British Quilt Study Group - Gallery

Our local quilting group asked members to share their first quilts at meetings. Linda gave a really interesting talk about how she started quilting in the seventies and she kindly agreed to share her journey with us on Quilt of the Month.

My First Quilt ? Beginnings

When I started thinking about this, I had to go back to 1974. I made a little patchwork cover for my first child?s pram. Not exactly a quilt as we know it now. It was backed with a flannelette sheet with no filling. It measures 26? x 33? and the squares were hand stitched. The materials used were just what I had around and a variety of fabrics including seersucker, curtain fabric, brushed cotton, and dressmaking materials! (Pics 1 & 2)

I can remember sewing it while waiting at the antenatal clinic but can?t remember where the inspiration came from. I had just left Teachers Training College where my main subject had been painting not textiles.

On a family holiday around 1978, we visited the American Museum in Bath and I came home with the guide book and lots of ideas. Also, in this year there was a BBC series called Discovering Patchwork. (Pic 3)

The following year the Quilters' Guild was formed and I joined early on. (Pic 4)

In those early days we weren?t lucky enough to have the huge choice of books available that today?s beginners have. Most were in black and white and The Perfect Patchwork Primer was my source book. Another BBC series in 1981 called Quilting ? An Introduction to American Patchwork Designs was helpful. (Pic 5)

We lived in London and I remember visiting the first Quilters' Guild exhibition held at the Severn Dials Gallery in Covent Garden in 1981, with three small children in tow! (Pic 6) About this time Laura Ashley sold packs of generous sized fabric pieces which were much better than the later packs of pre-cut squares.

I suppose my first ?proper? quilt was an Ohio Star/Friendship Star made for my daughter in 1983. This had wadding and was quilted ? although with difficulty as the wadding was thick and the pink material was quite thick curtain fabric. However, I do still like it. (Pics 7, 8 and 9)

Thinking about my modest beginnings has been an interesting journey. Patchwork has certainly been an interest that has lasted through the years.

Linda Burrows

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If you are interested in reading further about the revival of British Quilting in the 1970's then you may like to read the paper by Pauline Macaulay in Quilt Studies issue 20 available from the Qshop

Remember to click on the photos to view full image.