Man Made Descriptions
Man Made Quilt Exhibition Piece Descriptions
I The Tent Makers of Cairo: “From 2012 my husband Mike and I lived in Egypt for four years. While we were there we visited the world famous Tent Makers of Cairo, the world famous Egyptian tent makers who create such extraordinary tents, from huge tent pavilions to the souvenirs of the First World War, as well as textile artworks celebrated by quilters around the world. Mike and I commissioned this one, of the famous Khan el-Khalili market, where we had spent many happy times haggling over various souvenirs.” (June Newton)
2 Colour Wave - Martyn Bourne: “I fell in love with these colourful fabrics, but how was I going to make them work together? Well I love something out of the ordinary and making two perfectly good quilts then slicing them into ribbons, only to weave them back together again - that’s crazy. Those first few cuts raised the heart rate, I can tell you!”
3 Quilt No. 10 - John Morgan: “I have been machine sewing for ten years or so, starting out with drawstring school bags for children in Africa. I went on to make handbags and cushion covers from recycled denim jeans, selling them at our village show. Moving to Dorset in July 2017, my wife put me on other duties for a while.
“In the winter of 2018, I bought Today's Quilter magazine at the supermarket and my interest in Patchwork began. I started by making blocks to perfect my sewing skills, moving on to table mats and runners before trying my hand at a small patchwork piece. Quilting will be the next learning curve. As an old boy of 78 I like to work out a design and layout with colours that appeal to me. My working space is a small bedroom that limits me to a maximum of about 44 inches square patchwork.”
4 Coming Home (a Deb Strain panel) - Graham Parker: “I am a member of King's Bere Quilters, in Dorset (a group led by Joan Taylor). I am a quilter but one of small and uncomplicated output. Mine are made just for my pleasure, rather than showing, and all of them are new, that is I make them and just put them away in the airing cupboard! This one was made during a period of illness, in the winter of 2015. That was a long winter!”
5 and 6 Throw and cushion - Trev Jones: “Carol was a talented and avid quilter - a veritable quiltaholic. My involvement was to cut yards of two and a half inch strips; “20 light, 20 medium and 40 dark, please” or similar instructions. At this point the mantra seemed to be “right sides together, quarter inch seams”. Next time I looked the strips had transformed into a series of varied geometric patterns!
“During this transformation I was often called on to restart a reluctant sewing machine. Take out the bobbin, remove the hook together with several fragments of errant thread, possibly add a bit of oil and then re-assemble the aforementioned pieces.
“My next job was to assist in sticking a hundred (or so it seemed) safety pins through several layers of different materials. Finally, I was to assist in passing ‘a camel through the eye of a needle’ or more precisely a double quilt through the ‘throat of the machine’. The end result was a magnificent piece of art.
“And then all too soon Carol was gone.
“A little over a year ago I looked at the plethora of quilting books, the reasonably sophisticated sewing machine and a cupboard, several drawers and boxes full of fabric, the most spectacular of which was the Japanese fabric Carol had bought in ‘Fabric Town’, in Tokyo, on our visit there in 2016.
I wondered what Carol would wish me to do with it all. I know what she would have said ‘go on give it a go, if it works it works, if it doesn’t it was worth a try’. The rest, as they say, ‘is history’.”
Throw and Cushion - Trev Jones: My first attempt at quilting. Carol made a ‘throw’ from the Japanese fabric which we had bought in ‘Fabric Town’, Tokyo. She gave it to her sister for her 70th birthday. Greta suggested I should try to replicate it. I found the pattern, along with the cushion, in one of Carol’s books. This is the end product.
7 Mike Hannan: “My late husband, Mike, was a quilter and, over the years, a customer at MQ. (It's much more difficult to write about someone else's quilt than one's own, I've found, and I'm likely to be much more immodest then Mike himself would have been!) He made largish quilts, never huge - ‘far too boring to make!’ - wall hangings and miniature quilts (less than 12 inches square). He did some lovely work and would be thrilled to know that it was going on show at MQ.” (Caroline Hannan)
Japanese Boxes - Mike Hannan: “Mike had something similar by Gill Sharman at a show. It was challenging, with lots of bias seams and Japanese fabrics of different weights and weaves. He would be delighted that his ‘boxes’ (aka Attic Windows) quilt is going to be so prominently displayed.” (CH)
8 Desert Dwelling - Nicholas Ball: “I’ll always be drawn to rich jewel tones. One place that holds am high spot on my list of holiday destinations is Marrakech, Morocco. The colourful sights, sounds and smells of the souks are so inspiring. I imagine myself getting lost for hours in the meandering alleys and backstreets, buying silks and spices to take home to cook and create with. The inspiration for this quilt comes from both the saturated colours of the marketplace and the nomadic tents found on the desert outskirts, lit from within by bright candlelight.”
[Taken from Nik’s book Inspiring Improv, published by Lucky Spool.
email: Media@quiltsfromtheattic. Instagram: @quiltsfromtheattic.]
9 Miniature Quilt Block - Hugh Andrew: “Like all quilters starting off, a good idea is to have a try at making a sampler quilt. That project is about 10+ years old and still not finished! These miniature blocks will be incorporated into the sampler quilt . . . one day . . . soon.”
10 Miniature Quilt Block - Hugh Andrew
11 Hexagon Quilt - Hugh Andrew: “I started quilting late in life inspired by my wife Dianne. Rather than starting simply, and working up my skills, I decided to match a Victorian hexagon quilt that I saw in the Radstock Museum Exhibition as my first project. (Boasting: I could make one of those! Not having the finer sewing machine skills, I prefer hand stitching. The top piece was sewn entirely by hand and is part of a pair of quilts, the last one taking six years to complete. Most of the materials came from Midsomer Quilting, as did the backing. (To maintain harmony at home I have my own sewing machine.)”
12 Kingfisher - Toby Jones: “I chose to do this design in a workshop, after being inspired by the family of kingfishers who live where I work at the Bishop’s Palace, in Wells. We often see them but only a quick glimpse of a blue and orange flash as they fly past. I really like the stained-glass effect achieved with the fusible bias to make the colours pop.”
13 Fireworks - Peter Hayward: “With the cancellation of the AQS’s annual quilt show at Paducah due to the Coronavirus, Peter generously offered this quilt for our exhibition. “For this quilt I wanted to extend my use of the turned edge weaving technique from two directions to three, something known as ‘triaxial weaving’. With this in mind, I attended a class with Jinny Beyer in March 2017 to learn more about . . .” And you can learn more about Peter’s Fireworks, (which has some 26,500 ‘patches’ and was completed in 2018, having taken 14 months to make) by visiting his website www.accidentalquilter.com . There you’ll discover more about Peter’s whole, remarkable, portfolio, including three more of his quilts here today.”
Peter and his wife, who has also won major quilting awards at the highest level, live in a beautiful part of coastal Spain, where they offer fairly intensive two-day courses. Peter says ‘If the idea of taking one of these with a small group of like-minded friends appeals, then do get in touch via my website. These courses take place all over Spain, but he also gives some at his home (maximum 10 students, minimum 6). Why not treat yourselves to a weekend away, doing what you love - in a luxurious setting, and with good food and wine? I will help with finding suitable accommodation, and there are no sewing machines involved!’ peteraxeman@hotmail.com
14 Miniature Quilt Block - Hugh Andrew
15 No Name - Colin Brandi: “I was introduced to making quilts in 1989 and rapidly developed a way of working that abandoned conventional templates and measuring. The methods became known as 'Liberated Piecing' which I taught widely during the 1990s while studying for a degree in Fine Art (I achieved a 1st). In 2000 my circumstances changed, and I stopped making and teaching for over 16 years. Quilt making is now a hobby but I still follow my own path, concentrate on colour and texture, using a wide variety of fabrics many of which are recycled or salvaged.
“I use a very wide range of fabrics in my current quilts. I have a huge stash of off-cuts from garment making and 'sample room' pieces but I also use recycled and re-purposed fabrics. Many of these have been gifted to me or found in charity shops. In the past I have even been known to rescue fabric from skips. I dye the cotton, linen and silk myself but other fabrics may be used as they come. After the piece has been constructed it is processed to distort the surface and allow the quilt to become a three-dimensional object.”
16 Diamond - Martyn Bourne
17 Nocturn - Jeremy Carruthers: “For Nocturn, I used material from the Nocturne range of fabrics, to create a quilt on the theme of the stars and the heavens. I wanted to incorporate a cross and chose to vary the dimensions of the rows and columns to do this (which made for some interesting mathematics in the design). The reverse reminds me of images of the planet Jupiter.”
18 Miniature Quilt Block- Hugh Andrew
19 Night Garden - Nicholas Ball: “This quilt is a re-imagining of one I made in the Autumn of 2014, entitled Blooming Borders. It was my interpretation of a garden in full flower, and was a way of bringing some colour to an otherwise grey October. This was the quilt that introduced me to the subtle art of the freehand curve, and is a personal favourite of mine. I wanted to explore a similar theme with this version, but with a drastically different colour pallet.
“For this night-time feel, I took inspiration from the French naïve painter Henri Rousseau, more specifically his lush and exotic depictions of jungles. The Dream is the largest of the Jungle paintings, full of foliage, flowers and animals. A reclining nude reaches towards a snake charmer, partly hidden by the light of the full moon. It was this cool dusk I wanted to capture; the idea of moonlight glinting over leaves and flower heads, highlighting their jewel-like tones.” [Taken from Nik’s book Inspiring Improv, published by Lucky Spool.
email: Media@quiltsfromtheattic. Instagram: @quiltsfromtheattic.]
20 Miniature Quilt Block - Hugh Andrew
21 Quilt No.2 - Pinwheel - John Morgan: Please see No. 3
22 Shibori Triangles (2011) - Mike Hannan: Mike made this true miniature using his own shibori fabrics and painstaking foundation piecing. (CH)
23 Kaleidoscope - Trev Jones: “Looking for my next project amongst Carol’ books a came across a book by Nancy Zieman called ’10-20-30 minutes to quilt’. The length of time suggested in the title appealed to me, so I set about ‘Kaleidoscope’. I don’t think I chose the best colours, but I enjoyed the actual sewing. However, for ’10-20-30 minutes to quilt’ read 10-20-30 hours to quilt!”
24 Miniature Quilt Block - Hugh Andrew
25 Hot Air Balloon - Gerry Burdall: “The National Needlework Archive was putting on an exhibition of work that represented a poem. I chose one about a Spitfire in WWII, called Flying High, but thought a balloon could also be thought of as flying high. My first balloon was exhibited at the National Needlework Archive, prior to them taking it on a national exhibition tour that travelled around the UK for about two years, being displayed in Museums , Hospitals and so on.”
26 Dresden Plates - Hugh Andrew: With Christmas coming, one year I was intrigued by Dresden Plate designs and those on display here are the result - part of a set of twelve Christmas themed place mats.
27 Artic Churn - Mike Reynolds: “ A short quilt story. Well, a bit longer than required maybe. I saw a picture of Lori Miller’s quilt design on the EQ8 website. I showed it to Vanessa, my wife, - who is an avid quilter - and she said, “I have too many projects already”. So, I decided to make it myself, and, having never made a quilt before this was a serious challenge!
“As I had no pattern to work with, I set about re-creating the design in EQ8, using a block as a quilt to place the Churn Dash blocks, that are either 4.5” or 9” square in their unusual pattern. I next bought some fabrics and had some tuition from Vanessa to get started. Oh, how I wished I had listened to her advice carefully, but, being a man, that is not intuitive.
“So, after two months it was complete and ready for quilting. Jumping in at the deep end, I decided to free motion quilt it. Another steep learning curve. So, now bitten by the bug, I am up for a new challenge and a new project.”
28 Round Hole-Square Peg - Paul Leger (Canada): “My idea for this quilt came to me when I was asked to write a blog post for QUILTsocial, using TrueCut tools. Looking at the rulers and cutters I was provided with, I came up with the idea of having squares and circles, with a diameter equal the length of the side of a square. The fun of this quilt was cutting the squares and circles in sections, then creating interesting combinations. Other than ensuring the full circles were on one side and the full squares were on the opposite side, the remainder of the blocks were placed on no particular side. Round Hole - Square Peg was pieced by me and quilted by Kim Mullen. The fabrics are from the Luster collection by Banyan Batik.”
29 Dresden Plate - Hugh Andrew: “With Christmas coming one year, I got intrigued by Dresden Plate designs and these are the result - a set of twelve Christmas themed place mats.”
30 Toltec - Graham Parker: “This was my first ‘own-designed’ quilt, and it grew by just adding more bits until it covered my bed top.”
31 Dresden Plate - Hugh Andrew
32 Tot’s Quilt - Ernest Treasure: “Back in the early seventies, my mum decided to make my daughter a quilt. She then got a job working as an outworker for Mulberry. She didn’t have much spare time, so my dad, Tot, who was now retired, offered to help with the quilt by cutting all the papers for the quilt. It went from there to cutting the fabric, tacking the fabric to the papers and then finally doing the sewing. Mum finished the quilt by tying and backing it. This was the first of six quilts that Dad went on to make, all of which are treasured by my family.” (Irene Martin)
33 Dresden Plates - Hugh Andrew
34 Storm at Sea - Jonathan Dymond: “About five years ago I asked Sandra, a good quilting friend, to set me a challenge, and find me a pattern to push my quilting ability. At the time, I was quite a new quilter. Sandra searched through her extensive quilt book library and came across a book titled, Sampling of the Sea by Rosemay Makhan.
So, the challenge was set. I have really enjoyed making it, and it has certainly pushed my quilt making knowledge and ability, teaching me lots of new techniques. Like most of us ‘Crafters/Quilters’, I never have just one project on the go, hence it’s taken two years, on and off, to complete. I'm so pleased with the finished quilt. Hope you enjoy it.”
35 Dresden Plates - Hugh Andrew
36 VQ2 - Graham Parker: This was created to try out my new Brother VQ2 sewing machine; to see if its long-arm capabilities were up to much, and to try new stitches from its arsenal. It grew by just adding more bits until it covered my bed top.
37 Dresden Plates - Hugh Andrew
38 Bargello - Tony Ward: Tony went to art college for a time when he left school, but feels now he should have done architecture. So, has a creative side and an interest in colour, design, build. I quilt, and have done for over a decade. My first Bargello was small and really just an ‘I’ll have a go and see’ piece. Tony took an interest in the process of making the quilt. The technical challenge, and all the little pieces, appealed to him. Before I knew what he was about, he had ordered the book Twist and Turn Bargello by Eileen Wright, and visited Seahorse Quilting in Poole to pick his 20 fabrics. The rest is stitching some unpicking, more stitching etc. Like many male quilters, Tony works modestly in his own home, never expecting his work to be ‘showcased’. Until now.” (Sharon Ward)
39 Dresden Plates - Hugh Andrew
40 Oakhampton - Jonathan Dymond: I purchased this pattern at the ‘Festival of Quilts’, about four years ago, from Karen Styles of Somerset Patchwork, in Australia. Over the next couple of years, and after collecting most of the fabrics, I took the pattern out on numerous occasions, thinking to start. I wouldn’t class myself as a hand sewer and, it was only after reading the pattern through, I realised that it had so much hand sewing, with all the appliqué, the tiny hexies and all those clamshells.
“Chatting with Karen Last year, at ‘Festival’, she mentioned that she was coming back to the UK to run a workshop on ‘Oakhampton’ I signed up and spent a fabulous couple of days with Karen and all the other class attendees. This was in Autumn 2019. Getting carried away chatting with the other ladies, I set myself yet another challenge: to have the quilt completed for ‘Malvern’ in the Spring, 2020. They say every situation has a silver lining. Covid-19 lockdown for me was that silver lining . . . Without it I’d guess ‘Oakhampton’ would still be in the bag, exactly as I bought it home from that class. I hope you enjoy the quilt and, God, willing I’ll enter it into ‘Malvern’, 2021.”
41 Harry Potter - Oskar: Oskar’s mum, Lizzy, has written: "When Oskar was around six months old I was told to never expect him to talk, sit, stand, crawl or walk. Or do anything. His official diagnosis, when he was a baby, was spastic cerebral palsy with his lower body mostly affected. He has since had an autism diagnosis too. Over the years I was determined that Oskar was going to lead as ‘normal’ a life as possible . . . I have always told him that, through hard work and determination, anything is possible. Over time, with a lot of very hard work, and many a surgical intervention, Oskar achieved all that we were told not to expect by the experts.
“’We make do and adapt! As with anything new, it takes Oskar longer to master because we have to find the easiest way for him to do things. So, with quilting for example, I have a machine that has a start stop button. As he cannot use the foot peddle, I cut the fabric whilst (with a little help) Oskar pins and lines everything up and sews it together by himself, with the cutting done by me.
“Whilst Oskar is considered severely disabled, and mostly confined to his wheelchair, he has achieved many things including walking for a short distance with a frame. He doesn’t let his condition control him.
“Oskar sees me sewing nearly every day and on a visit to hobby craft he saw some Harry Potter fat quarters and asked if he could get them and make his own quilt. Of course, I said yes.”
Some boy - and some mum!
42 Dresden Plates - Hugh Andrew
43 Roses All Around (2014) - Mike Hannan: “Mike and I tried and failed to get on a workshop to make kaleidoscope quilts, after seeing some at the Festival of Quilts. Instead we bought the book One Block Wonders by Rosenthal and Pelzmann, and did our own workshop at home. The outcomes were dramatically different, and the two quilts looked very striking hanging together at the Hever Quilt show in 2014.”
44 Great Dixter - Mike Hannan (2014): “Great Dixter is an historic house, in East Sussex, designed by Edward Lutyens, and ‘a place of pilgrimage for horticulturists from across the world’. Mike used his own hand-dyed fabrics to evoke the lush greenery, in an area of this beautiful local garden.
45 Latimer Farm - Jonathan Dymond: “Several years ago I was fortunate enough to attend a four day quilting retreat, with Harriet Hargrave. We seem to hit it off, and I learnt so much from the experience. During our late evenings, spent in the sewing room, I mentioned to Harriet about wanting a new project. Harriet’s shop in the States was about to start a new block of the month quilt, by Red Crinoline Quilts. Looking at the pictures on the net, I signed up with Harriet before the end of the retreat. Have to say it’s been about the most expensive quilt I’ve ever made. I arranged with Harriet to send my parcels bi-monthly to save on costs. I really didn’t consider the approximately £30 each time a parcel arrived, for the import duty. Anyway, you’re now looking at the finished quilt. I do hope you enjoy it, it’s certainly been yet another learning curve with 100s if not 1000s of pieces cut out and sewn back together.”
46 MQ - Martyn Bourne: One day Martyn turned up at the old shop and presented us with this terrific framed piece of his work. Just like that! We treasure it.
47 Topography - Nicholas Ball: “During my time at university, I was a fan of using bright whites and deep blacks in my photographs, and would often intentionally burn out areas when in the darkroom. For this quilt, I had lines and patterns on the brain and began to look old maps and aerial photographs of towns and villages. I came to see that they were full of gentle curves, crossed lines and slabs of colour - perfect inspiration for an improv quilter. Topography is the result of that inspiration.”
[Taken from Nik’s book Inspiring Improv, published by Lucky Spool.
email: Media@quiltsfromtheattic. Instagram: @quiltsfromtheattic.]
48 Matthew Anderson - “After working various lab jobs, I decided it was time to settle into a career for the future and went to University of Worcester and completed a degree in Art and Design. I currently teach as an art, textiles and food teacher.
“I’ve always had a very keen interest in textiles and my love of sewing was first born out of my degree in Art and Textiles, and when the school where I teach turned 75 years old, a lady called Sarah Gravestock came and made a celebration quilt with all the pupils.
“After working with Sarah, we clicked and have become very close friends. My passion for quilting has definitely been ignited by Sarah. I had done a quilting course back in 2012 but didn’t enjoy it, as I’d chosen to make a quilt that was very fiddly. I didn’t enjoy the process at all. As you can see from my working, I prefer to work with bold blocks and colours that are ‘quick’ to make and striking to look at.
“I’m still very much in my infancy on making quilts and very aware that I need to hone my skills in neatening work and taking more time to ensure accurate pieces are produced. I have many more quilts planned for the future, ranging from arty quilts to hang on the wall, to snuggle quilts for people to wrap around them while watching tv or out on a picnic.
Fruit Sherbert Leftovers - Matthew Anderson: “ This was made using the leftover strips from my Fruit Sherberts quilt. It was machine stitched and panelled.”
49 Playing with Colour ll - Matthew Anderson: “Using the left-over strips from playing with Colour I. The strips were machine stitched together, cut into random angled shapes using a machine to block together and block stitch.”
50 Surprise - Martyn Bourne: At the time of writing this, we have no idea what Martin is cooking up, but if it’s half the surprise that No. 46 gave us, we’ll be delighted!
51 Winter - Gerry Burdall: “The picture does not represent any particular area. I made it for one of MQ’s exhibitions at Radstock Museum, using black and white and some silver to try and get a night-time result.”
52 Stack and Whack - Trev Jones: “This was an expression I had heard Carol use. She actually tried to explain the principal, but I didn’t fully grasp the concept. However, I researched it on ‘You Tube’ and, using some more of the Japanese fabric, produced this little wall-hanging”
53 Poet Tree Quilt - Michael Harris: “Michael is always up for a challenge and when he was asked to produce a quilt for the poetry themed 12x12 exhibition, this was the result. The verse, with its use of a tree as a metaphor for love and life, is from the poem ‘ I carry your heart with me” by the American e.e.c.cummings. Michael enjoys a play on words, hence the quilt’s title.”
54 Miniature Quilt Block - Hugh Andrew
55 Masked - John Freeman: “When Lin knew her days were numbered, she told me not to become a recluse after her passing, but ‘get out there and enjoy life’. She even drew up a shortlist of possible future companions for me. It was not easy at first, but her wishes have now come true, and I am now sharing my life with Pauline, one of our friends from my singing group. So, my project is as simple as I can make it - symbolising the happiness and the sadness that the past 12 months have encompassed. My thought was to create something that represented my feelings of late, and would be easy for me to do. So, I decided on the theatre's ‘Happy/Sad masks’, as these feelings are both in my life at the moment. (I make no apology for the quality of workmanship!).”
- Elephants - Toby Jones: “I made this wall hanging for a friend who loves elephants. I really wanted to capture the African sunset having visited South Africa myself. I really like minimalist artists and composers which helped inspire the simplicity of this piece.”
- Quil’s Quilt - Quil Cantrell: “This is my first ever quilt in a quilting exhibition. I was first introduced to fabric, when, as a four-year-old, my mother would drag me (sorry, take me) around shops, looking for material. I loved them because they were so soft and colourful, and sometimes full of stories, such as the snowmen and Father Christmas, and dots and spots and squiggly lines and patterns. In the winter, Mum would buy tartan material and tell me how they all belonged to different clans. She came from the Buchanan Clan, one of the most colourful tartans, when you’re a four-year-old.
“My wife, Raine, was a display artist for Harrods of London, and Chanel’s Shops, and has a very good eye for colour and I have learnt a lot from her. When I first sat at a sewing machine experimenting with materials and how the machine dealt with them, it was Raine who said “stop messing about and make a quilt from scratch,” and that’s what I did! With a push from her I ran headlong into my new sewing life and finished this quilt in a couple of weeks. I can’t get enough of it!”
58 Naztec - Nick Goff: “I was inspired by a piece I saw in the shop. I wanted to make something colourful. They are all hand sewn and quilted; I don't have a sewing machine.”
59 Miniature Quilt Block - Hugh Andrew
60 Coursework - Jeremy Carruthers: “This was my second quilt - made during a six-week quilting course. I have never considered myself colour-competent and I spent a nervous hour choosing the fabric. I am really pleased with the result. There is magic in the construction of the pattern which involved sewing 5 sets of nine squares of fabric into 3x3 squares, then cutting each of these down the centre vertically and horizontally to create the strips and the small squares, which were then rotated and sewn into the final result.”
61 The Great Pretender / Queen - Andrew Hollamby: “While my wife, Dawn, was shopping in MQ earlier this year, Chris asked me if I was a quilter. The answer should have been a resounding ‘NO’, but before I knew it, I seemed to have agreed to taking part in this exhibition! I am a retired mechanical engineer and occasionally get called upon to fix technical issues, with Dawn's sewing machines or unravel birds’ nests of tangled threads. This is my first attempt at anything resembling a quilt. I'd much rather be tinkering with a classic car whilst listening and singing along to my beloved Queen CDs.”
62 Weavers Gold - Nick Goff: “This quilt was inspired by Silas Marner, by George Elliot. The traditional approach of light to dark of log cabin is used to show the light of the child, Eppie, spreading to the darkened heart of the solitary weaver Silas. The open quilting represents the warp and weft of the weaver's loom, interweaving together like a prison gate over his heart. There is a single line of quilting winding up from Eppie, to tentatively pierce the weaver's heart. They are all hand sewn and quilted; I don't have a sewing machine.”
63 Table Runner - Rick Sanchez: “This fun table runner is a 60 degree triangle, Frenzy Swirl Pattern. I have made all kinds of fun runners with this pattern. It makes great conversation pieces for any holiday.”
64 Miniature Quilt Block - Hugh Andrew
65 Colour, Logic and Lunacy - Peter Hayward: “I am particularly pleased at the inclusion of this quilt. It was only my second quilt, made as a bedspread. Truth be told, I thought at the time (modestly) that it was excellent, only to find that not only did it win absolutely nothing in the Spanish National festival but, worse still, when I lurked about anonymously to overhear the (admiring?) comments of the passers-by, no-one even gave it a second glance. I seriously wondered if I was missing something major. It actually took several years before tastes changed to make something this ‘modern’ and ‘geometrical’ acceptable (frankly precipitated by getting recognition for White Holes (No. 75) in the States). At the time (2011) I doubted I would ever be mad enough to spend anything like 1200 hours on a single project again and this was the source of the "lunacy" part of the title. As it turns out I suspect that I have actually come dangerously close a couple of times since!”
You can learn more about Peter’s extraordinary quilts by visiting his website www.accidentalquilter.com . There you’ll discover more about his whole, remarkable, portfolio, including the further three of Peter’s quilts in this exhibition. You can also read about Peter’s Spanish quilting holidays.
66 Quilt Unnamed - Made by a Prisoner at HMP, Erlestoke, Devizes: At Erlestoke, there are eight ‘learners’ on the NCFE* Creative Craft Textile Course. New techniques are introduced, and within the syllabus, written worksheets, personal evaluations and reflections are carried out, culminating in a chosen personal textiles project. And this quilt has been made by one of the learners. Every year entrants are invited to have a go at producing a poem, drawing, painting, song or any other Koestler Artform using a theme. In 2019 the theme was Interlude.
*“Since 1962 the Koestler Awards have played a unique, national role in motivating prisoners, secure hospital patients and immigration detainees to take part in the arts. The awards are simple and powerful - they set out to reward achievement, build self-confidence and broaden horizons for some of society’s most disadvantaged and marginalised people.”
67 Colour Transformation 1 - Mike Hannan, 2013: “Mike was a great fan of the work of Deirdre Amsden, and this was his tribute to her. He made it using Liberty Tana lawn, it took many weeks of fiddling with fabric scraps to get the effect he wanted.”
68 Warholian Cabbage - Nicholas Ball: We are extremely fortunate to have this quilt here today as it was scheduled to be in the now-cancelled) Paducah quilt show. Knowing that we had earlier asked if it could be used in this show, show, Nicholas rang to offer it. Yes please!
“Sometimes called purple cabbage, the red cabbage is a glorious mix of red-purples and creamy whites. The contrast between these two colours makes for a striking fabric pull.” (Quilted by Trudi Wood).
[Taken from Nik’s book Inspiring Improv, published by Lucky Spool.
email: Media@quiltsfromtheattic. Instagram: @quiltsfromtheattic.]
69 Clemson Quilt - Rick Sanchez: “This Clemson quilt was made for my husband who is a Clemson alumni. (These are Clemson University colours.) The pattern is the Drunkard’s Path. This was the third quilt that I made. I used straight line quilting on my domestic sewing machine.”
70 Miniature Quilt Block - Hugh Andrew
71 An American Civil War Quilt - Percy Kimber. “The Hour Glass pattern was popular during the American Civil War as it represented the hours spent by wives and mothers waiting for their husbands and sons to return from the battle field. With my colour pallet, I have attempted to replicate the muted greys and yellows of the Confederate Army, and the blues and reds of the Union Army, when combined with the mud of the battlefield and the privations of living in the field.
“The pattern has some personal resonance as it reminds me of the Royal Artillery canvas beacons we erected over the Trig Pilars, at Ingleborough, Wernside and Pen-y-ghent, as I wandered around the Yorkshire Dales with my Cooke, Troughton and Simms, Tavistock Theodolite, and around Darley and Dacre with my plane table, learning the rudiments of Trigonometrical Surveying. Any similarities between quilting and land surveying ends there, as the principle of surveying, working from the whole to the part, to reduce the effect of error, is totally opposite to quilting where you start with the smallest elements and build on those, sadly, compounding any errors.”
72 Red Cat - Gerry Burdall: “This is one of the first wall hangings I made. The idea started as an outline design for a greetings card. It was reworked and enlarged on my computer, and transferred to tracing paper, which was then used as the pattern. Thirteen different materials were used for the panels (lucky for the cat) and they were attached to the background using iron-on adhesive. The black outline was fusible-bias tape, finished with machine and hand stitching.”
73 Twister Against the Flow - Martyn Bourne: “A different twist as you might say on an eight sided Baravelle spiral. It was quite a challenge - but, hey, who wants the easy route?”
74 White Holes - Peter Hayward: “A few years ago I read Marilyn Doheny´s book 'Op-Art Quilts' and had been struck by how well suited this type of art was to simple patchwork. The problem was that I wanted to find a way to enhance the 3D effect and suspected that this could be achieved either by using colour gradation between the centre and outside of the areas I wished to stand out or by using a series of concentric lines running around those areas, or both . . .”
White Holes won the Koala Studios Master award for Innovation Artistry in the 2015 International Quilting Association’s judged show at Houston, and first prize in the contemporary section of the annual Spanish national patchwork competition. As with Peter’s other contributions, you’ll find more about this quilt, and his Spanish quilting holidays on www.accidentalquilter.com
75 Sam's Quilt - Jeremy Carruthers: “This was my first attempt at quilting - I did not even know what a quilt was until I saw one my sister made. I asked her to make me one and she sent me instead a book on how to make my own! I made for Sam - the child of some friends of mine. He has Downs Syndrome and was very ill in his early years. He was having open heart surgery at the time I finished it, and I told his parents that every stitch would be a prayer that he would make it through. He is now 5 years old, a great guy, and totally loved by his school friends. In this quilt the blue fish form shape of an S, and the lighter squares make a cross. I wanted to signify that Sam was held in the love of Christ.”
76 Magical Cubes - Matthew Anderson: “Magical Cubes made using dyed fabrics by Sarah Gravestock. `the piece was inspired by the artist Hilma of Klint. All hand drafted pattern pieces and machine blocked and quilted.”
77 Unnamed Quilt - A Prisoner at HMP, Erlestoke, Devizes: Please see No.66
78 Churndash Goes 3D: “When I was asked, unexpectedly, to teach a 3D Cubes workshops he had no class sample. In a short period of time I created a few quilts of which Churndash was one. I pieced and quilted Churndash.”
79 Reach for the Sky' (2015) - Mike Hannan: “Mike was always very fond of gladioli, so they were his choice in 2015 for the Hever challenge 'In an English Country Garden'. He devised the piecing design himself and used only his own hand-dyed fabrics. No prize at Hever, but he was thrilled to get a rosette at the West of England Quilt Show for Machine Appliqué.”
80 Quilted Embroidery! - John Freeman: (See also number 55). “I have been going through Lin’s craft stuff (what a task!), and have come across a piece of unfinished embroidery. I think I could just about complete it if I could present it as a quilting piece - maybe sew it into a 12” square with a border or something. I like this idea if the embroidery could be made acceptable for a quilting exhibition, as it includes something directly connected with Lin. I know nothing about quilting (not even what falls under its remit). I have to do something simple. Secondly, as for topic, all of Lin’s project, (well, nearly all) are way beyond my understanding and ability. Then I found an unfinished item that Lin was working on at the end. She always said, ‘Live for Today’, so it is up to me to complete ‘Learn from Yesterday’ and ‘Hope for Tomorrow’. By completing it for her, I am embracing her wishes, and sharing in her love of craft work.”
81 Fruit Sherbert - Matthew Anderson: “Using batik and cotton fabrics and machine stitched and quilted wonky log cabin inserts.”
82 Liberty Flowerpots - Mike Hannan: “This is a true miniature, using Tana lawn, which works particularly well for this very precise foundation piecing.”
83 Jumbling Blocks - Nick Goff: “This was my attempt to master tumbling blocks and Y seams. The design is based on the optical illusion of an Escher endless stairway, but I couldn't resist playing with and twisting the blocks in the background as well. The quilting is all stitch-in-the-ditch. And I still haven’t got a sewing machine.”
84 The Masked Ball - Gerry Burdall: “This was taken from an illustration in one of my Granddaughter’s books and I particularly liked the colours and the fact that the faces were covered (which made life easier).”
85 Morgan’s Squares - John Morgan
86 Fuji - Trev Jones: “Our only ever long-haul holiday to Japan was such an over-whelming experience that I always thought I would like to make something involving Mt. Fuji. I found the pattern for this wall-hanging, by Gail Lawther, on the internet and instantly liked it. The flowers were my first venture into hand-sewing. The original pattern has five flowers, but I could only find four matching buttons for the centres in my mother’s eighty-year-old button box!”
87 Four Seasons - Matthew Anderson: “Using the cabin Wonky Log method and rich Autumn coloured batik and cottons directly onto wadding and backing fabric.”
88 Lone star Lone Star Explores Space - Peter Hayward: “Following the unexpected success of ‘White Holes’ (No.65), I wanted to continue with interwoven fused fabric strips and colour gradation, as a way to achieve an enhanced 3D effect, but to take the technique a few stages further. My approach to the design stage - which in many ways is my favourite - is still very 20th century and whilst I am sure I could do it a lot faster using modern technology, this particular old dog continues to resist new tricks.
“I wanted to apply the 3D effects, so typical of the Op Art movement to the traditional pattern of the Mariner’s Compass, using a technique of interwoven strips of fused fabric. Fairly early on, a couple of extra cardinal points crept into the central compass, but as they helped with the circular sensation, they were allowed to stay! Contrasting colours, shades and patch sizes have been enhanced by the use of tuille to achieve a greater sense of depth.
“Whilst the judges at the IQA judged show, in Houston, commented favourably on the visual impact of this quilt, they all criticised the lack of quilting and did not select it for any prize. Fortunately, however, the attending public felt differently and voted it winner of the Viewers´ Choice Award, something about which I am particularly delighted and especially proud. A big thank you to them.”
As with Peter’s other quilts shown here today, you’ll find out a lot more about this quilt, as well as several more quilts in his remarkable portfolio,
on his website: accidentalquilter.com. And find out about the Spanish Quilting Holidays that Peter and his wife offer. There are more details at quilt No. 13.
89 Pincushion Bowler - John Morgan: “My pincushion bowler hat is made from recycled denim. It won a competition in the Horsham Cloth Store a few years back.”
90 Pawsome! - Laurence Turbitt: “I am eight and this is the first quilt I’ve ever made. I made it because after the loss of our family’s two basset hounds - Bertie and Harry - I wanted a dog quilt to help me remember them. First I drew a pixel dog on squared paper and used this as my plan, then my mum cut the fabric into squares and strips for me. I’ve done all the design and sewing. I decided to add a long floppy ear like Bertie and Harry had, and a real dog tag. I’ve called my quilt panel Pawsome! because it rhymes with awesome!”
91 Military Quilting? - Unknown: To be honest, we are not certain that this quilt was man-made (there’s no doubt about any of the other exhibits, though). This was brought to MQ several years ago, by Nancy Orchard, who was always convinced that it was man made. These are a few of a larger collection of log cabin blocks, and there were also sufficient for the better preserved blocks to be sewn together to create the original pattern. Apart from what you see here, MQ was able to make up a larger quilt, which Nancy has preserved in an acrylic frame.
92 Shoal - Nicholas Ball: “I take a lot of inspiration from the natural world. As a child, I was fascinated by wildlife and was an avid watcher of anything on TV narrated by Sir David Attenborough. I. remember giving myself projects to complete over the summer holidays. I’d research an animal, say sharks or orangutans, and compile my notes in a folder full of facts. Images would fill the pages, either clipped from magazines, or crudely drawn by my own hand. Drawing is something I’ve never been that good at but have always wanted to be. Among many other things, my grandmother taught me the rudimentary shapes of many creatures, which I’d practice over and over: cats, snakes, fish. It was that naïve interpretation that inspired this quilt. This simplistic version of a shoal of fish reminds me of my childhood and the simple line drawings that occupied me for hours.”
[Taken from Nik’s book Inspiring Improv, published by Lucky Spool.
email: Media@quiltsfromtheattic. Instagram: @quiltsfromtheattic.]
93 Trapunto Wall Hanging - Jonathan Dymond: “I was introduced to Trapunto on a sewing retreat with Harriet Hargrave. I love the way by using a double layer of wadding in parts, it gives you a 3D effect. In my opinion it’s a fabulous way to produce a stand-alone wholecloth. or could be used as a centre panel for medallion quilts, another favourite of mine.”