Patchwork & Quilting UK – July 2019

FEATURE // more is more

40 British Patchwork & Quilting JULY 2019

While there has clearly been a trend for modernism and minimalism in recent years, you may

also have noticed the very opposite. A large number of Instagram quilters and bloggers, as well as

award winning quilters and fabric designers are embracing maximalism; a ‘more is more’ approach.

Art Gallery Fabrics designer, Bari J Ackerman, has even trademarked her style, which she calls,

‘Curated Maximalism’. In an interview with Wanderleur in 2015, she talks about her decorating style,

‘I think that Maximalism conjures a design metaphor of all the crayons in the crayon box being used

at once. I believe that Maximalism is thoughtfully mixing pattern and color [sic] in layers. I like to do

this on top of a neutral base so that I can mix and match freely. Thus: I ‘curate’ my maximalism.’

More is More:

The Rise of Maximalist Quilting

BY KERRY FOSTER

When you think of maximalist fabric designers, Anna Maria

Horner and Jen Kingwell may also come to mind, though

their maximalism generally comes from the overall eff ect of

their fabric collections which mix a wide colour palette with

a variety of strong, detailed prints which come together to

make graphic quilts. Whilst maximalist fabrics can still be

used in a minimalist setting, there is a growing number of

quilters who can be identifi ed – or identify themselves – as

being maximalists. With recent developments in quilting styles

being championed by the Modern Quilt Guild and minimalist

styles with swaths of neutral backgrounds and simple piecing

concepts, it may not be surprising that there’s an opposite

quilting culture growing in popularity.

One quilter I have been following for some years now is Alison

Robins, who lives on Guernsey. She takes classic quilt blocks like

Pickle Dish or New York Beauty, or simply makes a whole bunch

of Flying Geese, and makes quilts that include every colour

imaginable. She simultaneously makes colour seem so easy

and yet complex all at once, so I asked her how she approaches

choosing colours and prints. ‘I forget about colour initially

and concentrate on value and scale. When I feel I’ve got that

balanced, then I look at colour last. Plus, I’m a fi rm believer

that if you cut a piece of fabric up small enough, it all works!’

Alison’s approach may seem carefree, but by creating her

quilts the way she does, she can incorporate pieces of fabric

that remind her of other projects and create something that is

visually surprising every time it is looked at, encouraging the

viewer to appreciate the quilt on a closer level, ‘I want a quilt to

excite and engage me. I want to come back to it time and time

again and see things - whether they be a design element or a

scrap of fabric - that I hadn’t noticed before. Above all, I want

quilts to evoke a sense of happiness in me.’

Award winning quilter Rachaeldaisy lives in Australia and her

work shares some similarities to the increasingly popular

homespun-style seen in contemporary Australian quilting

such as newly designed blocks, prints as backgrounds and

vintage style fabric choices. She takes things a step further

and improvises more, in terms of approach and piecing. ‘At

the moment my favourite type of piecing is sewing my folded

fabric circle blocks based on the Pine Burr. I’ve just fi nished

writing a book about the techniques I’ve used to make my style

of these blocks and I still have a list of more quilts I’d like to

make using these blocks. I’m defi nitely hooked!’

‘Other than that, improv or crazy piecing is my go-to. I love the

feeling of just sewing fabric together, without the pressure

‘You Little Beauty’, Alison Robins. An interpretation of a quilt pattern by Chris Jurd