<p>There are a few diligent individuals who choose to sew, mend, patchwork and make their own much-loved, winter favourite quilts. Quilting is making a comeback, finds out Talib Choudhry. <br /><br /></p>.<p>With the “big chill” set to hit the British Isles, it is finally time to dig out the woolly jumpers, batten down the metaphorical hatches and cosy up our homes. In our brightly-lit, centrally-heated world, we no longer need to while away long, dark evenings huddling by the fireside and our womenfolk don’t busy themselves sewing, mending and patchworking. Yet, some are choosing to do just that: it seems that quilting is growing in popularity, with the Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles reporting an uptick in membership and a new wave of designers exploring age-old techniques in their work. Unlike the patchwork upholstery and over-sized quilted shapes seen in furniture design in recent years, the humble hand-stitched quilt itself is back in favour precisely because it is not vogueish — it is the timelessness that appeals.<br /><br />Remembering home<br />“Quilts can encapsulate the ideas of home, family and community within the <br />confines of fabric and thread,” says interior stylist and avid quilter Cassandra Ellis. “They are both an incredibly practical object and imbued with a history — about the time spent making them, the people who did the stitching, the person it was made for, and the fabric used to create it. They also take time — you have to slow down and concentrate, which can be a welcome break from the pace of life.” This combination makes a quilt a precious thing, which has more resonance than just a medley of fabrics stitched together. <br /><br />The intricately-patched quilt on Cassandra’s own bed in her London home started with a scrap from her mother’s wedding dress. “It was heavily embroidered French duchess silk satin and her train was repurposed as our christening gowns so there was only a fraction left,” New Zealand-born Cassandra explains. “My mum can’t travel long distances any more, so I gathered fabric from all the countries she has visited and put them together to create this quilt. She still lives in New Zealand, so I love having it with me and thinking about her at the beginning and end of every day.” <br /><br />Cassandra recognises that, for many, quilt-making can be seen as antiquated, and the industry involved can make it daunting to a beginner. Accordingly, she champions a looser, more modern approach to quilt making, with less regimented patterns and softer colour palettes that are suited to contemporary homes. Her new book, Home Sewn, is full of patterns with different levels of complexity, but she also extols the virtues of not following a predetermined design. “We should remember that a quilt at its most fundamental level is just fabric, cut up, then sewn back together again. It is up to the maker to decide how complex the design needs to be, what fabrics to use and how they are put together,” she says. “I think, if you are relaxed by nature, then your quilt should be, too — ignore seam allowances, pre-cut fabric bundles and do your own thing.”<br /><br />Colour codes<br />Designing a quilt is complicated, requiring both mathematical dexterity and <br />visual awareness. The American-born quilter and artist Kaffe Fassett, who <br />settled in England in 1964, combines those two skills with aplomb. Known <br />internationally for his vividly colourful work in the textile arts, he has published many books on quilt-making and is the patron of the Quilters’ Guild. “Colour is the single most important aspect of all my work and is sadly lacking in many quilts I see made today,” says Kaffe, who often expands or simplifies motifs found in historical quilts. “I start the design process with a walk through a garden or museum of decorative arts to stimulate the artistic possibilities of colour.” <br /><br />As well as championing colour, Kaffe has long campaigned for the needle arts to be judged on an equal footing with other creative fields. “They are just artistic mediums as legitimate as painting or music,” he says. “For some reason, a lot of people think the needle arts are a solely feminine occupation. I wish more men would enter the field.”<br /><br />He would be pleased to hear of the Anglo-Indian company Safomasi, which produces cheerfully bright quilts and printed textiles in Delhi and was founded by life- and work-partners Maninder Singh and Sarah Fotheringham in 2012. The type of traditional stitched quilts they make are still popular in India, and typically printed with very traditional motifs. <br /><br />Safomasi has reimagined them in playful, contemporary patterns but the manufacturing process remains the same: a sheet of cotton wadding is laid between two pieces of fabric of hand screen-printed fabric, then lightly tacked and quilted by hand, often to follow the design on the fabric. Finally, the quilts are washed and a cotton edging sewn on to finish them.<br /><br />“Our patterns are the result of a mix of cultures and influences,” says Sarah, whose distinctive illustrations appear on all the products. “Each collection is <br />inspired by the places we travel to — it could be Japan or Kerala.” Their latest collection had a less exotic starting point — the Devon seaside town of Salcombe, where Sarah’s family have been holidaying for over 50 years. <br /><br />The Regatta quilt features illustrations of yachts racing around the estuary, <br />another shows the beach at low tide with children rock-pooling and building sandcastles, teenagers sunbathing, grandparents snoozing. “All the designs are inspired by my personal observations, but I hope that they resonate with other people’s experiences of seaside family holidays,” she adds. “The time and energy that goes into making a handmade quilt creates something unique that people want to treasure and keep.”<br /></p>
<p>There are a few diligent individuals who choose to sew, mend, patchwork and make their own much-loved, winter favourite quilts. Quilting is making a comeback, finds out Talib Choudhry. <br /><br /></p>.<p>With the “big chill” set to hit the British Isles, it is finally time to dig out the woolly jumpers, batten down the metaphorical hatches and cosy up our homes. In our brightly-lit, centrally-heated world, we no longer need to while away long, dark evenings huddling by the fireside and our womenfolk don’t busy themselves sewing, mending and patchworking. Yet, some are choosing to do just that: it seems that quilting is growing in popularity, with the Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles reporting an uptick in membership and a new wave of designers exploring age-old techniques in their work. Unlike the patchwork upholstery and over-sized quilted shapes seen in furniture design in recent years, the humble hand-stitched quilt itself is back in favour precisely because it is not vogueish — it is the timelessness that appeals.<br /><br />Remembering home<br />“Quilts can encapsulate the ideas of home, family and community within the <br />confines of fabric and thread,” says interior stylist and avid quilter Cassandra Ellis. “They are both an incredibly practical object and imbued with a history — about the time spent making them, the people who did the stitching, the person it was made for, and the fabric used to create it. They also take time — you have to slow down and concentrate, which can be a welcome break from the pace of life.” This combination makes a quilt a precious thing, which has more resonance than just a medley of fabrics stitched together. <br /><br />The intricately-patched quilt on Cassandra’s own bed in her London home started with a scrap from her mother’s wedding dress. “It was heavily embroidered French duchess silk satin and her train was repurposed as our christening gowns so there was only a fraction left,” New Zealand-born Cassandra explains. “My mum can’t travel long distances any more, so I gathered fabric from all the countries she has visited and put them together to create this quilt. She still lives in New Zealand, so I love having it with me and thinking about her at the beginning and end of every day.” <br /><br />Cassandra recognises that, for many, quilt-making can be seen as antiquated, and the industry involved can make it daunting to a beginner. Accordingly, she champions a looser, more modern approach to quilt making, with less regimented patterns and softer colour palettes that are suited to contemporary homes. Her new book, Home Sewn, is full of patterns with different levels of complexity, but she also extols the virtues of not following a predetermined design. “We should remember that a quilt at its most fundamental level is just fabric, cut up, then sewn back together again. It is up to the maker to decide how complex the design needs to be, what fabrics to use and how they are put together,” she says. “I think, if you are relaxed by nature, then your quilt should be, too — ignore seam allowances, pre-cut fabric bundles and do your own thing.”<br /><br />Colour codes<br />Designing a quilt is complicated, requiring both mathematical dexterity and <br />visual awareness. The American-born quilter and artist Kaffe Fassett, who <br />settled in England in 1964, combines those two skills with aplomb. Known <br />internationally for his vividly colourful work in the textile arts, he has published many books on quilt-making and is the patron of the Quilters’ Guild. “Colour is the single most important aspect of all my work and is sadly lacking in many quilts I see made today,” says Kaffe, who often expands or simplifies motifs found in historical quilts. “I start the design process with a walk through a garden or museum of decorative arts to stimulate the artistic possibilities of colour.” <br /><br />As well as championing colour, Kaffe has long campaigned for the needle arts to be judged on an equal footing with other creative fields. “They are just artistic mediums as legitimate as painting or music,” he says. “For some reason, a lot of people think the needle arts are a solely feminine occupation. I wish more men would enter the field.”<br /><br />He would be pleased to hear of the Anglo-Indian company Safomasi, which produces cheerfully bright quilts and printed textiles in Delhi and was founded by life- and work-partners Maninder Singh and Sarah Fotheringham in 2012. The type of traditional stitched quilts they make are still popular in India, and typically printed with very traditional motifs. <br /><br />Safomasi has reimagined them in playful, contemporary patterns but the manufacturing process remains the same: a sheet of cotton wadding is laid between two pieces of fabric of hand screen-printed fabric, then lightly tacked and quilted by hand, often to follow the design on the fabric. Finally, the quilts are washed and a cotton edging sewn on to finish them.<br /><br />“Our patterns are the result of a mix of cultures and influences,” says Sarah, whose distinctive illustrations appear on all the products. “Each collection is <br />inspired by the places we travel to — it could be Japan or Kerala.” Their latest collection had a less exotic starting point — the Devon seaside town of Salcombe, where Sarah’s family have been holidaying for over 50 years. <br /><br />The Regatta quilt features illustrations of yachts racing around the estuary, <br />another shows the beach at low tide with children rock-pooling and building sandcastles, teenagers sunbathing, grandparents snoozing. “All the designs are inspired by my personal observations, but I hope that they resonate with other people’s experiences of seaside family holidays,” she adds. “The time and energy that goes into making a handmade quilt creates something unique that people want to treasure and keep.”<br /></p>