BERNINA Best of Show
Best Hand Quilting Award
1st Prize Applique and Combined Pieced & Applique – Amateur
Day’s End by Tracey McConnon
Pattern inspiration was taken from Deborah Kemball’s book ‘Beautiful Botanicals’. When I sit to stitch at the end of my day, turning fabric under with tiny stitches, or the rhythmic up and down of my needle hand-quilting, my busy mind slows down, and I relax.
Sometimes I stitch happily, on a day that went well.
Sometimes the stitches might be sadly, more meaningfully placed, but the day is done with, either way. If I get time to sew during the day, it is usually quilts to gift, fully of energy, machine humming, mess and fabric everywhere.
My nighttime stitching is very different. It is purely for me. Self-reflection. My end of day routine. I can’t go to bed without at least a stitch or two, in a slow sewing project.
This quilt has been a part of my life for nearly 2 years. There are memories in every flower, leaf and stem. A few tears fell on it. A wonky stitch might contain a sigh, or a laugh. It represents the story of the ups and the downs, the ins and the outs, of my life, in stitches, at the day’s end.
BERNINA Amateur Encouragement Award
1st Prize – Pictorial – Amateur
Another Bad Hair Day by Helen Dalgleish
An original design created with recycled bedding, clothing and a cushion cover from charity shops. Most women living in windy cities will be familiar with the dilemma of experiencing more bad hair days than good. Techniques used are hand and machine applique.
BERNINA Student Award
1st Prize – Student Textiles – Primary/Secondary
Sulphur Crests by Zoe Ford
My quilt Sulphur Crests is inspired by the cockatoos I see every day, both out my window in the mornings and on my walk home from school in the afternoons.
I wanted to highlight their distinctive personality, with sulphur-yellow crests that significantly stand out against their white feathers and noisy character. These contrasting colours guided my fabric choices, ensuring the cockatoos remained the focal point of the quilt. My aim was to create a piece that reflects the familiarity of these daily encounters.
When constructing my quilt, I used a variety of different techniques such as machine appliqué, curved piecing, free motion quilting, and free motion sketching. I worked on my quilt both at home and at sewing classes at Wildstitch Studio. Briony assisted me with working out what techniques I could include and described how to undertake them.
Retaining the Tradition
2nd Prize – Large – Pieced – Advanced/Professional
Winter Sky by Johanna Williamson
I chose this pattern because I love all these multi pointed stars. Then I found some lovely fabrics for the border and after that it all came together. Edyta Sitar is a very talented artist and I love everything she designs.
Source: Edyta Sitar, Laundry Basket Quilts
Best Use of Colour and Best Moveable Machine Quilting
1st Prize Pieced – Small – Open
East meets West – Again! by Pip Scholten
Somehow I just can’t throw out little pieces of Japanese fabric, so it was necessary to find a way of using them. Some of them date back to a trip to Houston in 2006 and the quilt I made for my Mum from Japanese fabrics bought at the show.
Susan Briscoe’s blocks seemed to be a good way to do this but, of course, it was necessary to buy more fabric (isn’t it always?). The setting is my own but I will now need to find another way to use up the left over pieces!
Source: Blocks made using 125 Japanese Quilt Blocks: Calm neutral and taupe collection by Susan Briscoe 2010
Best Applique (Hand or Machine)
1st Prize – Applique and Combined Piecing & Applique – Advanced/Professional
Bird of Paradise by Janine Richardson
This quilt is needle turn appliquéd and hand quilted. The design is a traditional one based on an old quilt in the American Folk Art Museum. The original design has been adapted by Corliss Searcey. This quilt is also known as the Civil War Bride.
Source: Corliss Searcey
Best Stationary Machine Quilting
Circle of Life – A Decade On by Roslyn Grierson
This quilt was started in a class at AQC in Melbourne with Jacqueline De Jong, April 2015. Finally finished ten years later in April 2025.
Predominately foundation paper piecing was used to make this quilt with cotton fabrics. The coloured sections encouraged me to get the quilt made quickly.
Procrastination and deciding how to quilt it meant the quilt sat for some time but when the ten year anniversary of the class was looming I was motivated to get it finished.
Source: Designer Becolourful, Jacqueline De Jong, www.Becolourful.com
Best Commercial Quilting Award
2nd Prize – Commercially Quilted – Open
Poppy’s Legacy – The Farmer’s Wife
Quilted by Sarah Fraser
Quilt made by Donna Reed
This is my true labour of love, 111 hand pieced 6 inch blocks from the popular quilting book, ‘The Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt’. It took me years to complete this massive quilt, with the sashings, cornerstones and borders all attached on a domestic sewing machine to complete this queen size Sampler Quilt.
Source: The Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt Copyright @ 2009 by Laurie Aaron Hird.
Best Use of Mixed Media Award
1st Prize – Other Techniques – Open
Recycle, Recreate, Repurpose by Jeanette Brown
This is a quilt made from felted pieces. I have been felting for 15 years and had many samples and surplus pieces which I decided could have another life. I started cutting and it just grew. There was no pattern or really any colour palette as I was using up what I had.
The felting techniques are many and varied. All are made from fine merino wool tops with added embellishments. These include silk, viscose and cotton fabric and fibres, art yarns and prefelts. The pieces are joined together with a variety of decorative stitching and the backing is an old sheet which I eco dyed. The quilt is tied, and the edge is blanket stitched.
1st Prize – Large – Pieced – Amateur
All Stacked Up by Angela Holden
‘All Stacked Up’ was a pattern I found online and it is quite stunning with its interlocking squares. The online images are quite colourful, but I wanted to give it a twist so I used a stack of ‘Pen and Ink’ fat quarters I’d purchased.
It was quite challenging sorting the black and white pieces to interlock without having the same patterns near each other. A lot of placing and rearranging went on at a Penguin sewing group I went to every fortnight, laying it out on the floor to try and make it look right. In the end I think I nailed it as best I could.
I then had the job of finding the perfect backing in a bright white and black which proved difficult. After 5 weeks of looking I finally stumbled on one in the U.S which was quite costly but absolutely stunning.
With encouragement from great friends I decided to give custom quilting a go! I’ve used variegated cotton which has given it an edge along with free hand quilting for the first time.
I’m very proud of my efforts; it’s not perfect by any means but it’s mine and I’ve done it all myself.
2nd Prize – Large – Pieced – Amateur
Circular Economy by Robyn Thomas
Made from men’s business shirts this quilt is a statement about the huge amount of textile waste created by the fashion industry.
We are on a destructive drunken pathway, rather than a circular economy for textile creation.
The border and binding are made from left over material from a Tasmanian clothing company. The back of the quilt pays homage to the shirts and the companies that made them.
Source: Inspiration from the Drunken Pathway block and quilts made by Wanda Hanson (Exuberant Colour) and Sarah (Easy Quilt Patterns)
Highly Commended – Large – Pieced – Amateur
Chandelier Quilt by Pamela Sullivan
This quilt has been selected to represent the Break O’Day Stitchers group. Sharing of a similar quilt at Friendship Day, I made the quilt as a demonstration for others. Nesting of joins was stressful. I used a layer cake for the feature fabrics.
Source: A variation of this pattern was found in Barbara Brackman’s encyclopedia 1896.
1st Prize – Large – Pieced – Advanced/Professional
Oh My Stars by Edith Burgess
A feathered star quilt had always been on my list of ‘want to do quilts’. I purchased a book and found the pattern inside. I used a variety of different blue fabrics and light background fabrics which I enjoyed shopping for. I gradually made the blocks at our group sewing days and then quilted it with the aid of rulers on my Amara.
Source: Pattern by Laundry Basket Quilts
Highly Commended – Pieced – Small – Open
No Sailing Today by Pip Scholten
A few years ago we went on a holiday overseas to the “Big Island” taking our own car on the ferry. When the time came to return the weather was so bad that the Spirit was cancelled and we ended up spending a couple of days in Geelong waiting for another booking.
There are, of course, quilt shops in Geelong so visits were made and fabric bought.
I must have started cutting out the squares and rectangles some time ago but it was then put away as a UFO. They resurfaced this year so ……….……….. The quilting was going to be very simple but, as usual, I got carried away.
Highly Commended – Applique and Combined Piecing & Applique – Amateur
Rainbow by Sarah Christopher
In 2023, Rachelle Denneny came to Hobart to teach a free motion quilting class and she brought along some of her quilts and pattens. I was drawn to this pattern as it provided an opportunity to use a rainbow of colours. I started by choosing the colours for the giant Dresden style wedges then used similar colours for the flowers in each quarter. It is hand appliquéd with the turned edge technique using the Hugs ‘n Kisses Appliqué paper.
Source: Blooming Delightful by Rachelle Denneny
Highly Commended – Applique and Combined Piecing & Applique – Amateur
Bento Quilt by Tania Burke
I started this quilt in 2020 as a block of the week. The first three rows went together quickly, the rest took a while to get to completed stage.
The quilt was designed as a raw edge applique and as I am not all that partial to raw edge applique, I decided to blanket stitch in black thread.
I have used machine blanket stitch, hand embroidery and beading to complete my quilt. I used multiple fabrics types including batik and Japanese. I loved completing this quilt.
Source: Gourmet Quilter, Susan Claire 2019
2nd Prize – Applique and Combined Piecing & Applique – Advanced/Professional
Sunshine by Jeannette Leek
I made this quilt from a magazine that was 40 years old. I had to draw up a template for the borders using graph paper. All applique and quilting was done by hand. The fabric was cotton.
Source: Designed by Becky Senti…for Country Sampler
Highly Commended – Applique and Combined Piecing & Applique – Advanced/Professional
Frosty Fruit by Kate Berry
This quilt was started at a workshop run by ‘Quilt Jane’ for the Modern Quilt Group. I added colourful fabrics to Jane’s ‘Grey Matter’ pattern, completing the applique over a few months, and the quilting 2 years later.
Source: Jane Davidson ‘Quilt Jane’ workshop and purchased pattern
Highly Commended – Other Techniques – Open
Sunken Garden by Judy Peel
Gardens and flowers are a favourite subject of mine. This quilt was inspired by the Butchart Gardens B.C., Canada.
I chose the satin cloth as it represents moist stone… each colourway represents a section of my garden. The green is the shadowy, damp area, the dark blue the tessellated stone, purple the ‘exotic’ flowers, the light blue is where the sky meets the flowers the light pink the big blooms in the spring rain. The yellow is the conformed beds of summer and the dark yellow/orange is the seeds and dried grasses of autumn.
Each coloured area has been FMQed and then using rouleau loops and ric rac in different ways (knotted- the dark pink is the flowering trees and butterflies- corded, twisted and folded); the flowers were added afterwards. The very centre has a little divot where the dead leaves and flowers congregate.
1st Prize – Commercially Quilted – Open
Red is my Favourite Colour by Donna Reed
Quilted by Sarah Fraser, Patchworks Plus
‘Red is my Favourite Colour’ is my interpretation of Harriet’s Journey from Elm Creek Quilts. I purchased this book at the 2024 Craft Alive and Island Quilts and decided to use my vast collection of red and white/cream fabrics from my stash. I didn’t even make a dent in said stash! I may have purchased some along the way.
I started this quilt on the 15th October 2024 and finished the binding on the 5th April 2025. There were 5 blocks that didn’t make the cut, 4 of them being the applique blocks, not my forte at all!
Can you see the the 5 blocks that I doubled up on in the 100 blocks that I completed?
Source: Designs copyright @ 2020 by Jennifer Chiaverini from the book Harriet’s Journey from Elm Creek Quilts from C&T Publishing Inc.
3rd Prize – Commercially Quilted – Open
Under Southern Stars by Janelle Howell
Quilted by Sarah Fraser, Patchworks Plus
This medallion style quilt consists of a central block surrounded by stars which were EPP and then appliqued onto a plain background; then that was appliqued on to the background fabric. All the fabric used is reproduction from my huge collection.
I made this quilt as it was able to be done in small sections and taken as hand sewing to the quilting groups that I belong to.
The quilt design has been altered from the original, as I had difficulty getting the outer border to fit so I designed my own to suit the centre. This was after it had been thrown in the cupboard for some time in frustration!
The quilting design was chosen to compliment the antique feel of the quilt.
Source: Sue Daley design
Highly Commended – Commercially Quilted – Open
Balinese Pool by Brenda Langdon
Quilted by Sarah Fraser, Patchworks Plus
I love to play with colour, and I love these fabrics. I used EPP hexagons and used colourwash techniques to achieve the effect I wanted. It is quilted with dragonflies reminiscent of natural pools in Bali.
1st Prize Modern – Open
Splitting Headache by Johanna Williamson
This year I wanted to try something different and out of my comfort zone. With the scraps of solids I started to put bits together and from there it all worked itself into this piece. It has a little bit of a Japanese/Korean feel to it, but that is just a happy coincidence. The backround fabric is a piece I found in the local Opp shop and was just the right candidate for the job.
Highly Commended – Modern – Open
Walking Tracks by Faye Harding
I have “Edge-to-Edge Walking Foot Quilting Designs “ by Melissa Marginet that I had purchased from the author. This design by Melissa called ‘Fusion’ was in the book with an example of how it might be quilted. I have followed her quilting design example to see how it would turn out.
Highly Commended – Pictorial – Amateur
Warders’ Cottages, Fremantle 1858 by Helen Dalgleish
The first 75 convicts in Fremantle, Western Australia arrived unexpectedly and unannounced. The convicts were housed in Fremantle Gaol but their warders needed urgent accommodation. By 1858, the row of terrace cottages had been built near the Gaol by convicts for the warders’ families. The cottages are today surrounded by concrete, bitumen and modern buildings.
My design strips the scene back to how they may have appeared in the 1850’s. Machine applique is the main technique used.
1st Prize – Pictorial – Advanced/Professional
Mathinna Reimagined by Barbara Mellor
Mathinna, an aboriginal child, was adopted by the Governor and Lady Franklin in the 1840’s. She lived with the family, was educated but was later abandoned when they were recalled back to the UK.
This work portrays her tragic life and her story is one of the first examples of the stolen generation.
On the far right Mathinna is portrayed as approximately 7 years old, the same age as she was in the painting by Thomas Bock held in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.
The central portrait of Mathinna at 17 years of age is how I have imagined her to be before she died. She is portrayed behind a symbolic cultural and historical barrier.
On the left, Mathinna’s face as an older woman was painted on fabric and portrays how she may have looked if she had lived longer.
Scenes have been painted around the images to highlight Tasmania’s history.
Mathinna had a tragic life; she was abandoned, abused, and died at a very young age. A broken spirit. She was ‘between two worlds’ and didn’t really fit in anywhere.
This is the third work in the Mathinna series. Cotton fabrics, threads wadding. Fabric paint. Free motion quilting was used to highlight scenes
2nd Prize – Pictorial – Advanced/Professional
Marama by Mary Herbison
The inspiration for this quilt came from a photograph taken during a holiday in Fiji. The name ‘Marama’ is derived from the Fijian word for Woman.
To create a visually engaging piece the quilt was constructed with an abstract interpretation. The background hues reflect the vibrant flowers lush trees and sky present in the original scene.
This quilt features raw edge appliqué and is finished with intricate microquilting.
Viewers’ Choice
Highly Commended – Pictorial – Advanced/Professional
Fifty Shades of Graze by Anna Newstead
After deciding to take the plunge into quilting I embarked on a quest of scrutinising approximately one hundred pictures of sheep on the internet. I now know more about sheep anatomy than any non-shepherd should.
Why a sheep? Because my favourite hobby is knitting- and what better way to honour the noble providers of wool than by immortalising one in fabric form. It’s like a tribute to the source of all my tangled skeins and unfinished WIPS (Work In Progress).
Once I settled on a sheep outline, I turned to my fabric stash. It was………… underwhelming. But then I remembered Mum’s stash—an Aladdin’s cave of textiles. She graciously allowed me to raid it and I’m very thankful!
The actual construction involved quite a bit of silent (and not-so-silent) swearing. Turns out, quilting is not quite like collaging tissue paper with paste like in the ye olde Kindergarten days.
Eventually I had something that resembled a sheep, and I was stoked that it didn’t look like a confused marshmallow—because if I’m going to celebrate my yarn addiction, I need a sheep that’s on board, not one that looks like it’s reconsidering its life choices
Highly Commended – Pictorial – Advanced/Professional
Alone by Jeannette Leek
This quilt is made from a photo from when we went to Slovenia. The quilt is made using cotton fabrics and also some lace. Applique using fusible webbing and some dyed fabric. Raw edged quilting using stationary machine
1st Prize – Art Quilt – Open
Migration – Journey to Van Diemen’s Land by Rita Summers
This art quilt symbolizes my husband’s and my shared migration journey. My parents emigrated from the Netherlands to Canada when they were first married, and later they emigrated again, this time to Tasmania with their 6 children (of whom I am the eldest).
A number of items have been trapped under vintage chiffon, including photographs and found objects. I made the continuous crochet lace years ago and it finally found its place on this quilt.
Vintage/upcycled fabrics (including tea dyed, rust dyed or eco dyed); eco dyed and indigo-dyed shibori (back). The indigo dyed fabric was very worn and had to be patched or mended
2nd Prize – Art Quilt – Open
Seasons A’Changing by Phyllis Sullivan
Machine free stitching depicting the Four Seasons. Wanted the challenge of creating a scene with free machine stitching.
Traditional patchwork blocks used – hand stitched and appliqued. Cotton fabrics, purchased, and hand dyed fabric for background stitching.
1st Prize – Tiny Quilt – Open
Rush Hour by Lauren Sheppard
Techniques used in this piece include foundation paper piecing, machine quilting with a walking foot, and finishing with Bethanne Nemesh’s binding technique.
In recent times, I’ve focused on small quilts to stretch my creative boundaries—particularly exploring how to convey movement and energy using only straight-line designs.
All of this unfolds amid the chaos of work, study, stitching, and life’s complexities. As someone juggling university, anxiety, autism, and a growing passion for quilting, the process often feels like living in permanent ‘Rush Hour.’ This quilt became both a creative experiment and a way to navigate that daily intensity with intention and beauty.
Source: Modern Mandala, designed by Betsy Vinegard. Pattern appears in Quiltmaker May/June 2019.
Highly Commended – Tiny Quilt – Open
Euphoria by Judy Peel
This little pieced quilt is my design inspired by daisies. Using Liberty fabric and silk threads in order to reduce bulk as much as possible, I made white rouleau loops for the border which gives it a ‘freshness’. Anyone I showed it to always smiled and so it got its name. It was a fun quilt to make and makes me feel happy.
Highly Commended – Tiny Quilt – Open
Insanity by Katherine Jones
An experiment in making a miniature cathedral window quilt; this 9 x 12 inch quilt is made from 1 inch squares of solid fabric- 1404 of them … insanity.
1st Prize – Challenge – A Nod to the Past
Love, Love, Love Forever by Johanna Williamson
Three friends from the past: Teddy, a gift from my grandparents at birth, Kewpie and Dolly, companions all through my life. I printed a photo on canvas and extended the piece with half square triangles. I used old buttons and a small piece of tatted lace made by my late mother.
2nd Prize – Challenge – A Nod to the Past
Billie Holiday by Mary Herbison
This quilt, inspired by Billie Holiday, is a tribute to a legendary figure from the past. Billie Holiday was known for her extraordinary talent and her enduring influence continues to inspire musicians today. Her music represents an era that has shaped modern music.
3rd Prize – Challenge – A Nod to the Past
1800s Potted Flowers by Janine Richardson
This small reproduction style wall quilt is needle turned appliqué and hand quilted. It’s my nod to the past.
Source: Connie J Norstrom
2nd Prize – Student Textiles – Primary/Secondary
Untitled by Freya Forster
I made this quilt as a special present for my father’s birthday. I saw similar colours in a different quilt and really liked them. I decided to use natural cotton batting rather than synthetic, and to hand quilt rather than use a machine.
Source: Traditional log cabin design found in many books and magazines.
Highly Commended – Student Textiles – Primary/Secondary
Under the Sea by Billy Newstead
Mum was making a quilt so I decided to make one because I thought it was cool. I like Manta Rays because I have seen one before and they are fantastic sea creatures. I chose grey and black colours so the background would look good with it.
My mum helped me print out a photo of a Manta Ray and draw it on the paper. She taught me how to iron on the Steam a Seam to the fabric. I ironed on all the fabric and cut out each piece for the Ray independently. Mum showed me how to quilt it, and I did that by myself.
Runner Up for Bernina Student Award
1st Prize – Student Textiles – College
The Arcane by Isabella H
Just before we began making quilts, I watched a tv show called ‘Arcane’ and fell in love with one of the story lines between two characters named Jayce and Viktor.
Without overexplaining, they discover a way to harness the arcane (magic) through science trapping the arcane energy in little blue crystal orbs. The story line really spoke to me and I’ve hyperfixated on the show since.
I wanted to create a quilt that represents the crystal and the story in Arcane. In the show the arcane that’s discovered is a vibrant glowing blue. After raiding the fabrics at my school (and not knowing there were specific quilting fabrics I should’ve used) I chose 4/5 various blue fabrics and a white one.
I will hang it up in my room and probably watch Arcane all over again. I tried to create a starish shape – also representing an organic pattern in the show.
2nd Prize – Student Textiles – College
Hearts in Bloom by Nathalie Elischer
Hearts in Bloom was made as part of my Year 11 major project in my textiles class where we were able to create anything we wanted.
I wanted to create this particular quilt to draw what I can see from the garden and flowers outside the window in my bedroom, to put on my bed and feel like I was in my mum’s beautiful garden.
I used many floral, blue and green materials to continue a garden theme. I really like the Kerry Thomas design with the vases as it reminds me of when I used to draw vases with my nan when I was younger.
Source: Kerry Thomas, Patchwork & Craft magazine
3rd Prize – Student Textiles – College
Decorative Quilt by Ava M
I made this quilt as a decorative quilt inspired by Japanese sewing practices and Asian inspired patterns.
My quilt is quite simple, inspired by the sashiko I’ve incorporated into it. Sashiko is an ancient Japanese technique used to reinforce clothing.
I also used cyanotypes to make the blue patterns on the quilt. I did this by painting the cyanotype solution (ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide) onto white fabric squares, covering them with clear plastic with the patterns printed on, and putting them in the sun. The sun turns any exposed fabric blue, and any covered fabric remained white.
As well as blue, the other colors I’ve used are white and black.
Highly Commended – Student Textiles – College
Big Time for Petty Crime by Haylee R
I created this quilt because I believe Tasmania’s history is important to remember and reflect on. Many of the young convict boys represented here were punished severely for offences that would be considered minor today.
For me, it’s important to represent these boys and to acknowledge their experiences and to ensure that their stories are not forgotten.
I chose these colours because they match well with each other and create a visually appealing design that draws attention to their stories.