Patterns in Cloth

I have been quilting since the turn of the century.

I had always been fascinated by quilts but daunted by the idea of making one myself. I had no real sewing experience and my previous entanglements with sewing machines during school sewing lessons had not gone well. There was a mystique about them that I didn't understand.

I got over all that though and now I make quilts almost continuously, barely finishing one before I'm cutting out the pieces for the next one. This is going to be one of the joys of retirement for me - that I will be able to spend much more time creating soft, colourful, comforting pieces, making patterns in cloth.

I struggle to explain my passion for quilts. It is undoubtedly founded in the history of pioneering America and how women, who were dragged across the continent in covered wagons, set about making homes out of wooden shacks or turf houses. Their resilience and strength has always impressed me, and it seemed almost like a feat too far that, after a hard day's work, they would then sit by candle-light making incredible art out of scraps of fabric. It was the only way they could express themselves artistically, wrapping up their creativity in something practical so that they couldn't be accused of being frivolous.

I'm aware that all of the above is a gross simplification and generalisation but I wanted to try and explain where my passion came from and it is based in all of that.

You must expect to hear long and often about my quilts.