Get to know The Guild better by meeting our talented members. Every year we are so proud to have so many Guild members who are winners at Festival of Quilts. We have reached out to our talented member winners and asked them to share with us their quilting life, why they entered the competition, what their winning quilt means to them and where they get their inspiration. Read on and be inspired. Are you entering a quilt this year?

Meet Guild member Phillipa Naylor, who won two prizes at Festival of Quilts in 2017, The Best in Show, sponsored by Mettler and the winner in the Miniature Quilt Category.

What are you working on now?

Lots but not a quilt! Busy teaching, weeding my allotment and sewing seeds for my garden. Plenty of knitting projects – sweater for my son, cardi for me and more. Just about to embark on making my first batch of cheese with 20 litres raw unpasteurised milk straight from the farm. The cheese should be ready for Xmas. New strimmer out of the box this morning so allotment weeds will be beheaded later on today. A quilting project is in my head and might be started very soon…

What does your winning quilt mean to you?

I have made quilts in many sizes and using many techniques since I began quilting in 1996. Most recently my challenge has been to see how small and detailed I can go using my regular sewing machine, with the patterns being hand drawn by me and each stitch hand guided. It’s lovely to make something so detailed – and to have success with both small and large works.

Who are your quilting heroes?

There are many quilters whose work I admire for different reasons – use of colour, precise workmanship, humour, ability to complete a most time consuming and detailed work, also for the ability to get on and do it without too much procrastination (which I can be guilty of). If I were to chose then I would pick the students who have come on several of my residential courses over the years. It has been a delight to get to know them and see how their work and abilities have grown. They all put so much effort in, and with such good humour and generosity to me and one another.

Can you recommend a good quilting read?

I used to devour quilting books and magazines when I first started to quilt to find out ‘how it should be done’. I now realise there are no rules and so don’t read these books so much. I visit museums and gardens and places keep me interested and visually aware. I read a wide range of books on cooking and gardening and all kinds of crafts, but not especially on quilt-making.

What do you love about The Quilters Guild and the Festival of Quilts?

I love the QGBI because of its initial aims to promote quilting and how it has evolved and grown. The numbers of volunteers and the time they have given is incredible, and if we sat down to work it all out it would be impossible. Textiles cover us from birth to death and the more beautifully, individually and creatively they can be sewn the better. These works have real value, not just artistically but also in the way they show us the maker’s personality and in how quilting groups are fantastic communities that bring people together to support one another through friendship and love of craft.

We are asking Members to tell us a bit about their sewing life using five simple questions. At the end of the interview each member suggests another to interview. This way we hope to bring you a wide range of makers from all corners of The Guild over the next weeks and months. If you know an inspiring quilter who we should feature, get in touch digital@quiltersguild.org.uk and we’ll send out a copy of our questionnaire.