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Jessica Wheelahan

@birdie_beetle

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Australian Quiltmaker. Modern Maximalist. 🪡🧵🪡Aurifil Artisan

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Sharing some of my favourite details from my afternoon invigilating @cromerartspace Cliff Edge: Textile art on the brink. I’ve included some videos which capture the work interacting with the space. It was wet and windy on Wednesday and the sea was so loud! Hope this gives folks who can’t attend in person a taste. Exhibition open until the 14th October. Sharing more in my stories now!

1. @worthmending Darning with the Swift Darner
2. Speedweve x @roberta.cummings
3. Video of @roberta.cummings work on both sides
4. Lisa Smirnova @lisa_smirnova
5. Joy Pitts @joynextthesea
6. Sammi Eady @scr4mmi
7. Ioanna Maria Giakoumaki
8-9. Jess Wheelahan @birdie_beetle
10. Self portrait with Anna Olsson
11. Anna Olsson @vassberg13
12. Clare Thornthwaite @clarethornthwaite
13. Hannah Lamb @hannahlambtextileartist
14. Annette Ratti @new_model_embroidery
15. Vicky Ellis @welshwovencolour
16-19. Dr Jane Hattrick @janehattrick

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#Repost @stitchandyarn with @use.repost
・・・
Ahead of the Curve is getting ready for its final outing 🎉 If you haven’t seen it yet, this will be your last chance!

From 10 Oct to 5 Dec the works will be hanging at Nulla Nulla Regional Gallery in Kempsey.

There’ll even be a few new pieces in the show as well as smaller works, postcards and prints also for sale.

Ahead of the Curve brings together a selection of contemporary quilts that centre the curve both as technical provocation and as a rich site for creative inquiry.

The works chart a course through improvisation and precision, boldness and restraint. Exploring risk, innovation, and a deep material engagement, the artists engage with the curve not only as a visual motif but as a way of rethinking process, embracing challenge, and expanding the language of textile art.

Mark your diaries, and do share pics if you visit the exhibition – we love seeing what catches your eye ❤️

@thelmas_conservatory
@brendagaelsmith
@geometriquilt
@dianavandeyar
@gracedimuzio
@jmtreleaven
@birdie_beetle
@katehendersonquilts
@pat.forster
@mizrini
@bluemountaindaisy
@ruthdevosart
@tania_tanti_artist
@stitchandyarn
@quiltamour

From poster left to right
Detail ‘A New Thing’
Ruth de Vos

From poster left to right
Detail ‘Multifarious Me’
Tara Glastonbury

From poster left to right
Detail ‘Twisting Path’
Pat Forster

From poster left to right
Detail ‘Protea 2’
Grace di Muzio

From poster left to right
Detail ‘Fizz’
Caroline Hadley

From poster left to right
Detail ‘Rainbow Lollikeet’
Jess Wheelahan

From poster left to right
Detail ‘A New Thing’
Ruth de Vos

From poster left to right
Detail ‘Multifarious Me’
Tara Glastonbury

From poster left to right
Detail ‘Twisting Path’
Pat Forster

From poster left to right
Detail ‘Protea 2’
Grace di Muzio

From poster left to right
Detail ‘Fizz’
Caroline Hadley

From poster left to right
Detail ‘Rainbow Lollikeet’
Jess Wheelahan

From poster left to right
Detail ‘A New Thing’
Ruth de Vos

From poster left to right
Detail ‘Multifarious Me’
Tara Glastonbury

From poster left to right
Detail ‘Twisting Path’
Pat Forster

From poster left to right
Detail ‘Protea 2’
Grace di Mu

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Opening this weekend at the @theslimdustycentre ‘Ahead of the Curve: The Spirit of Modern Quilting’ brings together a bold, striking collection of contemporary quilts that explore the curve, both as a technical achievement and a source of creative inspiration.

An opening event will be held on Saturday, October 10 at 11am, featuring a high tea.

Featured works:
Slide 2: Multifarious Me by Tara Glastonbury @stitchandyarn
Slide 3: Rainbow Lollikeet by Jessica Wheelahan @birdie_beetle

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Was a real pleasure to install Cliff Edge with Jess and Sandra Morris this week at Cromer Artspace. Such a great selection of international textile artworks, check it out if you can! Here’s some photos from last night’s preview 🙌

Cliff Edge
Cromer Artspace
2nd - 14th October
Curated by Sandra Morris, Jessica Loveday and moi 💥

Selected by Sandra Morris, Jessica Loveday and Kate Farley 👏

Artists: 👇👇👇
June Lee • Fiona Roberts • Delia Salter
Jess Wheelahan • Izzy Wright • Elissa Wang
Lucy Newman • Ionna-Maria Giakoumaki
Alice Liptrot • Joy Pitts • Sonja Verma
Dianne Randle • Gilda Williams
Theo Stafford-Bugg • Hannah Lamb
Debbie Lyddon • Jenny Waterson
Ayla Willaert • Natasha Day • Abigail Weston
Anthony Stevens • Vicky Ellis
Patrick Stratton • Hannah Rae
Simone van Wieringen
Charlotte Blood • Andy Hon Pong Wong
Shauna Richardson • Bella Nunn
Liza Smirnova • Cherry Vernon-Harcourt
June Croll • Jane Hattrick • Rob Howell
Vivienne Philpot • Charlotte Little
Rezia Wahid • Annette Ratti • Lorna Pridmore
Clare Thornthwaite • Anna Olsson
Joanna Kinnersly-Taylor • Karol Szczur
Roberta Cummings • Ruth Jenkins
Lizzie Kimbley • Helen Derbyshire
Sammi Eady • Heidi McEvoy-Swift

#CliffEdge
#CromerArtspace
#Textiles
#Contemporaryart

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LTAP2026 Finalists Exhibition @project_gallery_woollahra
10A Queen St, Woollahra

OCTOBER 2ND -14TH

Opening hours -
Tues-Sat 11am-5.30pm / Sun 12-4pm
Awards Day - Sat October 10th 3-5pm

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Late post but on Saturday @coleandtaffy and I spent the morning at the @quiltnsw Quilt Show!! It was so inspiring!! Scroll through for just some of my faves !! Also ran into a bunch of lovely quilty friends including my fave quilty/HR friend @nicships 💕 each quilt is tagged with its maker!

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The offcuts, the trimmings, the too-small-to-keep and too-small-to-throw-away, that live in a pile under every single sewing table. That was the entire brief for our latest Aurifil Artisan challenge: get scrappy, use any thread weight, and see where it takes you.

Same brief. 24 completely different answers.

Swipe through to meet them all. The full story behind every piece is on the blog and if you want to start your own scrap pile from scratch, our scrap bundles drop every last Thursday of the month on Shop Aurifil.

Comment “scraps26” and we’ll send you the links 🔗

———
Featured Artisans in this post:
@remivailstudio
@francesca_kemp_textile_art
@and.drea1887
@sofianatty.nyc
@bluebellhillcrafts
@ruthlesslyhandmade
@gypsytailor
@shelburyuk
@sashannahartmaker
@juliacrooktextiles
@birdie_beetle
@janine.heschl
@hope.talbot.waller
@scoutandindiana
@thread.yarn.paper
@_barbiemitchell
@maisonmeikart
@black_cat_creative_studio
@sew.chloe
@quitoquilts

#scrapproject #scrapsewing #scrap

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Foundation piecing large scale arcs

Explore the possibilities that can be achieved through the use of large scale dynamic pieced curves. @birdie_beetle
Jess will guide you through materials and techniques to piece blocks like those in the ‘Siren Song’ quilt.

Tickets for the 2026 QuiltNSW Exhibition, including places in our classes go on sale on Saturday 1 August at 10am. The only place to see the Sydney Quilt Show.

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Our traditional post AQC road trip home. Lisa @makingitinberry and I always take two days and go via a gallery or two. This year it’s the Peppin Heritage Centre in Deniliquin to see Tara Glastonbury’s @stitchandyarn Ahead of the Curve exhibition.
So great to see so many modern quilts in the one place. An added bonus is to be able to stand in the centre of the room and turn, taking them in as a body of work all at once rather than wandering aisles.
Thanks for the thoughtful show Tara I enjoyed seeing all the differing approaches to curves in modern quilts. Thanks for the crazy clever pieces everyone!
There are too many to post every single one but i’ve got one from each maker. I’ve tagged the makers on their quilt pic. #aqcroadtripping #aheadofthecurve #aqc2026

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I’m not quite as shattered today but still have MQSA #modernquiltshowaustralia2026 @modernquiltshowau still on the brain!!!
NOT MY WORK! This is my second pass of quilts that caught my eye! So much fabulousness!! So much fun! I’ve tagged the makers. 😍😍😍👏👏👏
#modernquiltshowaustralia #region5mqg #showusyourmqg #modernquiltshowaustralia2026

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Some favourites from @modernquiltshowau on the weekend. The quality of the show was very good IMO. I surprised myself by leaning heavily into solids and solids-adjacent quilts. I’ve tagged the photos with makers, and apologies up front for my truly sh!tty photographs - you all deserve better. Thanks to @sydney_mqg and @wollongongmqg for the huge effort involved. #mqsa #modernquilts #modernquiltingcommunity #katequilts #katequiltssometimesknits

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Big shout out to my fellow Ahead of the Curve quilters! Nine of us with quilts in @modernquiltshowau, two judges, a guest artist and multiple awards including Best in Show for Pip (@mizrini)! Top work all round 🎉

Massive thanks to @sydney_mqg and @wollongongmqg for all the tireless work in making it happen. You’re all amazing and we’re super grateful to you 🙏🏻

If you’re having modern quilt withdrawals in the next little while, Ahead of the Curve will be showing in Deni at the Peppin Heritage Centre Gallery until Sunday 26 April 🙌

#modernquilts #modernquiltshowau
All makers tagged.

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