Sydney Modern Quilt Guild Retreat 2025: Bundanoon

8 October 202510 October 2025 by Kate Shea Comment Closed

In May 2025 a group of 16 of us had the most wonderful weekend retreat in the beautiful Southern Highlands village of Bundanoon. Everyone who attended really loved the new venue, the autumn colours and gorgeous township (and its fabulous eateries and coffee just a short stroll from the motel).

The happy buzz of sewing machines and banter as everyone worked on their latest creations was only broken by more chatter and laughs as we feasted on an amazing and delicious array of home baked goodies for morning (and afternoon!) tea.

A couple of our members did a great job finding and scouting the new venue and village beforehand. There was some concern that we might be a bit squeezy in the available sewing space, with our machines and sewing paraphernalia. But it all worked perfectly! Tables were sturdy, and we had plenty of space for cutting mats and a dedicated pressing zone. The wonderful breakout room in the apartment next door was another genius idea.

There’s plenty going on in the local area: op shops, cafés and restaurants, and quilt supplies too — at nearby Berrima and Mittagong. Big thank you to Maru for giving us a mini masterclass in how to use Steam-a-Seam, and to Wendy for her fabulous show & tell; and to everyone for your good company and friendship. (Congratulations to all of you who were rushing to get quilt tops ready in time to enter into the Sydney Quilt Show).

We plan to return to Bundanoon for our next retreat in August 2026, so watch out for the dates when they’re announced later this year.

Helen H’s Disappearing Something or Other Blocks

The Colourful Cascade Story

18 December 20248 October 2025 by Kate Shea Comment Closed

The QuiltNSW Show committee approached Sydney Modern Quilt Guild several years ago, to see if we would like to contribute a different kind of quilt for the guild’s Annual Raffle.

Of course we would!

Covid turfed our original deadline out the window, but in 2022 our group voted on some inspiration samples and submitted a shortlist to the NSW Quilt Show committee for selection.

They chose an improv cross-cut style block in bright rainbow colours on a grey background. An immediate – if simple – read as ‘modern’.

It also worked well as a study block, with the majority of our members piecing at least one block for the quilt. Many contributed several, pushing themselves out of their comfort zone. True improv block making can be a challenge even for those of us who’ve been following a more modern direction for a while. But a tutorial and demonstration at one of our Sewing Sundays set us off on a properly wonky path. Our group supplied the background fabric (Moda’s Ash Grunge), and members used their own colourful scraps and stash fabric that matched a prescribed rainbow palette.

Almost 200 hundred blocks later, and with a loose idea for an overall design that included a little bit of asymmetry and a bit more negative space (other typically “modern” characteristics…), a core group sat down at our annual retreat and came up with a plan to sling up the blocks on a design wall and invite anyone with itchy fingers to play around with positioning. We had so much fun!

Every block made by a member ended up either on the front, back, or in the bag we’ve made to protect it.

With the help of some of the most precise seamsters in Australia, we trimmed and stitched and pulled our quilt top together, ready for quilting.

Our group has had great success machine quilting previous group projects in the round-robin style. A little bit of forward planning helps, as does working within design structures that lend themselves to the technique; and so seven members contributed their time and significant skill to the finishing of this gorgeous quilt.

And its name? Usually, we have a membership vote to decide on the title of our group projects. But this time one of our retreat attendees exclaimed – as they were pondering in front of the design wall – “what a gloriously colourful cascade!” And the name just stuck.

Sydney MQG is delighted to have designed and constructed this truly group-wide project: the first “Modern” quilt for the QuiltNSW Raffle prize. We had a great time making it.

During the QuiltNSW Show at Rosehill Racecourse in September 2024 the raffle draw was won by Julie Wood. A handful of our members happened to be in the QuiltNSW office on the day she collected her prize.

Kate Shea

(Convenor of SydMQG’s 2023 group raffle quilt project)

Kincumber Retreat May 2023.

12 June 20248 October 2025 by Kate Shea Comment Closed

The last weekend in May 2023 saw 18 SydMQG members head north out of Sydney towards the Central Coast.

Rumour has it some retreaters might have stopped off en route at the very well stocked West Gosford Spotlight, and to see the lovely folk at the Sewing Basket in Kincumber (it’s part of the Achieve network of charity shops, and is located just 1 handy km from our retreat location – and near the really good coffee shop. I think they did very well with both donations & purchases that weekend!)

Some of us are pretty familiar with the facilities up at St Joseph’s in Kincumber, and it was great to be back there for a couple of full days dedicated to all things sewing & quilting, a lot of chatting, a modicum of wine slurping, and lots of scones. (And one of the best collections of Lucky Door prizes we’ve ever had.) For those members who struggle to get much dedicated quilt-making time in day-to-day life it is a real treat!

It was also lovely to catch up with some members who don’t often get to travel to Ashfield for Sunday Sewing, but managed to make it for the weekend. We had a handful of retreat newbies too, and it was great to see their delight at the facilities. That big hall where we sew works so well for a group our size – plenty of room to spread out and get creative! (Also, Sister Ellen has high hopes for her new chef, and she got the thumbs up from us too!)

The retreaters had an opportunity to get involved in the laying out of the QuiltNSW 2024 Raffle Quilt; and there was plenty of discussion and tweaking. Then the Dream Assembly Team of Helen Hill and Catherine Butterworth helped Kate Shea (this year’s group project coordinator), and they cracked on with pulling the top together – so by the end of the weekend we had a Colourful Cascade* pulled together from all the gorgeous improv cross-cut blocks (made by so many our generous members earlier this year) all ready for basting. And another multi-coloured block to go home with Anita Brown who volunteered to piece the backing. Hooray!

It was a glorious autumn weekend. Bright sunshine, with a crisp bite in the air – perfect for mooching around the beautiful riverside grounds for those of us who need an intermittent leg stretch and break away from the machines, irons and design boards.

But gossiping (sorry: information sharing), walking, shopping and eating aside; it was a very productive weekend for so many. Just have a look at the photos to see what was achieved.

Roll on August 2024. We’re booked in again for the first weekend. Can’t wait.
(We’ll probably be very glad of those electric blankets then!)

Cheers Kate Shea

* Thank you Helen Tait for the excellent name suggestion.