20th national quilt festival heads to Nietgedacht
NIETEDACHT – The 20th South African National Quilt Festival will be hosted on the HeronBridge College grounds from 17 to 23 August.
Quilting enthusiasts unite because it is nearly time for the national quilt festival!
After years of planning, the 20th South African National Quilt Festival will be held at HeronBridge College grounds in Nietgedacht from 17 until 23 August.
Organised by the South African Quilt Guide, the festival is held every two years in a different city around the country, with this year marking 10 years since Johannesburg last played host to the event.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the event to shop for supplies, enter a range of competitions, take part in workshops and admire quilting pieces from around the globe which will be on display.
“This year’s theme is ‘interchange’ in honour of the motorways that link Johannesburg and Pretoria,” explained Sandra de Wet, one of the volunteers who is helping put the event together and an avid quilter herself since the 1970s. “We wanted to encapsulate the urban and contemporary vibe of the bigger cities, as this part of the world is fast-paced and different.
Photo: Robyn Kirk
“We hope that visitors come to learn, see beautiful pieces and shop while they are there.”
Along with a number of competitions for different categories of quilting (including modern designs and artworks), the festival will also see several stalls selling supplies, food stalls, a tea garden and an exhibition of fantastic pieces from as far away as Mexico and the United Kingdom.
Although enthusiasts of the craft are expected, De Wet also hopes that novices, beginners or people who have never known a thing about quilting before attend as well. “It used to be that the festival was only attended by quilters who had no other options to learn more about the craft, now I hope it will be more of a celebration of the craft. We want to grow the community.”
A range of walk-in workshops, led by both local and international teachers, will give the public a chance to learn something new, and sewing companies and other related businesses will also be demonstrating new products for the public to interact with.
Day tickets are available at the gate for R50 each, and for more information about the festival and attractions, you can visit the official website.
Details: South African National Quilt Festival festival.quiltsouthafrica.co.za
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