Tekapo - Capturing Memories

I'm on a roll with finishes at the moment.

I asked my long arm quilter to do some very simple quilting on my Symposium piece while she was quilting a couple of other quilts for me recently.  

Then I added some facings because the quilt is only 27" x 27" and I didn't want  binding that could appear bulky on such a small piece.  

I love the backing because it looks like deep blue water.  

I've called my quilt "Tekapo" because as soon as I saw the design I thought of Lake Tekapo in the South Island of New Zealand.  I've stayed there twice and I love the special colour of that lake.  I made sure that my lake was the colour I remember and I changed my background from grey to blue as well.    

    

So now I have a finished quilt and very fond memories of a great class with Veruschka Zarate - Pride and Joy Quilting.  If you ever get a chance to take a class with Veruschka then I recommend that you grab it.  She is such a a lovely person and she shared so much of her quilting knowledge with us.  

You can read my earlier post about the class I took at Symposium here. 

Her "Dignity" quilt has been juried in to QuiltCon in February 2025 so I'm sure you're going to hear a lot more about Veruschka then.  You can see it here https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1A27Nc8UHP/

Symposium recap - my class with Pride and Joy Quilting

I'm home from Symposium and I'm so glad that I decided to go.  I really would have had FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) if I'd stayed at home.  

Here's what I've made:

I took a 3 day class with Veruschka Zarate of Pride and Joy Quilting and it was great.  We worked on the New Zealand image from her Capturing Memories Landscape Quilt Pattern Series. This is one flat quilt designed to look like two Polaroids laid on top of each other.  You can't see the quilt underneath because it's doesn't exist!

Veruschka developed the idea of creating scenes for the locations she teaches in - so there's a Sydney quilt because she taught at the Bernina Academy in Sydney before she came to New Zealand, and there's a Scotland scene because she's going there next. 

Here's a link to a California scene because the New Zealand one hasn't been uploaded to her website yet - but it will be very soon.  

There were only 9 people in the class so we had 2 tables each and plenty of room to spread out.  There were 18 people in the previous 2 day class so that must have been very cramped. We paid more because it was 3 days, but we had more room and an extra day to really lock in all that Veruschka taught us.  

At Symposium we can hire brand new machines from Bernina NZ and they sell them off at reduced prices after Symposium

This is how far I got after 3 days.

I've worked on my piece on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday since I got home, and the top is now finished.  

I think I'll machine quilt this one myself because it's only 27" x 27".

Veruschka shared so much about her quilting processes - from designing the images, to choosing the fabrics and threads, to quilting it on her long arm and even the backing.  It was great to just work away on our own pieces and listen to all of her useful information at the same time.  

Her amazing "Girl With A Pearl Earring" quilt hung on the wall at the back of our classroom so we all got to examine it close up. I see that the PDF pattern costs NZD 64, but I'm sure it's worth every cent because Veruschka's patterns are written to a very high standard.  

The Girl with the Pearl Earing by Veruschka Zarate

During one of the lunch breaks some of the other overseas tutors came to visit:

Veruschka Zarate (@prideandjoyquilting), Rachelle Denneny (@rachelledennenydesigns)
 Jemima Flint (@talesofcloth), Luke Haynes (@entropies), Nicole Leth (@myaffirmationproject)

Overall, it was a great class and I'm very glad that I went to Symposium.  Thank you Helen for allowing me to stay at your house. 

Quilt Symposium 2024

This time next week I'll be at Quilt Symposium 2024 in Cambridge, New Zealand (near Hamilton in the Waikato). Our Symposiums happen every two or three years and are big five day events for quilters.  It includes five days of classes, exhibitions, giant vendors mall, gala dinners, prizes, entertainment...everything!

My decision to go was a bit of a last minute one once my annual work conference was over and I actually felt that I could think about the rest of 2024.  The programme came out and I could see that there were still spaces in a class with an American tutor, Veruschka Zarate of Pride and Joy Quilting. She had designed a unique New Zealand piece and would be teaching it at the Symposium.  So I thought why not! 

I have a quilty friend who lives in Cambridge so I'm going to stay with her.   I won't be there for the full five days, just Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  

The start of Spring always reminds me of the previous Symposiums I've been to:

2017 in Christchurch.

I had a quilt in the exhibition there and attended classes with Jen Kingwell, Chris Jurd and Deborah Louie. 

Vibrant Curiosities in Christchurch 2017

The start of my Glitter in Green quilt 

Glitter in Green - designed by Jen Kingwell

2019 in Auckland. 

I attended classes with Margaret Sampson-George and Wendy Whellum. 

The class with Margaret Sampson-George was so much fun, but I haven't finished my piece from that class. 

Dodecagon class with Margaret Sampson-George

So much inspiration in Margaret Sampson-George's class

Hand piecing with Wendy Whellum

2022 in Lower Hutt

I entered the quilt that I had started with Wendy Whellum at the last symposium into the exhibition, taught some classes myself and attended a class with Lorena Uriate. 

Neptune and the Mermaid - designed by Wendy Whellum

Me teaching Millefiori Quilts

Kawandi taught by Lorena Uriate

So you can see that Symposium is pretty full on.  But it's going to be great and I'm looking forward to it. Will I see you there?