Get to know The Guild better by meeting our talented members! We have interesting and inspiring members all over the country doing amazing sewing and we want you to be able to share their work.

Meet Guild member Carolyn Gibbs, a member of the Traditional Group and The British Quilt Study Group.

What are you working on now?

My current project is developing a pattern to raise funds for the Young Quilters. Mine represents BQSG, and is based on a pieced strippy quilt from the Guild Collection. It focusses on teaching people how to draw out their own traditional style hand-quilting designs – cables, running feathers etc. as I think this is a neglected skill.

 

What is your favourite quilt that you’ve ever made?

My favourite quilt is called “The Burglar”. I made it a couple of years ago; both the curved piecing and the hand quilting designs are “stolen” from one of my antique quilts – you can see photos of the original on my website http://www.carolyngibbsquilts.co.uk/antique-quilts/rob-peter-to-pay-paul/ I love red and white quilts, and have developed techniques for perfectly matching striped fabrics over the last few years.

Who are your quilting heroes?

My Quilt Hero is Jen Jones, who by finding and rescuing many traditional Welsh quilts to display at the Welsh Quilt Centre in Lampeter has done so much to raise their profile.  I heard her speak at a Quilters’ Guild conference in Llandudno in 2005, and was bowled over by the dramatic red and black wool flannel quilts in particular. I am now an avid collector of antique quilts and love hand-quilting. You can see detailed photos and information on the Antique quilts section of my website http://www.carolyngibbsquilts.co.uk/

Note that the photo is of me, not of Jen Jones!

Can you recommend a good quilting read?

“Les Quilts Gallois. Welsh Quilts” by Jen Jones is a fabulous book. Don’t be put off by it’s bilingual nature; there are more, bigger and better photos in this hard-to-find 2005 hardback than in her smaller paperback books. You can see me hand-quilting the wholecloth in the background at http://www.carolyngibbsquilts.co.uk/techniques/quilting/

What do you love about The Guild?

Firstly information, rapidly followed by friendship, particularly in the Specialist Groups; Traditional and BQSG. More and more I appreciate more being part of a movement which can keep the unique profile of UK patchwork and quilting alive, centred around the Collection.

 

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.