Back at the Australasian Quilt Convention in April, I was honoured to receive the esteemed Rajah Award which recognises outstanding achievement in quilting in Australia. I am deeply touched to know that my contribution is valued and look forward to teaching and exhibiting at the Australasian Quilt Convention 9-12 April 2026. This is the text of the announcement:

The winner is an accomplished teacher and designer, whose work is characterised by its originality and distinctive contemporary style.

Her work, both as an artist and an advocate, has reached audiences across Australia and internationally through quilt shows, curated art quilt exhibitions, and gallery presentations which she initiated and organised.

These efforts have played a significant role in elevating quilts as a recognized art form and promoting Australian quilting on the global stage.

Her dedication extends beyond her own quilting pursuits. She is a trained and experienced quilt judge, demonstrating her commitment to upholding excellence in the craft.

Additionally, her long-standing volunteer service with guild and network organizations showcases her tireless devotion to the quilting community. Last year she generously ran a free year-long online quilt-along for quilters around the world.

Her multifaceted contributions and her unwavering dedication make her a standout in the quilting world.

The winner of the 2025 Rajah Award is Brenda Gael Smith.

It is wonderful to be part of a vibrant creative community as I forge my new life. I also appreciate the support that you and Expertise Events (the sponsors of the Rajah Award) have provided at strategic times in my creative practice including:

• teaching at AQC in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2022 and 2024;
• guest artist at Craft & Sewing Shows in 2012;
• exhibiting with the Twelve by Twelve International Art Quilt Challenge at AQC and other EE events in 2010 and 2013;
• exhibiting my independently curated exhibitions Beneath the Southern Sky, Living Colour and A Matter of Time at AQC in 2012, 2014 and 2016 respectively;
• supporting my Vision 2020 and Wonder of Eyes projects that were curtailed by the pandemic; and
• exhibiting as a finalist in the AQC challenges: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2023.

The 2026 AQC Challenge is Connections and is open to all quilters. The closing date is 5 February 2026

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The Backstory

My beloved husband, aka the Laundry King, died from glioblastoma – an aggressive, infiltrative brain tumour. The trajectory of his illness tracked the movement of the sun. He was first diagnosed around autumn equinox in March 2023 and his health and well-being deteriorated rapidly. With winter solstice, we turned towards the sun and the chemotherapy also kicked in. His mobility and cognition improved and he was able to return to some of the activities he loved including swimming and laying on the beach. Spring equinox brought a promising MRI scan showing dramatic tumour shrinkage but by summer solstice we knew that the tumour was back with a vengeance. From there, it was a precipitous decline full of heartache but also a profound affirmation of life and understanding of the beauty of impermanence. As I say in my artist statement for Approaching Equinox:

Death beckoned on the horizon. It wouldn’t go away. As the days got shorter, the sunrises intensified. We embraced each other even stronger. Plundering joy.

The Laundry King died within a year of diagnosis and I spent the weekend of autumn equinox 2024 surrounded by family and friends celebrating a life well-lived. Approaching Equinox: Plundering Joy is inspired by the sunrise on the first anniversary of his death.

Hurting and Healing Concurrently

I haven’t had much bandwidth for making in the past year or so. I can testify that grief takes energy – not just emotionally but physically. A visceral deep-in-your-bones ache as your body is working overtime adjusting to the new normal. Even simple things sometimes seem monumental but I am not broken. I am becoming. I am rebuilding. Grief leaves an imprint on the palimpsest of life. It reshapes. There is still beauty ahead.

As it happened, this artwork came together surprisingly quickly. I made the finishing touches around autumn equinox 2025. I was thrilled to be juried into Art Quilt Australia 2025 and to be able to attend the exhibition opening on 12 July. Here is an installation image. Also pictured are: Safety Net: Comfort Blanket #7 by Margery Goodall and Danger Garden by Bronwyn Cant.

Exhibition Details: Plan an Art Excursion!

Art Quilt Australia 2025 including Expressions: The Wool Quilt Prize is presented by Ozquilt Network and continues on exhibition at the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum 35-37 Castella Street, Lilydale, Victoria until Sunday 12 October 2025. The museum is open Wednesday – Sunday 10am – 4pm. Free entry.

A comprehensive online gallery is on the Ozquilt Network website and a 28-page catalogue is available for purchase.

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In my quiet time, I am currently developing some new workshops and I find myself engrossed in the nature of the zig zag in all its guises.

I am talking about a pattern or movement characterized by sharp, angular turns in alternating directions, resembling the shape of the letter “Z” repeated multiple times.  It’s a straightforward motif to draw with a pen or pencil but more challenging to convert into fabric.  I have been studying the essential components of the zig zag and exploring different ways of creating this effect using a variety of freeform piecing techniques.

Zig zags can refer to both a physical pattern and a metaphorical concept. They are often associated with chaos, excitement, and abrupt changes. They can convey a feeling of unease, intensity, or unpredictability. Zig zags can be neat and orderly. They can also be irregular, unrestrained, and wild. They can oscillate lightly or resonate deeply. Zorro was onto something with the flourish of his sword!

If you are interested in exploring both pattern and meaning in your work, I invite you to join me for Zig Zag Pizzazz!, a 1-day workshop at the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne on Saturday 12 April 2025. You will learn how to create energetic designs with flair and style using freeform piecing techniques. I  will guide you step-by-step through colour, construction and composition with a focus on zig zag lines and shapes. (This workshop will also be available in 3-hour Zoom format later in 2025.)

Zig zags are the patterns of the brave; they tell a story of detours that matter. Sometimes you have to zig while everyone else is zagging.

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My late husband, The Laundry King, is part of a grim set of statistics. He had glioblastoma, an aggressive infiltrative form of brain cancer that has no cure. The median survival for glioblastoma is 12-15 months. That is, even with treatment, just 50% of glioblastoma patients survive this long after diagnosis. Only 5% of patients survive more than five years.

Living with a brain tumour is no picnic either. Depending on size and location, brain tumours bring neurological symptoms (seizures, headaches, progressive paralysis); cognitive decline affecting memory, concentration, decision-making and speech; physical fatigue; vision and sensory changes; and emotional, social and psychological effects.

Brain tumours represent a neglected illness, which places enormous challenges on the patient and family. It requires a much-increased research effort supported by the community and governments and more timely response so people can access support services. We were fortunate to be financially stable with practical family support but so many people do not have these resources.

Behind the statistics, every person has a story. That is why I sent the Laundry King’s beach sandals to Brain Tumour Alliance Australia to be part of today’s Head for the Hill awareness raising event at Parliament House in Canberra.

These shoes reflect my husband’s love for the beach – both swimming and sun bathing. The blood encrusted on his left shoe is from when he badly stubbed his toe as his mobility declined and tumour(s) disrupted the signals from his brain to his feet. I thought about cleaning them off but that seemed like erasing part of the story about how quickly a fit and healthy person can experience a precipitous decline. You never know which split second might be the zigzag bolt dividing all that went before from the everything that comes next.

I hope there are treatment breakthroughs to improve both survival and quality of life for brain tumour patients. In the meantime, I hope sharing a little of the Laundry King’s story helps raise awareness about this devastating disease.

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At the Australasian Quilt Convention 2025 I am teaching:

• Abstraction in Action (2 days): learn how to create an abstract composition drawn from reality. Working from a personal source of inspiration found in nature or place, students will learn the fundamentals of abstraction through observation, reflection and repetition.I developed this design workshop especially for students looking to stretch their creative muscles and to explore abstraction both in concept and practice.
• Zig Zag Pizzazz (1 day): create energetic designs with flair and style using freeform piecing techniques. Brenda will guide you step-by-step through colour, composition and construction exploring zig zag lines and shape.
• Logs & Ladders: Building with Improvisation (1 day): convert your scraps into dynamic compositions by building with improvisational units – log cabins, ladders and more. Learn freeform cutting without rulers or templates; how to join irregular blocks; and the effective use of positive and negative space. Explore the design principles of repetition and variation. Develop scrap management strategies for future projects.

I am also teaching a 3-hour Zoom version of Logs & Ladders as part of the Quiltfest Virtual Schoolhouse #10 from 4-7pm on Wednesday 22 January 2025 (US Eastern Standard time). A recording of this workshop will be available for 30 days afterwards.

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Forza Vitale: Phosphorescence: 77x111cm ©2023 Brenda Gael Smith

The ocean is teeming with life from whales to micro-plankton. The bioluminescent tide resembles a sea of suspended stars moving with the waves.

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Bodacious Beads

Bodacious Beads covers free-form piecing techniques for a versatile bead motif that can be incorporated into YOUR own personal designs. I will be talking about colour, construction and composition with a view to confidence-building and creative momentum. In addition to showing strings of beads against a common background, I will demonstrate how to create a multi-coloured background. Here are some examples. (Images are indicative only and represent what can be achieved using the techniques.)

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I first conceived the Forza Vitale series in late 2022 as the world emerged from the COVID pandemic. Australian borders were open again and it seemed fitting to embrace life with new gusto. My husband’s glioblastoma (aggressive brain tumour) diagnosis in 2023 and subsequent death has prompted fresh questions. What is the energy that brings things alive and gives them vitality? How do we respond when circumstances deplete our deepest reserves? How do we keep going?

Learning to Breathe

Breathe is inspired by the ocean view from my home in Copacabana and my husband’s love of swimming. The rhythm of the ocean waves is a reminder of the importance of breathing. In. Out. Repeat. Now it feels like I am learning to breathe all over again.

I have had limited studio time in the past year. It was reassuring to draw upon my creative muscle memory. I started with a rough digital sketch on my iPad (I use the Sketchclub app). I also dyed some new aqua fabrics.

As I pieced the wave motif, I developed a rhythm and calmed some of the worries swirling around. Intensive machine stitching consolidates and reinforces the linear design.

The New Quilt 2024

The New Quilt is a juried survey exhibition presented by QuiltNSW showcasing the art of the quilt form. View the exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery until 23 June 2024 or online.

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The Laundry King vehemently eschewed social media and I wish to continue to respect this. What I can say is that we were together for 31 years. The past 12 months have brought great heartache but also profound joy. Glioblastoma is a stealth agent but we faced it together, plundering joy. May love, grace and fortitude empower me for whatever the future brings.

These wise words resonate for me:

…we need to relish the relationships we have…we have to guard the moments we do have, and cradle them carefully. We so often have less time than we think; we need to care for each other, deliberately and unrelentingly, when we can…

…no matter where you find yourself, whoever you are with…we have a serious duty to honour, treasure and fiercely care for that person. We entrust ourselves with each other, in relationships, and it’s a very particular kind of duty: to soften blows, to carry and delight each other, to ease pain and plunder joy…

Julia Baird: Bright Shining – How Grace Changes Everything

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The Dreamlines Project 2023 PDF includes step-by-step guidelines for freeform piecing 10 linear designs in either mini-scale (12-15in) or larger format (approximately 40in strips). There is also a design module for creating YOUR composition including consideration of colour, construction, components and layout. 

These resources are now available for immediate download in my online shop. If you live in the United Kingdom or European Union, purchase via: Dreamlines Project for European Dreamers.

For inspiration, check out the Dreamlines Project Gallery. New additions are welcome in 2024. Keep on dreaming.

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