thread.

Techniques: Hand painted whole cloth, hand and machine embroidered, freestyle machine quilted.

Price: $475

Statement: Grey skies and rolling hills, sandy creek beds, fence and barbed wire, golden fields of canola or wheat stubble – marks in our landscape that are left by humans, animals or nature.

Materials: Silk & cotton.

Techniques: Hand-dyed fabrics, machine and hand quilting, couching, appliqué and embroidery.

Price: $2500

Statement: Imagine the quilts Klee could have made if he knew how wool glows in the colours of honeycomb, butter, berry, and bordeaux; lavender, mustard, mango, rhubarb, and raspberry; primrose, persimmon, peridot, pumpkin, and plum; egg plant, artichoke, garnet, and goldenrod; spring leaf, sun, salmon, and flame.

Materials: Top: 100% premium Australian merino wool by Sue Spargo, hand dyed wool by Sue Spargo; quilting thread: matching Ellana wool / acrylic thread by Sue Spargo; batting: wool; backing: acrylic felt. Other: extra fine stabiliser, fusible web, cotton sheet, cotton and polyester thread.

Techniques: Machine pieced, machine quilted and top stitched, fused, hand stitched.

Brenda Gael Smith Integrifolia #5: Propagation

Price: A$1600

Statement: The cone-like fruits of the banksia integrifoliacontain lenticular-shaped chambers that open up to release feathery seeds full of potential. Each cone is the embodiment of possibilities.

Materials: 100% wool melton: backing and black background; 100% wool wadding; 70/30% wool/viscose felt for pink shapes; perle cotton and wool blend threads for cross-stitch embellishment.

Techniques: Inlay piecing with machine blanket stitching. Hand cross-stitch.

Price: $A$800

Statement: Warming waters, industrial run-off, overfishing and wild weather conditions are destroying the delicate balance of our Coral Reefs; without the coral there is no home or shelter for the tropical fish. The delicate balance is fractured.

Materials: Cotton fabric, wool/poly batting and silk quilting thread.

Techniques: Machine piecing, machine appliqué and machine quilting.

Price: NFS

Statement: Ode to the beauty of the land. Observations of the caterpillar chewed leaves in Trephina Gorge, Northern Territory and the common scribbly gum markings. Will it always be this way?

Materials: Top cover, wool; leaves, cotton; cotton threads.

Techniques: Eucalypt dyed; raw edge appliqué; machine and hand stitching.

Photographer: Andrew Sikorski

Materials: Wool felt, wool tops, silk tops, tapestry canvas, tapestry wools, quilting thread, acrylic felt backing.

Techniques: Needlefelted wool tops with silk top highlights, hand stitched tapestry inserts, hand embroidery of running stitch, hand quilting.

Photographer: John Perry Makes way for
Canola carpets of fluorescent yellow

Photographer: Thomas Hamilton-Stone

Price: NFS

Statement: Living on Victoria’s southern coastline, I see the seascape colours, constantly changing. The many moods are always glorious – sunny or stormy; calm, choppy or wild; blues, greens or greys. A surprising burst of sunlight highlights a distant bombora with streaks of blue and white in an otherwise winter scene.

Materials: Fabric: cotton, wool, silk with wool thread; threads: cotton; batting: cotton.

Techniques: Indigo-dyed silk/wool, machine pieced with commercial fabric, machine and hand stitched.

Price: $1500

Statement: From nappies to the beginnings of an empty nest, 25 years of laundry care are marked by a well worn path. Mostly invisible, quiet steps throughout the house, only noticed in their absence. Stitched layers of worn- out family clothing map the labouring process expected of many women throughout our society.

Materials: Worn-out family clothing: shirts, shorts, jeans; machine and embroidery threads.

Techniques: Print, machine and hand stitching, cut away technique.

Photographer: Josh Wells

Price: SOLD

Expressions Wool Quilt Prize 2019:
Highly Commended

Statement: As impacts of global warming are everywhere to be seen, some of our passionate youth are protesting the inaction of governments. They believe humans have no right to destroy and despoil Earth, their only home. May these inspirational young people start a revolution for change.

Materials: Wool ground and backing, hand dyed wool felt using natural dyes and mordants and commercial dyes, silk tape, polyester thread.

Techniques: Couched silk tape, needle felting, appliqué and free machine stitching.

Price: A$950

Statement: Autumn is such a beautiful bittersweet time of year. The leaves come alive with vibrancy and put on an amazing visual display of competitive colours, then slowly changing, curling and drying out until the wind blows them away.

Materials: Batik fabric, furnishing fabric, tulle, silk, wool rovings, leather.

Techniques: Fussy and messy cutting, raw edge stitching, free motion stitching.

Art Quilt Australia 2019 includes the winners of the prestigious Expressions Wool Quilt Prize (sponsored by the National Wool Museum) and the OZQN Award of Excellence, valued at $3000 each.

Expressions: Wool Quilt Prize: By Wagga Design Barbara Mellor
Highly Commended Expressions Wool Quilt Prize: Change for Earth Alison Withers
OZQN Award of Excellence: Whitewash Neroli Henderson
Highly Commended: OZQN Award of Excellence: PATTERNS #8: Honouring the Past Anna Brown

Selectors: Leonie Andrews, Julie Bradley and Padraic Fisher

Art Quilt Australia 2019 Catalogue

The Art Quilt Australia 2019 catalogue is available for purchase. 40 pages including selection panel statements and overall and detail images of 37 artworks. All pricing is inclusive of postage (no tracking). Pricing per copy for delivery to: