On the catwalk at Festival of Quilts 2025

 

'A Coat for Elizabeth' got an outing to the Festival of Quilts 2025 as part of the wearable art fashion show

The coat was made for the E.A.S.T. exhibition 'Bridging the Gap' at The Minories, Colchester, in 2025.

Inspired by early women herbalists and in particular by Elizabeth Blackwell who wrote "The Curious Herbal" book in 1737

The coat features a leaf design to suggest the plants gathered by herbalists for medicinal purposes

The surface design is produced using discharging and bleaching techniques as well as markal oil sticks and applique with many different materials.

The plant names, as well as some of the diseases of the time, with the help of paper lamination, are concealed within the stitching

A commercial vogue pattern was used

The hem is weighted to help it hang (and swing!)

Appearing on the catwalk was slightly nervewracking; modelling was never in my job description. But the coat was well received and much photographed throughout the show.

Thanks to Wendy Gardiner and the team at Immediate Live for mounting the fashion show, and the whole Festival of Quilts event.

It was a very busy five days in Birmingham. I taught whole day workshop on the day before the show opened.

Some lovely 'Precious Pojagi' pieces were constructed with students from all around the UK, Denmark and our furthest travelled - Australia. 

I love teaching at the Festival of Quilts because of the mix of  international guests

Plus my usual Quilting in Action stand at the show with a display of my work.

To help cover the cost of the stand I offered project packs and other materials relating to the techniques on display.

I always demonstrate on my stand - the zone is called Quiting in ACTION - and this year I showed the Monoprinting Magic technique printing with gathered foliage. 

Monoprinted cotton organdie pieces ready to be made up into packs

I also demonstated this technique in the Creative Textiles Studio on Sunday morning. This wet studio with different textile artists sharing their skills and showing their techniques, completely free of charge, is a great asset to the show.

Many thanks to Hazel and Terry from In Stitches and to Leah Higgins for giving their time for free to organise the studio. 

Great to see so many friends, past students, workshop participants and hearers of talks at the show. And the biggest thankyou goes to Jayne Emsden who covered my stand on Sunday. Thanks Jayne.