New Quilter in Brisbane

I thought it would be interesting to have a demonstration happening at our stand at the Brisbane Quilt Show so Bernina kindly lent me a new 380 machine (very nice to use) and Just Patchwork lent me a SewEzi portable sewing table. This very stable but light table allows the machine to fit perfectly flush with the top and plenty of leg room to use the knee lift. I am very impressed with it.

Anyway - as I spend a lot of time at shows helping customers select fabrics and projects I thought I would ask Peter if he wanted to make the Terrific Tumblers quilt that I was planning to demonstrate. I thought he would just laugh but he surprised me and agreed. Well - what a star! He has never touched a sewing machine apart from carrying mine but has taken to it like a duck to water. He is making one in earthy browns and golds and it is going to look beautiful. The blocks are die cut and have the corners snipped so it is so easy and quick to put together.

He is churning through the piecing and I am not allowed to touch it - he wants to do it all himself which is wonderful. Is there anything this man cannot do?
This is the original blue/green one I have made but hopefully soon I will have a new one to show you.

Scholarship Press Release

This was released today and it is so exciting to see it in print. Now I truely believe it is going to happen.

Australian quilt artist recognized
Lisa Walton awarded
2010 Jewel Pearce Patterson
Scholarship for Quilting Teachers
HOUSTON—May 11, 2010—International Quilt Market is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2010 Jewel Pearce Patterson Scholarship for Quilting Teachers is Lisa Walton of Sydney, Australia. The scholarship—now in its twentieth and final year—provides a commendable quilting teacher with the opportunity to expand her creative talents and improve upon her classroom and teaching skills.

Walton will receive round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, and paid tuition for the 2010 International Quilt Market and Festival in Houston. Over the course of the following year, she will apply what she has learned during her time at the shows to an exhibit of her work and that of her students. This special exhibit will debut at the 2011 fall editions of Market and Festival.

“What a delight it was to contact Lisa and let her know that she had been selected as this year’s recipient—her response was one of sheer disbelief,” says Judy Murrah, Vice President of Education and Administration for Quilts, Inc. “I look forward to meeting Lisa and seeing her inspirational quilts. And her exhibit promises to be a real explosion of color!”

Walton was thrilled upon learning that she had been named this year’s scholarship recipient. “I was in the car, checking email on my phone, and I screamed so loudly that my husband—who was driving—had to stop. I think I started crying then!”

Now, she is looking forward to learning new techniques and technical skills during her time in Houston, she adds. “I am going to absorb every minute of it. I want to especially observe teachers’ styles and their interactions with students.”

A quilter for close to 20 years, Walton began teaching about 10 years ago and has since made it her full-time job. Walton’s classes cover a wide array of styles and techniques including piecing, appliqué, machine quilting, embroidery, couching, and other decorative stitches, and bead embellishment, the latter of which is her area of expertise.
“I cannot believe how much I love teaching quilting and patchwork,” she says. “I love the exchange of knowledge between my students and myself, and I always learn something from them as well. I love seeing my students have that ‘ahhhhh’ moment.”
Walton is also an award-winning quilter whose work has appeared in various exhibits, judged shows, and private collections around the world, including two solo exhibitions in her home country of Australia. Her designs are regularly published in all of the major Australian quilting magazines, and Walton and her work have been profiled in a number of other international publications, including several in the U.S.
In 2005, Walton and her husband launched their business, Dyed and Gone to Heaven, which offers patterns and kits for her original quilt designs, hand-dyed fabrics, and beads and beading supplies. And recently, she was featured in two educational DVD workshops, which she says—much like her classes—encourage students to “just give it a try!”
The scholarship was created in honor of Jewel Pearce Patterson (1910-2002), a Houston-based quilting teacher who taught thousands of students throughout her career. She was one of the cofounders of what is now the International Quilt Association, as well as the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston. Patterson was also the mother of Karey Bresenhan, Quilts, Inc. president and directorof International Quilt Festival and Market.
The scholarship was first awarded in 1990 to mark Patterson’s 80th birthday, and this year—the final year for the scholarship—would have marked her 100th. Over the course of its 20 years, many of today’s best-known quilting teachers received the scholarship and the opportunity to study at International Quilt Festival and Market and, in some cases, Quilt Expo in Europe.

"My mother would have been delighted to know that her love of quilting and teaching resulted in many teachers from the U.S. and other countries receiving scholarships from Festival to expand their teaching skills,” says Bresenhan. “She was a big believer in education, earned three college degrees while working full-time as a teacher and librarian, and always laughed that she retired from teaching to go to work teaching quilting! So, it was a pleasure to offer the Jewel Pearce Patterson scholarship for two decades. Mama was so happy that she got to meet quite a few of the early recipients of "her" scholarship—that meant a lot to her."

Lucky Wellington

I have been in Wellington again for a few days for a great workshop with members of the Wellington Guild. I was fortunate enough to be taken to Minerva Bookshop in Cuba St Wellington and I was so glad as I had missed it by about one block on my first visit.

Unfortunately the owner Anne Scott wasn't there as I would have liked to have met her. She is also the founder of NZ Quilter which is a great magazine. However Clare Smith - who's work I have always admired was in there browsing so I was introduced to her and we had a nice chat.

The store is great with hundreds of textile related titles - many of which I hadn't seen before to browse which was great. Also some really interesting magazines which I had heard about but haven't seen like Selvage and 3Fold. Wellington textile artists are really lucky to have access to such a great store.

Some great textile bits and pieces too.


Also on in the store there was an exhibition called Illumination – which was a NANZQ challenge and there were some really creative and inspiring quilts on display. I think the exhibition is about to finish so it can go to the Quilt & Craft Fair next week i Hamilton so watch out for it if you are going. I will be there on Thursday just visiting too.

Grabbed some crispy and tasty fish from across the road and headed back to class and I really look forward to seeing some of the finished quilts very soon.

New Quilt COLOURPLAY

This is my latest published quilt. It is called Colourplay and has just been published in Australian Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.

Also included in the magazine are templates for all letters of the alphabet so that the word Colour (sorry US quilters but that is how we spell it here) can be substituted for any word.

Wouldn't it make a great quilt for any child personalised with their own name and in such bright and vibrant colours?
Photos courtesy of Aust P&Q.

Party Time

Party Time is my latest quilt to be published. It is in the latest Australian Patchwork & Quilting Magazine and is a bright and happy quilt.

Kits are available of course from the website.



Here is a detail shot of the quilting

I have been sewing

I have just finished a new quilt which I am quite pleased with. I can't show the completed picture yet but here are a few steps along the way.

Lots of fabric strips - I worked in five different colour families and used a combination of silks, hand dyes, linen, velvet hand painted and anything else I could find from my stash. I stabilized the slippery ones before cutting them into strips.
For each colour family I created a needle felted piece to add to the texture - also cut into random strips

Start of the layout - each block is either 2in square or 4x2in




I will show you the finished quilt as soon as I can.

Oranges and Lemons

My latest quilt has just appeared in this months issue of the Australian magazine Down Under Quilts.
It is called Oranges and Lemons because I really liked the fabric set we dyed and they reminded me of lots of bright citrus fruits.

It is a simple strip pieced quilt cut into diamonds with a border.
The quilting is straight line parallels (well sort of).

It made the the cover of the issue which is wonderful but my scanner is not working so I can't scan it to show you.

It is available as a kit but until this issue of the magazine expires I am unable to sell my pattern separately so if you are interested but not in Australia I will supply a copy of the magazine.

Seaside Village has Arrived

Just received the latest copy of Australian Quilters Companion which has my latest quilt Seaside Village featured as a project.

I really like this one - it is bright and cheerful as well as being dead easy. The issue also features a DVD of Deborah Louie demonstrating Machine Quilting so even better value.

I hope this quilt appeals as we have dyed lots of blues and greens for the kits.

What do you think? Comments appreciated.

Finished Top

Today another milestone was reached - I finished the top for my next large quilt. I can't show the quilt yet but here are some leftover blocks to give you a taste.

It is called Bushfire Sunset.


These are the fabrics which were sorted into their respective batches. It has been a wonderful exercise in colour.

Now it is off to be quilted by Nic.

Ok - now onto the next deadline which has lots of beading.

Paducah Acceptance

I was very excited to hear today that my quilt Squared Up has been accepted into Paducah. It was quilted brilliantly by Nic Bridges and is still my favourite quilt at the moment so I am very pleased that it will get to travel across the sea to Paducah.
Having checked out the list of other semi-finalists I am thrilled to be in such brilliant company including many friends.

I have to thank Jamie Fingal who helped me beat the tyranny of distance and time for the entry form. The internet is a wonderful thing but these friendships created by it are priceless.

Thanks Jenny

My friend Jenny Bowker who lives the most exotic life in Cairo at present, also writes for Down Under Quilts. This month her article also included reference to one of my quilts. I have made many since this one but she always refers to it as her favourite of mine. Here is a bit of it if you are interested. Thanks Jenny.

It is actually for sale if you are feeling affluent. It is 2m x 2m and can be found on my website.

By the way - Jenny has just come back from the most amazing trip into the desert. Her blog is a must read.

Latest Work

This is my latest quilt but I can't show it completely as it is for a magazine. I haven't done any sewing for weeks so I am enjoying my time in the studio. It is a simple design and although being intensely quilted - it is just straight parallel lines so easy to do using the walking foot edge and the blocks as guides. Be interesting to see how much thread it takes to quilt it.

Breaking the Drought

Today I was shown one of my students quilts which I think is just wonderful. Thanks to Yvette for bringing me her version of Breaking the Drought. I can't wait to see it quilted.

More Playing

Here is a Beading class sample I have been working on for a while. I think I might call it finished now. The problem with beading is that there is always more room for a couple more beads.
For those in Sydney I am teaching this Creative Beading class at Logans in Leichhardt on 8th August. It's a one day workshop and all the stitches on this sample will be taught (as well as many others). It's a fun day and a great way to learn the basics of Beaded Embellishment.

MIXED RESULTS

I have had a great couple of days in the studio. I have given myself permission to play and play I did.
I spent a day and a half working on a pieced quilt top with the result of throwing the whole thing in the bin. It was done as a prototype for a magazine project and all I can say is thank goodness I didn't do it. I made so many mistakes I eventually starting laughing at myself. I made errors in fabric choice, cutting , pieceing and anything else I tried to do. Throwing it away made me feel much better.

Today I had better luck and worked on a piece I did a few months ago. I had a great time quilting it and then cutting out the unwanted organza.
Do you think it needs some beads??


I have also been beading some felted & quilted pieces for the exhibition and I think they are coming along quite well. I will show you when they are finished.

Quilters gathering

I had a lovely lunch on Satuday with members of the Southern Cross Quilters.

Jean had brought a quilt top made from our fabrics using Brenda Smith's Synchronicity Pattern.
It is for a baby quilt and so lovely and bright.


Liz brought her beading which she started in a beading class. I think we have another beading convert here too.

Opal Fire

Heather McMaster liked her first small version of Opal Fire so much she decided to make a large one. I love the additional border.

I am teaching this as a one day workshop in Sydney at Logans Fabrics in Sydney in July and November if you are interested.

Blue & Green Should Never be Seen

Don't believe it!

This great quilt was done using our fabrics by Donna Sunderlund. I love it when I see photos of quilts made with fabrics we have created. It completes a creative circle and is really important to me.

More on Delicious

This is a full shot of Delicious as well as a detail shot showing the quilting and the metallic painted insert in the blocks.


A little touch of paint really adds another dimension.

New Quilt

I have made this quilt as a project for a new online magazine called iQuilt which is about to be launched.

Midnight Sky is made with one piece of midnight blue hand dyed fabric and the border of metallic hand painted fabric. The painted fabric is also used for the cutout stars. I use Lumiere metallic fabric paints which I love using.


The beading is a simple design of seed and bugle beads repeated over the surface.

The King Tut variagated thread is quilted in a curved linear design with the stars creating their own patterns.