ADELAIDE'S FESTIVAL OF QUILTS 2010

The 2010 Festival of Quilts celebrated another busy year for the Quilters' Guild of South Australia Inc. when they displayed members' quilts at the recent Craft & Quilt Fair held at Adelaide Showgrounds last week.  More than 250 quilts were on show and I only had time to quickly flick through part of them unfortunately.  I'd like to show you two that really caught my eye with apologies to all the other winners as I didn't get a chance to view them all.

Best of Show Runner Up was awarded to Kathy Brown for her quilt "Is One Egg Enough? Mallee Threatened Bird Series #2 The Southern Scrub Robin" as well as 1st Place in the Pictorial Professional Category. 

Congratulations Kathy for the detail of your exquisite quilt which doesn't show to its full advantage in photographs.  The quilt was truly three-dimensional with such vivid detail so close to reality of nature and with a very clear message.  These were Kathy's words: "The Southern Scrub Robin is a ground bird found in the Mallee woodland.  It lays one egg in a ground-nest.  It is a threatened species.  I have attempted to depict vegetation found in the areas inhabited by this bird.  The hand-embroidered bird is actual size."  (The Mallee is a district in Western Victoria)

Here are two close-ups whereupon I've endeavoured to show you the beautiful details that Kathy has successfully reproduced.

"Hand Me Downs" by Jocelyne Leath also took my fancy as a Memorable Quilt.

Jocelyne used Cotton, Hessian, Flanelette and Paper.  It was hand and machine stitched, using thread painting, fabric painting and photo transfers.  Jocelyne stated "The boy watches and learns.  One day he will work alongside his father and eventually he will inherit the title, the tools, the business and all the responsibilities.  Skills, trades, customs, traditions, cultures and history have been handed down from one generation to another.  We live, we learn, we remember, as it always was in the past.  The frame may hold some memories but the mirror always reflects the truth." 

Aren't these words just so wonderful?  Just look at the detail in the boy's hair and all around him!  In reality it is all three-dimensional too.

When we travel to Adelaide we always stop at the Service Station at Tailem Bend in SA for a bite to eat with its beautiful setting overlooking the Murray River.  Even when the river is suffering from a drought year, it always seems to have high water in it at this point because of the dams upstream, but this year, being such a brilliant year for rainfall, it was bubbling along merrily full to the brim. Also, I am always intrigued how one side of the river can be so much lower than the high side where the Service Station is located and from where I took this picture of a farmer taking in the balance of his bales of hay.  (Just to please John)  It is an enormous cliff on one side and low pasture on the other.

Definitely one of the highlights of visiting Adelaide for the show is for the scrumptious bag of home-made biscuits that Farmer Joy always presents to John to keep him happily munching away during the show.  They are to die for - particularly the chocolate dipped coffee shortbread.  Yum yum yum.  I had to hide them so as at least I got a taste!  Thanks Joy.

This year sadly witnessed the last show by a dear friend and long time Exhibitor, Nikki Tervo, famous for her buttons.  Her buttons will still be available on another Exhibitor's Stand but Nikki is retiring from the show scene.  We had a wonderful Saturday night out, over 40 of us together, toasting her in high fashion and wishing her all the best for the wonderful memories this vibrant person has offered each and every one of us.  Nikki is unique and her generosity to her fellow Exhibitor has been shown time and time again.  Good Luck Nikki!  At the same time, was another farewell to Rosalie from Polly's Beads who also attended her last show in Adelaide as an Exhibitor.  Trevor Penney from FrameCo attended his last show in Brisbane the fortnight before.  These fine Exhibitors will be surely missed.

Sadly though, the Reindeer Placemat, shown above, went missing from Nikki's Seminar when she passed them around for students to view and was not returned.  PLEASE keep you eye open for it and return to Nikki who is very upset with the incident.  Yes, it happens.  Fingers crossed that someone knows something of this and that is was an accident.  No questions asked, just return to Nikki or myself.