I was very excited to hear this morning that both the quilts that I submitted to the Australian Quilt Show have been accepted as finalists and will tour with Expertise Events this year. The even better news is that one of them has been awarded a prize! Which one….

Mexican Hats, a BIG quilt entered in the Modern Quilts category or….

The Silk Road, a quilt made from self dyed silk wedding dress scraps, entered in the Recycled and Restyled Category.

Why not come to Australasian Quilt Convention held from 11th – 14th April at the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens, Melbourne to see my quilts in their full splendour and find out. I have been attending this event for many years and is well worth a visit for anyone who appreciates textiles, quilts and art. The event will be a magnificent showcase of quilting art, providing colourful, first-class works, expert workshops and unique retailers, all under the breathtaking dome of Melbourne’s iconic Royal Exhibition Building.

Some features of the event include:

• The Australian Quilt Show – Finalists’ work from the 2024 Australian Quilt Show Challenge will premiere at AQC. This is a national competition for Australian quilters, running for the third year. The total prize pool is worth $31,797, including $19,800 in cash.

• Best of QuiltCon – A travelling exhibition of new works from the world’s premier modern quilting event, QuiltCon 2024, which will be held in North Carolina, USA. This exhibition comes to Australia directly from the QuiltCon event – the first stop on its global tour.

• RED by SAQA – The colour red has played a major role in art, rituals and spirituality. The use of red can evoke excitement, danger, anger or love. It is associated with purity in India and, in China, it traditionally symbolises luck. Thirty-nine works from makers from the USA, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, Italy and Australia are featured in this creative collection – a Studio Art Quilt Associates global exhibition.

• 20 Perspectives – Windows, Doors and Portals is the theme of the 20 Perspectives exhibition. This group of international textile artists are united by their love of textiles and the desire to share their art with others. This will be the first exhibition of this collection.