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An exciting program is set for the 2023 Quilt & Craft Spectacular, together with the Gympie Rotary Heritage Makers’ Fair, 1 – 2 July, 2023. Along with amazing contemporary, traditional and exploratory quilts, art quilts and wall hangings, renowned South Australian quilter Michele Hill – Keeping the Genius of Morris Alive will be presenting a showcase of her award-winning Morris-inspired quilts; be inspired by a collective display of “out-there” fibre and textile creations; a plethora of markets and more – while outside the Pavilion, over 45 heritage artisans will gather, exhibit, demonstrate and generally strut their stuff at the Heritage Makers Fair! 

Keep checking as more highlights are confirmed, or make sure you register to receive our newsletters, to be in the loop. Send your email address to admin@quiltandcraft.org to register.

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Artisan Exhibits in the Pavilion:

The entire upper floor of the Pavilion is jam-packed with quilts and special artisan exhibits – aside from the quilts, here’s some highlights:

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Meet’n’Greet Michele Hill

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Award-winning South Australian quilter, author, designer Michele Hill, winner of the coveted Rajah Award, will present an outstanding showcase of her fabulous quilts. Historian on renowned 19th century British designer William Morris, Michele is inspired by his iconic flourishes, elegant swirling of vines and flowers, thieving birds, rose-filled trellises and delicate leaves.

And! A very special treat!!

We are honoured that she is creating another masterpiece, to be shown for the first time at our event! Based on a Morris triptych (above left), her three-panels are currently under construction – can’t wait to see the result! Above sneak peeks are a very early stages.

Click here for Michele’s story

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Australian Textile & Surface Design Australia (ATASDA Qld)

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“Delicate and muted to boldly tactile; the frayed, artfully embellished; manipulated fabric snippets, uninhibitedly overlaid – all with a common thread of innovation and free-spiritedness, playing with tradition…. this is creative textile and fibre arts”.

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The ATASDA (Australian Textile and Surface Design Australia) Queensland, will present a showcase of diverse forms of exploratory and experimental fibre arts – basketry, paperwork, bookbinding, dyeing, knotting, felting, diverse stitchery – the unexpected relationships between textiles, fibres, fabrics and other creative mediums.
 

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Therese Flynn-Clarke

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Basketmaker Therese Flynn-Clarke incorporates organic and inorganic materials – found objects such as paper tickets, newspapers, maps, ephemera – anything that takes her fancy – into the body of her wonderful woven creations.

Click here for Therese’s story

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Belle Arnold

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Felter Belle Arnold began her artistic journey as a painter. In 2006, she attended a workshop on handmade felting – for her, it was an epiphany. “I could see from the workshop that I could work in 2-D or 3-D formats. That I could play with colour, with texture, with form. So I began to play.”
 
Since then, Belle has continued to learn and experiment with felting techniques and fabric dyeing. Taking inspiration from her surroundings, Belle now creates masterful 3D felted pieces. “I draw very much on nature. My garden, which more often than not is a jungle. The surrounding bushland, the tree bark, leaves, birds, insects, rocks. It’s all fascinating.”
 
 

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Knitting like mad!

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Annette Fitton, aka Nini & Wink, raises the bar knitting classic lace on very large needles.
 
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Specialising in the street art of yarn bombing – wrapping objects with knitting and crochet – Annette has covered all sorts of things, trees, street furniture, bicycle wheels, antiques, appliances and teapots. She has sometimes had to resort to making objects to cover, cats, bathroom fixtures, museum replicas, kangaroos, carrier pigeons, paint cans and more. 
 
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This crafty gal does miniatures, plates of food, even models of herself equally as superbly. Mind blowing!
 
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Her adventures so far include:
– Flying with her lace covered pigs to be an artist in residence at a knitting event in New York
– Wrapping 21 trees in Flinders Street with white knitted lace for White Night in Melbourne’s CBD
– Installing a mob of lace covered roos on the stone steps of Trivento, an ancient town in Italy, as part of their international yarnbombing festival.
 
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Working with her group the GLAD Rappers and the local knitting community, Annette’s current and most ambitious project to date is wrapping a 10.5m tall clock tower in Melbourne’s Bayside.
 
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WOW!

 
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Heritage Maker’s Fair outside, surrounding the Pavilion:

 
 

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With it’s rich and golden history, Gympie is the perfect location for this biennial event. Hosted by the Rotary Club of Gympie, the “Heritage Makers’ Fair” is a tribute to the heritage trades of our past and a celebration of the artisans that keep these almost-forgotten trades alive.

Over 50 makers will gather, keen to inspire with their passion and to pass on their knowledge to preserve the longevity of their craft. It will be a weekend filled with non-stop demonstrations, vintage displays, bushcraft shows, artisan markets and lots of good old-fashioned camaraderie.

Here’s a sneak peak of just some of the “Meet the Makers” artisans coming to the 2023 event, 1 – 2 July:

Below is recap of the event 2021 – the next event, held alongside the Quilt & Craft Spectacular, will be even bigger, with new venues, extra artisan shows, a Kids program and more.


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With thanks to our partners, sponsors and supporters, including:

www.carbatec.com.au    www.bendigobank.com.au   www.professionalsgympie.com.au

www.laminex.com.au   www.gympiefunerals.com.au  www.polleys.com.au   Patchwork on Pallas