Today's Quilter

When the team opened up Jo Colwill’s quilt in the office, we were all wowed – not only by the level of detail in her appliqué work, but by the incredible quilting done by Sandy Chandler as well. If ever there was a showstopper quilt, this is it! But it is also great inspiration for anyone who has treasured print fabrics stashed away and are not sure what to do with them. Jo’s quilt shows you how you can take different prints/borders or panels, cut them up and create something totally marvellous! This issue also sees the start of our new seasonal series by Julia Gahagan. Her mini quilts kick off with Spring Meadows. And as we wrap up issue 99, we are well underway working on issue 100. Make…

THE FABRIC PIE IN THE SKY A colourful nod to children who enjoy constructing alternative, creative worlds full of fantastic ideas ‒ hence the name of the collection; Pie in Sky. This fresh array of fabrics feature doodle-like flowers that give the designs a naive and effortless feel. The sweet motifs and gorgeous colours have a vintage look that is sure to inspire some fantastic quilt designs. Find downloadable quilt patterns, including Daydreamer shown above, at www.tildasworld.com. THE PATTERN ROSEWOOD WHORLS New to the TQandLPQPatternShop on Etsy is this medallion style quilt featuring Snail Trail blocks. Designer Sally Ablett has added a large triangle to the outer part of each block in the centre of the medallion to link it to the inner border so that the blocks end up…

A Walk in the Woods Lisa Dolson’s new collection for PBS Fabrics, A Walk in the Woods, is now available and is definitely a collection to check out! The inspiration behind these gorgeous fabrics stem from winter walks Lisa took through the woodlands – and the collection certainly captures nature’s true beauty. Why not use these stunning, new fabrics in your next project and delight in the enchanting colours and patterns of the outdoors! www.pbsfabrics.com SEW PRETTY Here at Today’s Quilter, we love a set – and that’s why the Aurifil 80 Thread Box Appliqué Favourites, by Carolyn Friedlander, has made our Fresh Picks list this month. The set includes a beautiful selection of 10 small spools of Aurifil 80 Weight Egyptian Cotton thread and is an absolute must-have for…

How Do You Do 18 March–28 October The Welsh Quilt Centre in the heart of the Teifi Valley is reopening in March after its winter break. ‘How Do You Do’ will explore recent acquisitions to the Jen Jones quilt collection and tickets also give entry to the neighbouring Little Quilts – Small Beds exhibition by Vivien Finch. Admission: £9 – adult, £7 – concession and groups, £4 – students 11.00-16.30 Tues–Sat The Welsh Quilt Centre, Town Hall, High Street, Lampeter SA48 7BB www. welshquilts.com Wolverley Stitchers Open Day 18 March 2023’s Worldwide Quilting Day is 18th March and Wolverley Stitchers are having an open day to display all their latest work. Tea, coffee and cake will be for sale raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. 11.00-15.00 Wolverley Stitchers, Wolverley…

WRITE TO US Today’s Quilter, Our Media, Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4STEMAIL: todaysquilter@immediate.co.uk Oh Hex! I have finally, FINALLY finished my Hexie Summer bedcover and wanted to share it with you. My take on the theme of “Grandma’s Flower Garden” was Sunflowers and Cornflowers and so I used shades of yellow and blue for my lightweight summer bed cover. I definitely didn’t anticipate how long this quilt was going to take to make – how much geometry, cutting up (with the help of a Sizzix machine later on) and stitching there would be. Plus, I didn’t have a dedicated sewing room, so I had to get everything out when I wanted to work on the quilt, and then put it all away again afterwards, which takes time too. All in…

BEHIND THE QUILT A TRIBUTE TO ZARAFA “I can’t believe it’s been 35 years since I fell in love with a gorgeous glazed chintz fabric made by Pierre Frey. At the time, I was working for David and Annemarie Leather in their lovely interior shop, Inscape, and was drawn to the fabric’s beautiful blue colour and the adorable giraffes. “More recently, I learnt about the interesting true story of Zarafa the giraffe, who was walked from Africa all the way to the Winter Gardens in Paris (my friend has promised to lend me the book soon and I look forward to finding out more). I have named my quilt ‘The Zarafa’ to honour the tale of this legendary giraffe. “Furthermore, a couple of years ago, I included a beautiful strippy…