Quilting inspiration 2

Here are a few close ups from quilts I have seen at exhibitions. I love close up pics, as you can really see the style of stitches, the dyeing, the fabric choices and the crafting that goes in to the item. They almost become abstract, viewed at this scale. Bear in mind, each of these photos shows about 5 % of the whole quilt, maximum.


These were taken from the NEC Festival of Quilts, Birmingham, and the Knitting and Stitching show in London.
Sorry, but I have no names available for the talented people who created these. 


Enjoy...!


This one mixes colours so well, and there are different types of stitching on each segment. I think all the fabric is hand dyed too.

The one below has some fantastic woven areas mixed in with traditional quilting. I love the contrast of the frayed fabric and the "tidy" areas.

The fabric here has been bleached, dyed, overdyed and stencilled. The stitching works well, because it works alongside the patterns, and rarely follows the edges of them.

This is a very small section . I simply like the way so many different shapes have been pieced together. The balance of patterns is effective too.

This one is just so accurate and perfect in construction.. I like the way the fabric on the surface sometimes changes to follow the pattern or colour change below.

The one below is representative of the whole quilt. Sooooo much work involved!! A lot of it looks like hand stitching too.

This uses a lot of silk pieces, mixed with hand stitching. It is really intricate all over.

It amazes me how many hours of work people put in to their quilts. Remember these are just tiny samples, taken from huge quilts!!!

 They show an incredible range of techniques all layered up and joined together.  Up close you see things you might miss when you view the quilt as a whole item. I personally like to get in close and see how it has actually been constructed.

Quilting. Inspiration.

One thing I would love to do,one day, is a proper quilt. 


Each year I visit the NEC, Birmingham, for the Festival of Quilts.  I have been teaching Textiles and Art Textiles to GCSE and A'Level,  in the past few years. So, I have taken hundreds of photos of quilts, to use as inspiration for my students....and for me as well!


I suppose the closest I come to doing a quilt, is my cushion covers. Many of which will be featured on this blog. These give me a chance to try out lots of textile skills, techniques and fabrics on a small scale.


So here are a few of the amazing quilts that have inspired me from the festival. I apologize for not being able to name the talented people who have created these. 


As there are so many quilts that are brilliant, I shall probably do part 2, part 3, part 99 of this feature in the future!