20 Quilts: 20 Makers – The Quilters’ Guild Museum Collection

We celebrate this 2020 Festival of Quilts Exhibition by showcasing 20 quilts and their makers, taking 10 historic quilts and 10 contemporary pieces including work from Sandie Lush, Roberta Le Poidevin, Alicia Merrett, Sara Impey, Helen Howes and Lynne Edwards.

We explore the variety and skill of our makers both past and present, and celebrate the diverse range of patchworks and quilts that are a testament to the creativity of their makers. The oldest of our historic pieces features a central block printed commemorative panel celebrating the Duke of Wellington’s victory at the battle of waterloo in 1815. The maker has used a large range of printed fabric triangles and skilfully hand-quilted a beautiful quilt pattern in an intricate frame design, with the date 1834 quilted into the piece. In contrast Cathy Corbishley-Michel’s contemporary quilt is made with cyanotype prints and celebrates 250 years since Captain Cook set sail to explore distant oceans in 1768. The machine quilting follows a simple design, intended to enhance, rather than distract the viewer from the interesting range of prints which are the focal point of the piece. Made in 2018, ‘Three Ships From Hull: Captain Cook 250’ represents the makers iconic quilt style, and is one of the most recently made and acquired pieces in The Collection. From early printed cottons to contemporary fabric dyeing techniques, this exhibition also explores the stories of the makers behind these beautiful quilts. Our lives and experiences can often shape our creative output, and visitors can explore the stories and journeys of 20 makers through the quilts they have made.