The Austrian Patchwork Guild was founded in 1996, marking Austria's millennium celebrations with an international quilt show. However, the first official patchwork event to take place in Austria was actually Quilt Expo VI which was held in Salzburg in 1988. For many Austrian quilters who had been working in isolation up to that point, this was the occasion on which they realized that there were other people out there pursuing the same interests. The Guild soon became a member of the European Quilt Association (EQA) set up to foster links between quilters' guilds throughout Europe.

The Austrian Patchwork Guild now has a lively membership, produces a quarterly colour magazine, "Pinwand" and organizes annual shows in different parts of the country, including workshops held by instructors from Austria and abroad.

Local quilting groups now exist in most of the nine provinces. There is an active local scene with workshops, exhibitions, excursions and quilting get-togethers regularly organized by many of the groups and the guild's regional representatives.

Our vision for the future is to improve our regional base on the one hand by offering more workshops and events in the provinces. This will ensure more regular personal contact between our members. Secondly we will continue to organize national events with international flair so that quilters from all over Austria can meet to exchange ideas, experiences and inspiration.

IR: Helen Heaney
e-mail: helen.heaney@uni-klu.ac.at

Patchwork Gilde Austria
P.O. Box/Postfach 314
1011 Vienna
Austria

www.patchworkgilde.at