All Sorts of Shapes

One of the things that jumped out at me when I was wandering amongst the quilts at the Festival of Quilts on Saturday was all the different shapes and patterns. This may sound a little silly, but I find some traditional quilts patterns really comforting. They remind me of vintage quilts, made from all sorts of fabric scraps with all sorts of history...a much-loved dress, an old pair of curtains that once dressed the windows of a familiar room or a favourite piece of clothing from childhood. Whenever I see traditional quilts, they make me think of the women in days gone by who would gather together to create a quilt whilst swapping stories and sharing a love of handicraft.

This hand sewn quilt was created by Sheila Wilkinson (Amersham). It's called 'Scrap City' and was inspired by "an overflowing scrap box and a wish for a hand sewing project'. It must have taken hours!

'Initial Confusion' by Jess Williams (Liverpool). Hand pieced and hand sewn...I'm discovering that quilters must have oodles of patience! I've got it in my mind that I'd like to have a go at using material from my scraps basket to create a quilt like this. I love the idea of each piece of fabric reminding me of a project I've worked on. I'll just have to hope that I can find some of the patience I'm going to need!

I think this is 'Every Colour is Welcome' by Rita Bos-van Kuelen and Emily Tate. If it is, then according to the catalogue, this quilt used every scrap its creators found in their cupboards! What a great way to use the stashes of fabric we all seem to collect over time (or am I the only one who buys fabric and then thinks, 'it's too nice to cut up, I'll save it for something really special'?!)

Quilts using squares...but look closely and you'll see circles too!

What a fabulous riot of shapes and colour. It reminds me of the spinners you can buy at the seaside for putting in the top of sand castles! It's called 'Infinity' and was created by Margaret McDonald and Susan Campbell.

'Three Sixty' by Lin Patterson (Eye). All the pieces are hand dyed cotton and silk velvet. It reminds me of Kandinsky's 'Squares with Concentric Circles'.

There were so many glorious quilts at the Festival, it's been tricky deciding which ones to write about. I've just got a few more I want to show you, but it'll have to wait until my next p0st!