The Quilter Magazine

But why? I hear you ask. Well I thought I should address this at length and so I suggested an article for their magazine, The Quilter, talking about my history with the guild (I first joined in the early 1990’s), why I re-joined, how they can attract more quilters to do the same, and why all quilters should work together rather than staying in cliques (my argument being – we are a niche enough bunch without creating further niches!).

I sent them some photos of recent quilts and then was amazed to find my Conkers Quilt on the cover! It looks so good as a close-up (the quilting looks pretty impressive even if I say so myself!). You can even see a fly that had landed on the quilt during photography if you look closely! Pattern for this quilt available here.

I was delighted to have some of my quilts featured in the magazines including Recycled Ballroom below. This was selected for a Quilter’s Guild ‘suitcase exhibition’ which travelled around Europe for 2 years.

I was very good back then and labelled all my quilts, which is how I know that it was made in 1995. And yet it is not unlike a lot of the quilts I still make – an Improv New York Beauty made using the same freehand foundation piecing technique I still use. And with buttons (always useful for hiding unmatched points, which I assume was happening here, though as it’s all wonky anyway who know’s?)!

The main difference is this was made completely with raw silk, off-cuts from a friendly ballgown maker to be precise, and hence it’s name. It’s also one of the Green Quilts I made at that time (I wrote more about the green quilt movement here).

You can check out the Quilter’s Guild website here. Maybe you want to read my article so much that you join just to get the magazine!? The magazine is still very good and interesting with lots of in-depth articles from the quilt world. I will be writing more articles in the future, including a report on Modern Quilts after my visit to QuiltCon next year.

Once you are a member you can enjoy discounts at plenty of quilt shops in the UK plus reduced price entry to Festival of Quilts, including the workshops and exhibition entry fees.

You can also download all your details on the guild website and create your own ‘page’, a great way to connect with others. There are quite a few specialist groups you can join including a modern quilt group.

They also have a facebook group for members, and a public page here. Plus they are now also on Instagram @thequiltersguild! Great to see they are already doing a lot of the things I suggest in my article.

I would very much welcome any feedback from other QG members amongst my readers who have read the article – please be honest!