Quilt
Symposium Armidale: 25 – 29 Sep 1989
This was my first serious quilt event….more
or less, after Geelong. I seriously
missed the Victorian activity and friendship, so signed up for this week-long
symposium. Fortunately, it was held at
the Armidale University only a short distance away (a country road hour) and
during semester break too, so I had a week off from my course at Tamworth TAFE.
I went alone (not fun) but had a room to
myself at least. We worked hard during
the workshops and most nights had something to participate in, such as a talk
or slide show. One night we had a
fashion parade. I think I may have
entered something in the parade but certainly didn’t offer to model it. It was a chance to meet some quilt or textile
professionals like Caryl Bryer Fallert and see some of her creative pieces, all
hand dyed and machine quilted. Her
clothing was spectacular and we all took the notes on how to make her accordion
pleated skirt.
I spent my Wednesday break trawling
lovely shops in Armidale and viewing an exhibition of quilts in town. In all, I had a nice break from our active children
and the creative time charged my quilting battery immeasurably. In a nutshell, my chosen program was:
On Her Works: Caryl Bryer Fallert
The Armidale Symposium was the first of its
kind. Organised by Barabara Meredith, the
format was an instant hit with quilters.
Imagine the chance to meet so many other quilters, live for a week fully
immersed in P&Q and have the opportunity to be exposed to some of the
world’s best teachers. We were welcomed
with handmade nametags, pins and a shopping bag full of goodies. We had to make up a “donation” block too for
a lucky draw at the end of the symposium. Barbara and her helpers worked
especially hard to make everyone feel welcome and she achieved much to not only
advance quiltmaking as a craft but also (and probably more importantly) promote
it as a friendly one.
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| Fashion Parade USA Instructors |
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| Pitcairn Island (200 years) Celebration Quilt |
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| Caryl Bryer Fallert's unmistakable style (& note machine quilting) |
Presentations:
Writing a Resume: Catherine H AnthonyOn Her Works: Caryl Bryer Fallert
Workshop: Monday 25//9/89
Borders and Beyond: Catherine H Anthony (USA)Workshop: Tuesday 26/9/89
Hand Applique: Elizabeth Kennedy (NSW)Workshop: Thursday 28/9/89
To Show One’s Colour: June Lyons (Vic)Workshop: Friday 29/9/89
Colour Workshop: Carol McLean (Canada)