CIRRUCILUM VITAE – Antoinette Kriel
Antoinette was born in Bethlehem, in the Eastern Free State and went to school in neighbouring Reitz, where she matriculated in 1986. She completed the degree B.A. Political Science at the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) in 1989 and went on to complete a post-graduate diploma in Education in 1990.
She taught Afrikaans at the Afrikaans High School Germiston until July 1992 when she married Willem Kriel and moved to the Eastern Cape. They settled in the coastal town of St Francis Bay where she taught music appreciation and piano for kids for a few years.
Upon moving to St Francis Bay she joined the local patchwork group and subsequently the Dias Quilters Guild, of which she’s been a member since 1992, including serving on the committee in 1997.
She also became involved in organizing the patchwork- and quilting groups in her area which culminated in the birth of the Kouga Quilters Guild, which was constituted in 2009. She served as Chairlady until March 2013 and again from March 2014 for a year.
She opened a quilt shop from her house in 2004 to fulfill the need for quilting fabric and -supplies in her area, and started to offer beginner (and other) quilting classes. In August 2012 the shop moved to bigger premises, which boasted a spacious Studio – for group gatherings, sewing bees and classes.
From 2013 to 2016 she offered a Quilt Camp with local and visiting teachers to afford the local quilters the opportunity of exposure to experienced National quilt teachers.
In September 2016 she closed her quilt shop to afford her more time to concentrate on her quilting, teaching and judging.
Quilt Camp resumed in 2018, which continued to be offered bi-annually – known as Quilt Karoo – in the picturesque town of Nieu Bethesda in the Eastern Cape.
From 2023 Quilt Karoo is replaced by Creative Karoo.
Since 2018 she also offers an annual Crochet Retreat and since 2019 an Art Quilt Retreat in Nieu Bethesda.
In 2013 she was awarded Master Quilter status and in 2014 she successfully completed her accreditation as a SAQG Accredited Quilt Teacher. In 2015 she qualified as a SAQG Guild Judge and in June 2018 she qualified as a SAQG Accredited National Quilt Judge. She was voted onto the SAQG Committee in 2018 to serve as Treasurer, and since 2019 also the representative of the Dias Quilters Guild.
In 2022 Antoinette is elected as the President of the South African Quilters Guild, also responsible for the SAQG Travelling Exhibition. She is also a tutor for the Quilt Teacher Accreditation Course in 2023.
In 2015 Antoinette curates a traditional quilt exhibition for the IQCA at Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg with quilts from the Eastern Cape, sponsored by African Sky Fabrics. She also writes an article for Stitches magazine about her visit to the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas in Oct 2015.
In 2019 she curates the SAQG Birthday Collection with 30 small quilts to celebrate the SAQG’s 30th birthday and in 2020 the SAQG Teachers’ Forum Hands Up Collection with 90 small quilts.
Since 2019 she curates an annual Textile Art Exhibition in Nieu Bethesda during the Easter weekend and from 2023 it will be hosted during the annual Stoeptasting in May.
The biennial “Quilts in a Church” Quilt Exhibition boasts traditional quilts and fibre art pieces, as well as a travelling exhibition from the South African Quilters Guild, displayed in the 140-year old Dutch Reformed Church building in Nieu Bethesda during December.
She is a founder member of TAPE (Textile Artists Port Elizabeth) and continues to enjoy patchwork and quilting with passion, now also expanding her experience with fibre and textile art.
Awards:
2011: Viewer’s Choice – Kouga Quilters National Quilt Day Exhibition for “Aunt Millie’s Garden”
2013: First Prize – Contemporary Traditional at National Quilt Festival in Bloemfontein for “Aunt Millie’s Garden”; Viewer’s Choice – Dias Quilters’ Guild Spring Show
2014: Viewer’s Choice – Kouga Quilters National Quilt Day Exhibition for “Willem sinne”
2013-2014: “Nkandla” part of SAQG Travelling Exhibition
2015: First Prize – Contemporary Traditional at Dias Quilters’ Guild Spring Show for “Throwing plates around”; First Prize – Re-discovering the Past Challenge at Dias Quilters Guild Spring Show for “Take back the dates for Berries and Plates”
2017: Second Prize – Bed Appliqued Masters at National Quilt Festival in Port Elizabeth for “Twenty Five”
2017: ; First Prize and Judge’s Choice – Group Quilts at National Quilt Festival in Port Elizabeth for “Port Elizabeth in 144 Hours”, with Sue Bax, Joan Barnes and Colleen Butler
2019: Second Prize – Bed Masters at National Quilt Festival in Johannesburg for “Starburst Diamonds”
2019: ; First Prize – Group Quilts at National Quilt Festival in Johannesburg for “Dancing Towers”, with Sue Bax, Joan Barnes and Colleen Butler
2019: Highly Commended – Wall Organic/Geometric Masters at National Quilt Festival in Johannesburg for “In the City”
2020: First Prize – Group Quilts at Festival of Quilts Virtual Competition, Birmingham, UK for “Dancing Towers”, with Sue Bax, Joan Barnes and Colleen Butler
2023: Second Prize – Collaborative category at Dias Guild Spring Show for “To the Point” with Sumari Pretorius and Joy Clark.