The Galong Patchwork Weekend

Fay Longstaff

Goulburn N.S.W.

Fay began quilting and patchwork in the mid nineteen eighties in Adelaide, when the craft was beginning to enjoy a revival in this country.

Mostly self taught, she dabbled in many facets of patchwork, using patterns found in magazines which were in limited supply at that time, and by taking occasional workshop opportunities as they arose. She joined the Quilters� Guild of South Australia and several Friendship Groups, and gradually honed her skills. The tranquillity of hand work always had strong appeal, but the speed of machine piecing and quilting began to take preference some ten years ago, and has dramatically increased output.

Recently Fay has enrolled on line, through Quilt University doing classes in several types of Landscape and advanced work using the quilting software EQ5 and EQ6. This has offered huge advantages when designing, a great help to someone who had no previous formal art education.

Now semi retired Fay only chooses to teach classes occasionally, but is always eager to help whenever approached for advice.

Jo Dickson

Maidstone Downs

PO Box 198

Crookwell NSW 2583

Phone 02 48373375

Living on a cattle and sheep property about 16km NW of Crookwell with my husband and youngest son where I have run a quilting business for the last 12 years.

I have been patch working for over 18 years and teaching for about 15 years.

I have a new studio attached to the back of the homestead where small groups of ladies are very welcome to come and spend a relaxed weekend piecing or just bushwalking and enjoying the rural life, if they prefer.

Have travelled to several weekend retreats in NSW to teach, and also given lectures in patchwork at several locations in England and Wales. I love meeting different people and learning about their lives and ambitions and seeing them glow when they have accomplished a project they had real doubts about their ability at the onset.

I enjoy taking on new challenges and trying different techniques in an effort to find the simplest method to accomplish the best and fastest end result.

We have fabrics for sale which can be viewed on our website www.wirefree.net.au/~maidstonedowns or you can drop by and view personally � just give a ring before you come to make sure someone will be at the homestead � this is a working farm.

I look forward to the challenge of the Galong weekend and to meeting and making many new friendships.

Sincerely

Jo. Dickson.

David Bate

Patchwork On The Bay

Batemans Bay,

Patchwork Shop Owner and Teacher.

David is a qualified Chef who has had a career change 16 yrs ago. With his wife Lynette and himself, they decided to open a Fabric shop in Batemans Bay specializing in stretch fabric. After a few months his wife was asked to go back to work for the Federal Government in Health leaving David alone to learn every aspect of the business. This he did and over the time, has learnt to service sewing machines and over lockers, as well as he learnt patchworking and dressmaking.

In 1995 they turned the shop into predominately Patchwork Fabrics and Haberdashery, and Needlework supplies. With the shop now selling Patchwork fabrics David undertook courses by the teachers they had employed and learnt every aspect of Patchwork and he now teaches from the shop and does workshops for groups. He has made over 60 quilts in total. He designs quilts and writes patterns that vary from wall hangings to full size quilts.

He also loves machine free motion embroidery and appliqu�. He has some good quick techniques that give very accurate and precise finishes. In 1998 David and Lynette imported an American Professional Long Arm Quilting Machine to finish there work as well as for customers. Over the seven years they had the machine David quilted hundreds of quilts and it began to overtake his life, so there was a decision to be made and that was it was either the machine had to go or the shop. Guess what the shop won, so an add was placed and the machine no resides in sunny Qld. David now quilts his quilts on his favorite machine a Pfaff. He still quilts for some customers but mainly does his own as time is so short, with running the shop as well as doing clothing alterations for people, and teaching Patchwork.

Judy Farrugia

Canberra

I first started to quilt quite by accident 25 years ago. At the time I was teaching 8 week long workshops at an adult education facility in Newcastle. One was teaching various machine appliqu� techniques, the other was free-motion machine embroidery techniques. Since I dislike accumulating lots of samples, I decided to put them into various quilts to give away. There were not a lot of books available at the time on machine quilting, so I bought what I could find and learnt the rest by trial and error.

I ended up with quite a few commissions to make quilts for various businesses and private residences. This experience once again expanded by knowledge and experimentation with patchwork and machine quilting.

I then diverged into designing, making and selling teddy bears for quite a few years. About 10 years ago, I returned to quilting with a vengeance. I now teach all sorts of quilting related workshops �all of them use machine techniques (absolutely minimum hand sewing is done by me). Very few designs these days are an original, however, you can always put your own unique touch into every quilt you make.

Lately I have been particularly interested in experimenting with improvisational patchwork and quilting � and having lots of fun. I like to vary my techniques from the very precise and involved designs, all the way to the improvisational techniques where nothing is measured or matched until absolutely necessary. I get a lot of enjoyment out of sharing what I have learnt over the years and find I learn just as much from the participants of my workshops.

Most of my workshops are designed so people of all experience levels can get something out of them � from beginners to those who have been quilting for years. I actively try to make my workshops very enjoyable to everyone � very few mistakes are made in my workshops, though lots of new ways of doing things are discovered!!!!

Maggie Shingles

Cooma NSW

I grew up at a little place called Jembaicumbene about 10kms from Braidwood and attended Braidwood Central School.

At school the Headmaster's wife taught sewing to students (both boys and girls) in primary classes and I still have some of the items we made back then.

My grandmother taught me to crochet and knit and my mother also showed me how to knit, this was sometimes a little frustrating for them as I am left-handed while they are right-handed. However we persevered and I love doing both and have taught myself to do either right or left-handed knitting. I also made doll clothes as young girls do for their dolls. Mum also helped with a few dressmaking lessons (she was self-taught) and I learnt how to sew on her old singer treadle machine, making a few ball dresses for myself.

I sewed for my children when they were little and have sewn for my grandchildren, I have also made special gifts for my two sisters, my mother and my friends.

I began lessons at TAFE in 1979 doing dressmaking and patternmaking. After this I decided to do home furnishings which led to Patchwork classes starting in 1993. When the TAFE fashion section closed a group from our TAFE class decided to meet once a week at the local fabric shop and our Wednesday night group was formed. From these meetings a few ladies decided we needed a Guild group and the Monaro Textiles and Needlecraft Guild Inc. was formed in 1998. I am President of the Guild for 2008/2009.

Patchwork and Quilting has now become my relaxation and therapy since I retired from the workforce three years ago. I help run classes through the local fabric shop and give a hand at times with a few of the local senior citizens on their craft days.

In February this year, The Fabric Salon (a local shop) launched a "Strip Club" promoting 2 and half inch strips of fabric and Jelly Rolls and I was asked to teach lessons for the local ladies. The first quilt top was made using a pattern called Gift Boxes, a design from Cozy Quilt Designs and using this technique I have designed a new quilt which I am in the process of making. This is the design I will be using for the Craft Affair.

With patchwork I am mostly self-taught and love to experiment with fabric and designs.

I am looking forward to the weekend at Galong teaching and meeting everyone.

Jeannette Albert

All my childhood was surrounded by craft. My mother, aunts and grandmother were always busy knitting, crocheting or sewing. In fact, the design of items for my sister�s wedding came from an old picture on the wall of my mother�s house. Patterns were constantly being drafted, clothes sewn, knitted or remodelled.

I had no hope but to continue in their footsteps! I made my own clothes for work, knitted a bit and made a variety of rugs over time. I had made quilts but did not know about patchwork until about 15 years ago. It was wonderful and all consuming. A lot of trial and error, much reading and practice and a great deal of enthusiasm have kept me going for years.

I have been teaching patchwork for the last 11 years. Firstly "Quilt in a Day" classes and for the last 10 years, weekly classes. These classes have covered a variety of techniques and interests over the years. We also have an annual �Hanging of the Quilts� at cherry festival time each year.

For the Galong Patchwork Weekend I will teach a technique that uses fat quarters to make a quilt, with little wastage. I will also show how to quilt as you go with these quilts.

I am looking forward to this weekend at Galong.