Kate Cox An Accidental Quilter

by Celia Eddy
published: 19/02/2001
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Kate Cox’s interest in patchwork and quilting began over 13 years ago, ‘by accident’, as she says. Mainly to get her young son, Dan, into a crèche so that he could make friends, she joined a local quilting group and had the great good fortune to have the quilt artist, Siripan Kidd, as her first tutor. Siripan’s use of colour and of silk had an enduring influence on Kate’s work, added to which she received from her a thorough grounding in the technical aspects of patchwork and quilting

Dreams of India 1998 (47" X 39") £500

During the late 1990s, Kate moved to Cumbria, where she became a keen member of The Quilters’Guild of the British Isles and developed her skills and interests, focussing to a large extent on Amish style quilts and quilting. However, she was increasingly drawn to the work of the quilt artists whose work she saw in UK exhibitions and in America, where she has made many visits over the years. When, in 1993, her much-loved younger sister, Sara, was killed in a motor accident Kate was moved to express her grief in a quilt which took her in a direction away from the traditional work she’d previously done, into an entirely new direction to her. In 1994, she met the American quilt artist, Marta Amundsen, from whom she learnt the machine-quilting and machine-embellishing skills which are now such a feature of her work.

Follow the Sound 1999, (34½" X 45¾") £600

Increasingly, Kate’s work has become the creative expression of her personal emotional life, while her travels to America, Egypt and India have also had a profound influence on her. The result of such diverse inspirations has been a series of vibrantly-coloured textile abstractions and a range of completely individual wearables, most notably ‘vests’ (to use the American label!) which have received awards in Europe, America and UK. She also has a growing reputation as a speaker and teacher, a career which has blossomed after moving back to London, where she now lives, in 1997.

Springtime Silver Birches, 1999 (34.5" X 45.75") £600

Kate Cox accepts commissions for both quilts and wearables.

She is currently working towards her third exhibition, to be held jointly with Alicia Merrett.

‘Fabulous Fabrications’ Exhibition of quilt art by Kate Cox and Alicia Merrett 
Mill Lane Gallery, 82, Mill Lane, London NW6 INL

Details: katecox@quiltartist.fsnet.co.uk

© Celia Eddy