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A WORLD OF COLOUR The Texas Quilt Museum recently played host to an inspiring exhibition by Australian quiltmaker and fabric designer Denise Burkitt. Entitled The Traveling Artist: Works of Denise Burkitt, the show brought together 20 striking pieces that reflect her deep connection to place, movement and discovery. As museum curator Vicki Mangum explained, “When Denise Burkitt travels, she is open to being amazed.” That sense of openness infused the exhibition, which captured not just the destinations Burkitt visits, but the feelings, moods and sensory impressions they leave behind. Through intuitive mark making and a rich interplay of colour, texture, shape and line, Burkitt translates her experiences directly onto fabric, creating works that feel both spontaneous and deeply considered. PURE EMOJI-NATION The Art Quilt Alliance (AQA), based in Ohio, is…

Best of Show Twisted, Simone Steuxner Judges’ comments: “The variety of techniques is admirable. It is beautifully embellished and the choice of modern colours is well balanced. The unique custom machine quilting and appliqué are exceptional.” Excellence in Hand Quilting The Gathering, Antonia Hering Judges’ comments: “Incredibly consistent and detailed hand quilting exquisitely executed using a variety of thread weights and stitches. Hand quilting complements and adds to the design, integrating with the appliquéd patterns and motifs beautifully. Thread choices enhance the individual elements and add to the overall composition.” Miniature Quilts — First Festival de Estrellas, Kimiko Frydl Judges’ comments: “Masterful use of colour in the design which has been beautifully executed with amazing attention to detail.” Two Person Quilts — First Two Halves Make Us Whole, Claire Wallace and Telene Jeffrey  Judges’…

ABOUT JENNY QC What inspires your designs? JR As a keen gardener, I take a lot of inspiration from my own cottage garden. I also love Australian native flora, which has featured in some of my designs. Sometimes I am inspired by historical needlework styles and translate these into appliqué designs, such as Deerfield, Jacobean styles. QC What types of imagery do you include in your designs? JR I take endless photos. I usually create custom illustrations from my photos or from actual botanical samples I have collected. I am not tech savvy, so everything I do begins with pencil and paper, then evolves from there. I translate these illustrations into my designs for appliqué — some are more realistic than others. QC How do you express the ‘narratives’? JR My…

Finished size: 35.5cm x 28cm (14in x 11in) MATERIALS • Fat quarter cream mottled print fabric (background) • 20cm (8in) square of green mottled print fabric (leaves) • Assorted fabric scraps (blossoms and branch) • 15cm (¼yd) brown/grey mottled print fabric (binding) • Fat quarter fabric (backing and hanging sleeve) • Fat quarter thin batting • Stranded embroidery floss in dark pink, grey-green and two shades of yellow • 50-wt threads to match the appliqué fabrics • No 9 or 10 appliqué needles • No 9 or 10 crewel needles • Hand quilting needle • Hand quilting threads in cream and pale olive green • Tracing Vilene or tracing paper at least 36cm x 28cm (14in x 11in) • Template plastic and fine permanent-marking pen • Rotary cutter, ruler and…

Finished size: 179.5cm (70¾in) square Finished block size: 10in square MATERIALS • Assorted low-volume background fabrics to total about 4m (4½yd) (blocks and sashings) • 1m (1¼yd) low-volume print fabric (border) • 2m (2¼yd) medium-pink print fabric (blocks and Border 2) • 50cm (⅝yd) light pink print fabric (blocks) • 30cm (⅜yd) each of 13 assorted blue and green print fabrics • 2m (2¼yd) extra-wide (275cm/108in) backing fabric • Batting at least 200cm (79in) square • Template plastic and fine permanent-marking pen • Mylar or compass and cardboard • Rotary cutter, ruler and mat • Sewing machine with ¼in foot • General sewing supplies PREPARATION AND CUTTING 1 Trace Templates A–F (including A-reversed) and H–J from the Pattern Sheet on to template plastic with a fine-point permanent-marking pen. Label them…

Finished size: Table runner: 43cm x 90cm (17in x 35½in) Placemats: 26cm x 36cm (10¼in x 14¼in)  Coasters: 10cm (4in) square (02) 66219188 MATERIALS • 30cm (⅜yd) pre-stencilled fabric with a shippo design — available from BeBe Bold • Assorted print fabrics to total about 70cm (¾yd) • 85cm (⅞yd) backing fabric • Olympus sashiko thread: Airforce Blue (9), White (101) • Fine thread to match one of the print fabrics (appliqué) • Light fusible fleece, such as Pellon H630 • Water-erasable fabric-marking pen • Sashiko needle • Sashiko thimble (optional) • Template plastic and fine permanent-marking pen • Neutral coloured machine-sewing thread • Rotary cutter, ruler and mat • Sewing machine with ¼in and walking feet • General sewing supplies TABLE RUNNER PREPARATION AND CUTTING 1 Prepare the skeins…

All images are from Commemorative American Quilts: Stitching Our Heritage from 1876 to Today by Susan Sider, courtesy of Schiffer Publishing Sandra’s book tracks the development of quiltmaking practices in the context of social and political events through exploring American quilts created as commemorative acts and as expressions of patriotism, protest and celebration. “Quilt culture has played a major role in commemorating public anniversaries in this country,” Sandra writes. She highlights three commemorative events in American history that were particularly prominent as catalysts of craft revivals that sparked notable bursts of commemorative quiltmaking. The first was the Centennial of the Declaration of Independence in 1876, a period of quiltmaking that provides a window into understanding what patriotism meant in an era when much of the population “was still adjusting to…

Finished size: 98cm (38½in) square Finished block size: 6in square MATERIALS • 1m (1⅛yd) red on white print fabric (appliqué background) • 25 squares, 6½in of assorted print, tone-on-tone and plain fabrics (appliqué). Cathy used five different fabrics in each of blue, green, pink, orange and yellow • 55cm (⅝yd) aqua print fabric (border) • 40cm (½yd) pink print fabric (binding) • 1.2m (1¼yd) backing fabric • Batting at least 110cm (44in) square • Fusible web • Compass and 2B pencil • Rotary cutter, ruler and mat • Quilting gloves (optional) • Sewing machine with ¼in, walking and free-motion feet • Machine-sewing threads to match the appliqué fabrics • General sewing requirements CUTTING From the red on white print fabric, cut: • five strips, 6½in x width of fabric. Cross…

Presented by Ozquilt Network, the exhibition champions originality, technical excellence and the expressive potential of quiltmaking on a national scale. This biennial showcase also continues its long-standing partnership with the National Wool Museum through Expressions: The Wool Quilt Prize, highlighting the creative possibilities of wool as a fibre for both traditional and experimental practice on a national scale. The 2025 exhibition was hosted at the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum from mid-July to mid-October 2025. The exhibition offered a concentrated view of current directions in the field — from narrative and landscapedriven works to abstraction, material innovation and sculptural approaches to stitch. The award recipients — Linda Steele, Alison Muir, Greg Somerville and Jennifer Bowker — anchored the exhibition’s thematic and technical range, demonstrating how contemporary quilt artists are pushing the…