MPavilion, the Melbourne Modern Quilters Guild and Studio Ongarato invite you to use and enjoy their quilts in the garden around MPavilion throughout the summer.

A blend between conceptual art and quilting, the quilts were imagined as something practical for people to enjoy throughout the season for free as they read, drink a coffee, or catch up with friends. The designs are all based on the same set of instructions from Studio Ongarato, inspired by the design of Tadao Ando’s structure and MPavilion’s graphic identity. Each quilt represents the quilter’s subjective interpretation of those instructions.

Meet the Maker: Tara Glastonbury, Quilt Artist at Stitch & Yarn

Collaborators:

The Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild is a not-for-profit association that aims to develop, encourage and promote modern quilting through craft, community and education. Modern quilting builds on the strong foundation of traditional quilting but emphasises originality, innovation and modern design elements. The Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild welcomes quilters and other textile artists who are interested in non-traditional quilting. The guild shares skills and expertise, offers educational opportunities through classes and workshops, and supports charitable works that give back to the community. Formed in 2010, the Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild is a member-based organisation affiliated with the international Modern Quilt Guild. Visit Website

Studio Ongarato – Founded by Fabio Ongarato and Ronnen Goren, Studio Ongarato is a multi-disciplinary design studio based in Australia, Hong Kong and the Americas with a portfolio of award-winning work built on creative collaboration, strategic thinking and a holistic approach to design. Awarded Studio of the Year in 2017 by AGDA Design Awards, the studio’s commitment to innovation and bold thinking over the past 30 years has established a design studio that is reputed internationally. Clients range from innovative start-ups and cultural institutions to expanding global brands with work represented in sectors spanning architecture and design, retail and fashion, art and culture, corporate and educational institutions and hospitality and leisure. Visit Website

——–

Anne Boundy was introduced to quilting in 1998, and has been obsessed with making quilts of all shapes and colours since then! The Quilt Barn in Dja Dja Warrung country has been the birth place of Said With Love, Anne’s fabric and quilting business, so the quilt obsession is now a 24/7 thing! The MPavilion brief sparked a flurry of ideas and a quilt that is modern and yet still practical. The circles were inspired by Tadao Ando’s design are the perfect place for people to put their plates whilst picnicking around the 2023 MPavilion. Visit Website

Valerie Cooper – As a longarm quilter, Valerie enjoys exploring modern quilting styles and is passionate about choosing the perfect quilting design to add depth and character to her quilts. She is inspired by the talented members of the Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild, and is constantly looking for new ways to challenge herself and grow as a quilter. Valerie is always excited to share her love of quilting with others.

Lisa Dennis grew up in Warrnambool in a family of textile craftswomen. Her grandmother was a milliner, while her mother designed and sewed all her clothes herself. 12 years ago, she started creating quilts for her family and friends, inspired by geometrical abstraction and dynamic compositions. She was drawn by the precision and detailed focus work, and rapidly became an avid patchwork maker. The MPavilion quilt challenge is her first public project.

Angie Finn first became interesting in making at a very young age when introduced to sewing by her mother. Her life (so far) has been filled with sewing, cutting, and making: from working within the fashion industry to teaching Fashion Design at RMIT University. Her quilting journey, that started after seeing a YouTube video, has bought her so much happiness! Joining the MMQG opened the doors to an international community of artists, designers and makers who work with textiles to create a wide range of quilts from future heirlooms to artworks, as well as amazing utility quilts for everyone to enjoy. Visit Website

Merran Fryer has been quilting for 30 years, sharing her skills through teaching and pattern testing for other designers however it is her admiration for the work of Tadao Ando that inspired her to try her hand at designing for the collaboration with MPavillion Bringing her fascination for both cloth and concrete construction together, Merran’s quilt has been able to highlight the minimalism and play of light evident in both Andos work and that of her own recently constructed home.

Tara Glastonbury is a modern quilt artist, designer and curator known for her bold use of colour, exaggerated scale, strong geometry and preference for using recycled, perennial or traditional textiles. She has exhibited in Australia and the US, won international awards and has works held in both public and private collections. Her practice is divided between exhibition pieces and crafts-based work designing quilt patterns. Her attraction to textiles is the mix of utility and art form – beauty with a practical purpose. Tara is a champion of the modern quilt movement, specifically for quilts to be recognised as a legitimate artform. Visit Website

Caroline Hadley is a Melbourne-based designer and maker of modern quilts. Her work has been shown in national and international quilt exhibitions, galleries and museums. In her weekly ‘Sunday sketch’, a series she has posted online since mid-2016, Caroline shares quilt designs and explores how they can be iterated through minor modifications in colour palette or placement. Common elements of her work include symmetry, repetition, bold shapes and a limited colour palette. Visit Website

Cherry Montgomery is a Melbourne based primary school teacher who explores the art of quilting in her free time. She finds her inspiration in color and form, typically creating busy, colourful quilts that incorporate scrap fabrics. The Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild collaboration with MPavilion posed a creative challenge with solid fabrics and a limited color palette. She responded with a simple repeating design using machine piecing and appliqué techniques. Her enthusiasm for the project is fueled by her newfound admiration for architect Tadao Ando, sparked during a recent visit to his installations in Naoshima, Japan.

Linda Norwood is a primarily self-taught quilter who incorporates various styles and techniques into her quilts. She thoroughly enjoys the entire creative process of quilting, from designing and piecing, through to computerised longarm quilting and digital quilting pattern design.

Glenda Piddington comes from a large family of creative minds….. described by their dad as ‘born fiddlers’, as they all share the joy of investigating art in any form. She taught herself to sew on an old Singer treadle machine at age 8 and hasn’t stopped since, initially with garment making and then adding patchwork and quilting to an already wide range of textile interests. The MPavilion challenge provided an opportunity to try designing for the first time; a challenge taken up with gusto!

Denise Shearer is interested in making contemporary and modern quilts. Her works take traditional styles and simple blocks and changes them up through free cutting and improvisation. Denise’s general approach is maximalist, with lots of different fabrics and strong colours. Recently her works are taking a more minimalist approach.

Tamara Stunnell – A magazine cover sparked Tamara’s interest in quilting in her late 20s and got her doing some classes. Having no friends that were into quilting at the time meant the fascination didn’t last more than a few years. Discovering work colleagues that quilted saw her getting back into it in 2015. Finding her tribe in the form of the Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild has seen her technique and taste change and grow, inspired by a diverse group of people who are full of encouragement. Tamara has been the President for the guild for the past few years.

Simone Symonds is a modern quilter with an interest in contemporary design and improvisation. Her recent work has focused on repetition of motif, design using dice determination and colour and texture maximalism. Simone prefers to finish her quilts using a variety of hand work techniques.

Tania Tanti has an interest in exploring textile techniques, materials, use of colour, as well as thread painting and quilting. The tactile aspect makes her feel very involved in all parts of the assembling of her contemporary, art quilts that often resemble self portratiture, and the world that surrounds her. Visit Website