Festival of Quilts 2006

by Celia Eddy
published: 17/09/2006
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Festival of Quilts 2006 -
An International Blockbuster of a quilt show!

This exhibition just gets bigger and better every year. It is now unarguably the premier European quilt event with an ever-increasing international profile - the presence this year of Michael James emphatically set the seal on FOQ’s place in the international quilt scene. The individual galleries set-up, in which quilt artists are given a dedicated space in which to exhibit, is the ideal way to give artists like James a high-quality environment in which to hang their work to best advantage. Each gallery has clear white wall space with plenty of room for visitors to walk about and view the quilts comfortably. It’s also an opportunity for the artists to meet and talk to visitors in their own space.

Showing alongside Michael’s quilts, it was a great pleasure to see his wife, Judith James, exhibiting a series of her own works which she calls ‘textile studies’. Taking her inspiration from an eclectic range of resist dyeing processes, such as Japanese shibori and African adire cloth, she combines those methods with screen printing and relief printing. She uses the resulting imagery to suggest real and imagined landscapes.

One of the highlights of the festival was Michael James's address during the Gala Dinner.

James’s work has certainly come a long way from the strip-pieced quilts for which he was once renowned. His recent work , as he says, ‘…uses digital technology to develop surface imagery and to get that imagery on to fabric.’ He uses a sophisticated, and labour-intensive, process to manipulate photographic images which are eventually printed out direct on to cotton fabric using reactive dyes. Have a look at his quilts and find out more Michael James on his website:Michael James

Not that Michael James was the only star in the show: Kaffe Fassett, for example, made a significant contribution in showing not only his contemporary quilts, with their unique and very satisfying interpretation of traditional styles and techniques, using his own range of dazzlingly patterned fabrics, but also a selection of favourite traditional quilts from his personal collection.

Kaffe Fassett beside one of his dazzling 'Ohio Star' quilts.

It was especially exciting to see quilts old and new by Jo Budd, a textile artist whose work has been too rarely seen of late The earlier pieces she showed were from her ‘Elemental Landscapes’ series, ‘….reflecting the flat agricultural landscape and huge skies of north Suffolk.’ But today Budd says that: ‘A new studio, a new location, looking over the river marshes, and a new dyeing technique…have given me a fresh set of colours and marks to play with.’ Although she continues to use stitch to create surface movement, the main effects now are more an abstraction of colours and textures in a particular location. She is working towards a major exhibition of her new work in 2007.

One of Jo Budd's recent quits, an abstraction of the colours and textures seen in a natural environment.

For the second year in succession, Pauline Burbidge showed her ‘Quiltline’ Collection. Quiltline is Burbidge’s recent development, making an annual collection of practical, functional quilts, deliberately designed for home interiors: quilts for beds, couch throws, chair backs, crib and cot quilts. Each quilt is unique, with a distinctly contemporary air, like a ‘one-off’ drawing – using stitch as line and applying colours using special fabric paints. The quilts can be easily laundered and are completely colour-fast. Have a look at Pauline’s website to see examples of all her quilts and to find out more: Pauline Burbidge

Flying the flag for the traditional school of quiltmaking, which is, after all, the greatest influence on almost all quiltmakers and viewers alike, Lilian Hedley demonstrated her now legendary hand-quilting skills. She was keenly observed by hundreds of visitors who appreciate seeing such a brilliant exponent of the style in action.

Work in progress. Lilian Hedley demonstrating her prowess at hand-quilting.The quilt in the background is by Chris Dixon.

The above gives just a hint of the vast range and scope of Festival of Quilts 2006. There were gallery displays of quilts by many other distinguished quiltmakers and textile artists, not to mention over 1550 quilts in the various competition categories. The number of workshops and traders was also much increased this year – too many to really inspect thoroughly in the mere two days I was able to spend there! Festival of Quilts 2007 will take place from Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th August. Full details are available from Creative Exhibitions Ltd. E-mail them on: mail@twistedthread.com

© Celia Eddy