Stunning yet traditional quilts

Generally I tend to veer towards more contemporary quilts so I surprised myself by liking many of the quilts in the Traditional Quilts category at the 2025 Festival of Quilts show. I assumed that I wouldn’t have many photos of the quilts in this category, but I was wrong as I discovered when I was editing my photos this week!

Let’s start with the winner in this category, which after a second visit to the Chateau of Villandry while in France recently I have a new found admiration for, let alone the skill required to make even one of these blocks let alone put them together to form a cohesive design, which is aptly named Parterre.

PARTERRE, SONIA HIGGS

This second one has a more ‘folk’ feel to it for me, and it’s none the worse for that. The images it prompts in my head are entirely different to the others in this post, isn’t it strange how a single image can provoke such thoughts?

THINKING OF SUMMER, HELEN STAMP

I loved the detail on this next quilt, and have included a section of the corner so you too can appreciate the piecing - how many small pieces just in this section?

LADY IN RED (MRS BILLINGS), MEGAN ARNOLD

I think the detail is missed when looking at the whole quilt, but I’d hope whomever this one keeps warm notices the detail as they snuggle up in.

LADY IN RED (MRS BILLINGS), MEGAN ARNOLD

It wouldn’t be a quilt show would it if there weren’t any Liberty fabric quilts, and this one is a joy. It uses a traditional quilt block and as well as the fabric choices, I love how the patterns draw your eye around the quilt.

LIBERTY STARS IN HEXAGONS, DOROTHY HILL

Similarly quilters do like a rainbow, and this is a whopping one that I think would look great anywhere.

THE RAINBOW QUILT, FLOWER CHILD

There’s a more structured approach to the blocks and colours used here, and while I love all the circles in the centre of the quilt it’s the border, and especially the corners, that I love most on this one. And those hearts on the green border.

CHELTENHAM, SONIA HIGGS AND SUSAN CAMPBELL

Another quilt with a great name, and an even better look. The quilting on this one ‘plays’ with the diamond shapes and I think also contribute to the overall effect of the quilt, along with the colours used.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, MAGGIE BREAKSPEAR

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, MAGGIE BREAKSPEAR

It’s another one that uses many small pieces, this time hexagons and I can’t even begin to imagine planning this one.

LADY TULIP VARIATION, SALLY FEATHERSTONE

This final quilt has many of the traditional quilt blocks that have rightly lasted for generations, and some of which are in my mystery block of the month and the charity quilts I made from my test blocks. While it’s traditional, I think the colours give it a more modern look, but overall I think this category goes to prove that there’s no such thing as a bad quilt!

Bursts of cloud and colour

I’ve still a few more quilts to share from last year’s Festival of Quilts show, but the good news is I’ve got my ticket to go along to this year’s show at the end of July. The ticket’s booked, my workshop is booked - all I need to do before I set off is not forget my SIL and sort out some parking.

But that means over the next few weeks I’ll be loading up the final few categories that I haven’t shared yet - and there’s some biggies in that list, but let’s start with the modern quilts. There’s a lot I like about this category, notably the colour and freshness of the quilts and while there were many in this category as usual I’m sharing a few of my favourites.

SUNSET AT ASHINOKO, SUET-FERN LEE

The first two have a cloud theme, but are completely different - and no just the colours used, but I like both. I like the variety of fabrics used above, but the cohesiveness of the colour scheme below, in fact I’d have been happy to have produced anything as good as either of these.

NEBULAE, CAROLINA ONETO

This one I like the composition and the form, and while the colours work together I can’t help but wonder about this design using brighter colours - maybe it’d be too much, maybe not. Either way, the amount of work in this quilt is astonishing and to be admired.

STREAMLINE 2, AITCHBEE

I love the cheeriness of this next quilt, and it’s name - it’s easy for all of us to visualise a concrete garden, but how many of us would view one quite this pretty? The flower shapes remind me of daffodils, and perhaps that’s why I think the colours chosen work so well, but maybe that’s just me.

THE CONCRETE GARDEN, JULIE TOMLIN

This final quilt in this post is my favourite from this category - and after spending some time at the Museum of Fine Arts in Angers last week I’m not surprised as there was a sculpture with similar colourings that I loved there too.

But it’s not just the colours, it’s the cross hatched quilting and the striped binding that set off the whitespace perfectly. And the colours, the colours really make this one pop don’t they?

IMAGINATION FACTORY, PAULA STEEL

So modern quilts, are they for you or do you prefer something more traditional?

A perfect pre-holiday pouch

Before I went away I had what seemed like an ever growing list of things I wanted to do before I went, which at times got revised down so it was shorter, and then again to include just the essentials. But one of the things that stayed on the list was completing my new pouch, and spoiler I did it - I was thankful that there was a sewing group morning the day before we travelled so if I needed to I could devote those three hours to finishing it. I didn’t need the three hours in the end, but I did finish it the day before I went. Phew.

This pouch was in the Day 14 box of my Advent Calendar last year, and after moving a pile of projects in my craft room I rediscovered it, so I thought why not get it done.

The instructions were good, but I hit a small stumbling point early on. The kit was supposed to have four pieces of fabric, but I had only three - I knew this when I opened it in December, and well let’s be honest, I knew I’d have some fabric that I could substitute for the missing piece.

What I didn’t realise until my focus was on making this pouch was that I’d pulled a piece from my stash that worked, and used that earlier in the year to practice some quilting on with one of the variegated cottons I’d bought.

It was perfect, and just what I wanted - although it was about an inch smaller than the other pieces. Problem solved, my pouch would be an inch smaller. And so I followed the instructions (which were clearly written) and all was well until I got to the line which said: ‘quilt as desired’.

In my head that turned out to be hand quilt this with tiny chain stitches in three different coloured cottons, and follow the wavy design. I shared this picture in my This May post, so you’ll be pleased to know that progress happened, and the pouch actually got made!

And yes, I then did decide to hand embellish the substitute side as well, clearly I’m a glutton for punishment.

But they do look good!

The kit also came with a navy zip, but as you can see I opted for an orange one from my stash instead, I think it helps tie both sides together - and it’s far more interesting than navy!

It’s the first time I’ve added a tag on the side, and that worked well - the fabric is fussy cut from remnants from the lining fabric. I even added a custom sized internal pocket with three individual spaces to hold smaller items, which were just the size I needed them to be.

I’m really pleased with how this new-shape-to-me-pouch worked out, and I can see that I’ll be making some more. I love the finish the zip tabs give the pouch, and the boxy bottom means it stands up too.

So that’s another pouch to my repertoire, and a pretty and practical one at that.