Barbara Weeks, Lake Ballard (detail), 2024, wool-laminated cloth, felted wool, painted silk, wool wadding, 110 x 57 cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

stitched and bound is a juried exhibition open to all WA textile artists. Works are selected by an independent jury of three art/textile professionals representing contemporary quilters, textile artists, curators, educators and practitioners. Whilst works must possess the structural characteristics of a quilt, artists are encouraged to push the boundaries and freely express their ideas. 

Western Australian Quilters Association’s (WAQA) first contemporary quilting exhibition, The Razor’s Edge, was held in 1995 in Fremantle. Designed for local textile artists who had mastered traditional skills and were seeking to be more adventurous in their ideas, materials or techniques.  The exhibition has since developed into a biennial series of exhibitions, now known as stitched and bound and has become one of the leading exhibitions of contemporary quilts in Australia.

The 2022 exhibition opened at Midland Junction Arts Centre (MJAC). For the first time, an artist-in-residence program was held in parallel with the exhibition with some of the participating artists working and sharing their skills with the public. In addition, the exhibition subsequently toured regional WA galleries for 18 months.

The catalogue for this exhibition can be found on the website www.stitchedandbound.com.

stitched and bound 2024 will again offer a parallel artist-in-residence programme and subsequent extensive gallery tour throughout WA.