British Patchwork and Quilting Magazine
The July 2017 issue of British Patchwork and Quilting had an article by Judi Mendelssohn about our last exhibition, London Calling. With kind permission of the publishers of the magazine and the author, the article is posted below, complete with photographs of the show.
London Quilters' Exhibition : An Overview : Margaret Scholey-Hill
Our exhibition was a very enjoyable, successful event and I thought it would be interesting to analyse some of the reasons for its success.
The venue, Swiss Cottage Library, has a large, well lit gallery space designed by Sir Basil Spence specifically for art displays and we are fortunate to have had the opportunity to use it for our recent biennial exhibitions. Swiss Cottage Library is a busy, well run community centre which attracts many local people from a variety of cultures, often with an interest in colourful textiles. Some of the visitors returned to show us family textile treasures.
Quilts, gifts, packs of textiles, books and magazines were on sale including a large number of quilts and textile related items bequeathed to London Quilters by a long term member and former chairwoman, Tricia Revest, to be sold and the proceeds shared between us and Tricia's chosen charities. A special day, 25 March 2017, was set aside to allow visitors to examine these treasures and to admire and buy items if they so wished. And they did!
The exhibition also coincided with the UK - Indian Year of Culture 2017. A display of 18 small colourful quilts, 'The Colours of India', featuring Indian emblems, designs and embroideries made by our members was much admired. The pieces were the focus of many discussions between visitors, textile enthusiasts and the stewards who were always available to give information about techniques and answer questions.
Naturally, the Charity Quilt entitled 'London Calling' attracted a lot of attention and sales of raffle tickets for our charities were well supported. Those charities are Mind, dealing with mental health issues, and The Rainbow Trust, specifically for families of children with serious illnesses.
The Saturday morning quilting classes were well attended and if there is the demand they may be continued. So watch this space!
Visitors were encouraged to select their favourite quilt (a difficult task, everyone agreed) and give reasons for their choice. These comments were fed back to the quilters concerned and much appreciated. The Visitors' Comment Book will be kept as a record for future events.
So now, what about the quilts themselves? Everyone agreed that these were amazing. Sixty-six quilts, of various dimensions for beds, wall hangings, and works of art were on display, using traditional and contemporary styles. Visitors had the opportunity of taking laminated catalogues around with them, which described features of each quilt. Stewards were available to answer questions and encourage group discussions. Photographs of all the quilts can be viewed on the Gallery page of this website and will long be a source of pleasure for all. Well done everyone and a special thanks to all the organisers of this highly successful exhibition.
Margaret Scholey-Hill
The venue, Swiss Cottage Library, has a large, well lit gallery space designed by Sir Basil Spence specifically for art displays and we are fortunate to have had the opportunity to use it for our recent biennial exhibitions. Swiss Cottage Library is a busy, well run community centre which attracts many local people from a variety of cultures, often with an interest in colourful textiles. Some of the visitors returned to show us family textile treasures.
Quilts, gifts, packs of textiles, books and magazines were on sale including a large number of quilts and textile related items bequeathed to London Quilters by a long term member and former chairwoman, Tricia Revest, to be sold and the proceeds shared between us and Tricia's chosen charities. A special day, 25 March 2017, was set aside to allow visitors to examine these treasures and to admire and buy items if they so wished. And they did!
The exhibition also coincided with the UK - Indian Year of Culture 2017. A display of 18 small colourful quilts, 'The Colours of India', featuring Indian emblems, designs and embroideries made by our members was much admired. The pieces were the focus of many discussions between visitors, textile enthusiasts and the stewards who were always available to give information about techniques and answer questions.
Naturally, the Charity Quilt entitled 'London Calling' attracted a lot of attention and sales of raffle tickets for our charities were well supported. Those charities are Mind, dealing with mental health issues, and The Rainbow Trust, specifically for families of children with serious illnesses.
The Saturday morning quilting classes were well attended and if there is the demand they may be continued. So watch this space!
Visitors were encouraged to select their favourite quilt (a difficult task, everyone agreed) and give reasons for their choice. These comments were fed back to the quilters concerned and much appreciated. The Visitors' Comment Book will be kept as a record for future events.
So now, what about the quilts themselves? Everyone agreed that these were amazing. Sixty-six quilts, of various dimensions for beds, wall hangings, and works of art were on display, using traditional and contemporary styles. Visitors had the opportunity of taking laminated catalogues around with them, which described features of each quilt. Stewards were available to answer questions and encourage group discussions. Photographs of all the quilts can be viewed on the Gallery page of this website and will long be a source of pleasure for all. Well done everyone and a special thanks to all the organisers of this highly successful exhibition.
Margaret Scholey-Hill
Visitors' Choice Quilts : 2017
At each of our exhibitions visitors are encouraged to vote for their favourite quilt. Understandably many found it a difficult decision but most dutifully posted their voting slips in the ballot box. This is the list of the top 10 choices, together with images of their work.
1st Helen Krizka Starry Nights
2nd Lucy Poloneicka Grand Canyon
3rd Christina Saunders Meadow Flowers
4th Kath McMahon Blue Dresdens
5th Lyn Fry Sunkissed Poppies
6th Janet Beck White Cliffs
7th Judy Roose All that Glistens
7th Kath McMahon 9 Little Amish Girls
9th Janice Gunner Lichen - Puglia
10th Sarah Hibbert Taleisin Leaves
1st Helen Krizka Starry Nights
2nd Lucy Poloneicka Grand Canyon
3rd Christina Saunders Meadow Flowers
4th Kath McMahon Blue Dresdens
5th Lyn Fry Sunkissed Poppies
6th Janet Beck White Cliffs
7th Judy Roose All that Glistens
7th Kath McMahon 9 Little Amish Girls
9th Janice Gunner Lichen - Puglia
10th Sarah Hibbert Taleisin Leaves
London Calling - Quilts at the Library 2017
London Quilters held a successful exhibition at the Gallery in Swiss Cottage Library.
The exhibition, featuring our charity raffle quilt “London Calling”, ran from 6th March 2017 to Saturday 15th April 2017 during library opening hours.
London Quilters held a successful exhibition at the Gallery in Swiss Cottage Library.
The exhibition, featuring our charity raffle quilt “London Calling”, ran from 6th March 2017 to Saturday 15th April 2017 during library opening hours.
“London Calling” was made by Lyn Fry and her team from blocks submitted by the membership at large. Dragonfly Quilting kindly quilted it for us free of charge on their long-arm machine. The quilt was first prize in our charity raffle raising money for Mind mental health charity and the Rainbow Trust charity for children.
All London Quilters members were encouraged to submit quilts for hanging in the exhibition. The entries were not judged but visitors will be asked to vote for their favourite quilt and there will be a small prize for the maker of the winner.
Drop-in mini workshops, suitable for adults or children, with or without experience, were held on each Saturday of our exhibition from 11am to 4pm. A variety of techniques were taught over the sessions and everyone who wanted to try their hand at some patchwork or quilting was made welcome.
London Quilters is taking part in the UK – India Year of Culture Festival 2017 by marking the occasion with a series of quilts celebrating the colours of India. These were displayed by the staircase on the upper floor of the library and can be seen in the Gallery section of this website, together with pictures of all the exhibition quilts.
Header Image - Group Quilt - detail
