AQC Challenge: Connections

Thirty quilters explore what it means to connect — with family, nature, community, memory, and each other. Click any quilt to read the artist statement.

Still We Scroll

Amanda Wright

QLD

I interpreted the theme Connections to highlight the erosion of Human Connection through our growing dependence on and reliance upon technology in everyday life. A solitary faded figure is absorbed by a phone, physically present yet emotionally withdrawn, while a vibrant and warm outstretched hand represents genuine connection—available, human, and unanswered. A waiting child perhaps? A partner looking for closeness? Devices designed to connect us can instead isolate, replacing touch, presence, and shared experience with endless scrolling.

Have Faith

Brenda Wood

QLD

Have Faith honours Faith Bandler, a pivotal figure in Australia's 1967 Referendum and the fight for equality. Of Fijian and Australian heritage, Faith became a leading rights activist. Her portrait, set within the Friendship Block, speaks to solidarity, shared purpose, and collective action. The year 1967 recalls the moment Australians voted together to recognise First Nations people as citizens. This quilt reflects how progress is woven through relationships, courage, and persistence, and how connection — across communities and generations — can reshape a nation.

Wheels of Freedom

Francis Wild

QLD

Many people see a wheelchair as a limitation, but for users like me it's the opposite. My wheelchair is my connection to the world — a tool that lets me participate in everyday life and the wider community. It allows me to spend full days out with my family, take part in local events, and even travel interstate on my own to be here at AQC. Wheelchairs create mobility, independence, and opportunity. Freedom. They are connections that enrich their users' life.

Huginn and Muninn

Bree Thomas

VIC

Norse mythology tells of Huginn and Muninn, Odin's Raven companions. They represent Odin's thirst for wisdom and knowledge, as fleet as a thought and as deep as a memory.Huginn and Muninn circle the skies over Midgard's deep valleys, watching, reporting back to Odin - connecting the All father to the world of humans and the mortal realm.Here, I have chosen to represent Huginn and Muninn as Australian Ravens, as these beautiful territorial birds have strong family connections and connection to land.

Bee Connections

Julie Tasker

QLD

Bee Connections reflects my awareness of the fragile but imperative relationships that bind humanity to the natural world. The honeybee actively gathers pollen from the sunflower in the garden in an exchange that quietly sustains life. As the viewer, we are the unseen third partner in this relationship, dependent on the labour of the tiny bees and the generosity of plants. Through stitch and cloth, I honour this shared reliance and responsibility, reminding us that our own survival is inseparable from these small, purposeful acts of connection.

Draw Me In

Tania Tanti

VIC

Connection to life. Connection to love. Connection to thread. My emotions attract the colour to begin. The forms dictate the feelings. The leaning into thread feeds the soul. The way that we all feel about our loved ones swirls on this threaded canvas. I would swim through all the oceans, climb the highest mountain, run through walls of fire to get to you. The basic human passion we all share for our loved ones.

Together

Caroline Simm

WA

Together' is a self portrait of me holding my grandson. Born prematurely, he spent his early weeks in NICU while we lived far away. This quilt captures the joy of finally meeting him as he began to thrive, and what I cherish about being a grandmother: delighting in the moments and building connection, without the weight of responsibility. It is based on a photograph taken by my daughter and used with her permission.

Threads of Motherhood

Eunsuk Shin

South Korea

Threads of Motherhood interprets the theme of Connections through maternal devotion, utilising Sambae (traditional Korean hemp). Historically used in life as humble kitchen cloths and in death as sacred burial shrouds, Sambae embodies a mother's lifelong sacrifice. By intentionally twisting threads to form a symbolic umbilical cord, the work illustrates the inextricable physical and spiritual bonds that bridge generations. Each hand-woven fiber mirrors the quiet patience and labor of maternal love.

Totems

Donna Russell

NSW

Totems culturally and spiritually connect First Nations people to their land and signify their responsibilities; totems can represent their Nation, Clan, and family group, and they can also have a personal totem. This quilt was developed from artwork I made as part of a Certificate in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Arts. As the daughter of one of the stolen generation who sadly does not know their father/grandfather's nation, I based the art on the totem animals of each land I have lived on.

Light Will Win

Marianne Roberts

NSW

At Bondi in Sydney on December 14, 2025, a peaceful Hanukkah event for Sydney's Jewish community was shattered by a terrible tragedy. Since then, connections and reconnections have happened and strengthened within and between many communities. This quilt is inspired by the Light Over Darkness event held at Bondi Beach on the final night of Hanukkah, with all the lights illuminated on the menorah – light will win.

A Measurement of Time

Sue Reid

VIC

Wooden clocks are entirely mechanical, using a weight or powerful spring to drive them. Each gear must be perfectly crafted to connect to produce a clock running for weeks on end without rewinding, and to within a minute per day. With permission of Brian Law I have used one of his plans to design my quilt.

Sunflowers from Home

Tanya Morris

QLD

This embroidered and quilted bouquet is my connection to home.I was born and grew up in Ukraine. One of my childhood memories is my grandmother's bouquet of flowers, placed in the house near the window. It brought warmth and a feeling of safety. I chose blue and yellow intentionally. Blue reminds me of the sky of my childhood. Yellow recalls sunflower fields and light.Today I live in Australia, a place that has given me safety and a new home. Yet Ukraine lives within me. It has known pain and war, but also strength and endurance.

Quiet Companions

Sheree Mackintosh

VIC

Connection is woven deeply into every layer of this piece. From the moment I saw this image, I felt an immediate pull - one rooted in memory, emotion, and identity. It reflects my childhood love of painting, the joy of creating with my hands, and the quiet comfort found in artistic play. By painting this image on fabric and custom quilting it, I connected past and present: childhood and adulthood, painting and quilting, imagination and craftsmanship. Each stitch strengthens the relationship between memory and material, honouring the creative spirit that has followed me throughout my life.

Nature v’s Nurture

Deb Layt

VIC

Nature v's Nurture explores identity through the experience of an adopted child who reunites with her birth mother. The work examines how absence, inheritance, and upbringing shape a sense of self, challenging the idea that nature and nurture exist in opposition. Moments of recognition—shared gestures, instincts, and ways of thinking—reveal connections that survived separation. The reunion does not resolve loss but deepens understanding. Identity emerges as layered and evolving, formed through biology, love, and experience, allowing belonging to exist in more than one place at once.

Connections

Lyn Keogh

NSW

How do we connect with each other? Nurture - The invisible familial bond between parent and child, providing love and a sense of belonging. Physical Contact - the feelings evoked by touch. Eye Contact - the sense of awareness and knowing when you connect through eye contact. The Orangutans and humans share 97% DNA, a strong genetic connection. Their behaviour and intelligence often reflect remarkably human-like traits.

Motherly Love

Neil Jackman

NSW

This is a quilt which was inspired by the David Attenborough series "Life Story" which showed the bonds built between mothers and their babies in nature. This bond during the early stages of the baby's life then went to form the ongoing family connection within the group.

Bridging Generations

Michelle Hutton

QLD

Hands are a common bridge connecting families. A light touch but unbreakable bonds. The art work shows wisdom, strength, intelligence, creativity, adventure, skills, stories and care passed down through four generations of hands that barely touch. Lives well lived, combined with the hope of things to come.

The Silk Road

Jan Hutchison

QLD

The Silk Road was a vast network of overland trade routes that stretched from China in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. Silk fabric was the most highly prized commodity because of its luxury quality and flexible use as a reliable currency. This immense trading system fostered connections between diverse civilisations with the exchange of ideas in economics, cultural norms, politics and religion and had a profound impact on the history and development of the Eurasian people. Camels played a crucial role in the transport of various trading goods because of their ability to carry heavy loads for long distances and endure extreme temperatures.

Vital Connections

Michele Hill

SA

Connections first drew me to the old song "Dem Bones" with the knee bone connected to the thigh bone etc! My background in healthcare led me to thinking about other vital connections that are essential for life. I created the puppet on a string as a symbol of my personal experience where connections were vital but controlled by others. Life changing events challenge family, friends and faith, so it seemed fitting that Michelangelo's "The Creation of Man" control the puppet. The embroideries were stitched on old table linen as a connection to lives from the past.

Love at First Pat

Ange Harris

NSW

Meet my lifelong friend, Sirrah. It was love at first pat, the connection was pure, unconditional and forever lasting. The greetings she would give me every time, without fail, filled my heart with love and comfort. Her greetings never changed, whether I'd been gone a day, an hour, or only minutes. She understood me and I understood her, she looked after me and I looked after her. No words required, just connection. Sirrah has now taken her final journey over the rainbow bridge, yet our connection remains unbroken. I carry her with me, trusting that somewhere, someday, our paths will cross again.

Infant Connections

Kathryn Harmer Fox

South Africa

Infancy; no bigotry, no prejudice, no fear. Only innocence and acceptance. The newly born have a biological, emotional, and physical need for connection. Connection through touch, sustenance, and communication of environment. Infants need connections from self to other - their very lives depend upon it.

Connecting You Now

Debbie Guihot

NSW

"Hold the line, I'm connecting you now" was the sound of my grandmother's kitchen. Tucked into the corner, next to the sink, a small telephone exchange connected isolated rural families to the wider world. Every type of news, good, bad, heartbreaking and joyous travelled along a single silver wire, connected by a solitary woman standing in the corner of her kitchen with her tea going cold. This tiny telephone exchange helped hold the community together, and with its closing after a bushfire in the 1970s that connection was changed and was never the same again.

Some Days The Pieces Fit

Jo Frizza

ACT

This quilt explores connections through my husband Joe's experience of living with Lewy body dementia. Joe describes his mind as "a puzzle of changing connections," where pieces loosen, disappear and sometimes briefly return. Some days the puzzle almost makes sense; other days the picture fractures without warning. Dementia reshapes connections to memory, identity and relationship. As Joe's connections shift, mine must hold. I carry the pieces he cannot, keeping the picture intact through love - a connection that endures even when others fade.

The Mycelium Connection

Helen Duncan

QLD

"Not all networks are digital. Some are woven in silk, spores and silence. The forest has been connected longer than we've been aware... and is speaking... just not in our language" — Author Unknown. Living in the Rainforest surrounded by trees and fungi, I'm discovering so much about the Mycelium Connection. From the mighty right down to the microscopic, everything is interconnected and communicating. From original concept design, raw edge appliqué, extensive Free Motion Quilting, thread painting and tiny touches of Inktense Pencils, this "Avatar" inspired art quilt has taken 120 hours to create.

AQC Challenge: Connections

Still We Scroll

Amanda Wright

QLD

Have Faith

Brenda Wood

QLD

Wheels of Freedom

Francis Wild

QLD

Huginn and Muninn

Bree Thomas

VIC

Bee Connections

Julie Tasker

QLD

Draw Me In

Tania Tanti

VIC

Together

Caroline Simm

WA

Threads of Motherhood

Eunsuk Shin

South Korea

Totems

Donna Russell

NSW

Light Will Win

Marianne Roberts

NSW

A Measurement of Time

Sue Reid

VIC

Sunflowers from Home

Tanya Morris

QLD

Quiet Companions

Sheree Mackintosh

VIC

Nature v’s Nurture

Deb Layt

VIC

Connections

Lyn Keogh

NSW

Motherly Love

Neil Jackman

NSW

This is a quilt which was inspired by the David Attenborough series "Life Story" which showed the bonds built between mothers and their babies in nature. This bond during the early stages of the baby's life then went to form the ongoing family connection within the group.

Bridging Generations

Michelle Hutton

QLD

The Silk Road

Jan Hutchison

QLD

Vital Connections

Michele Hill

SA

Love at First Pat

Ange Harris

NSW

Infant Connections

Kathryn Harmer Fox

South Africa

Connecting You Now

Debbie Guihot

NSW

Some Days The Pieces Fit

Jo Frizza

ACT

The Mycelium Connection

Helen Duncan

QLD

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