Quilt Now - UK (2020-04)

http://www.quiltnow.co.uk 69

QUILTCON

Sarah Ashford

and adding such incredible texture to
the pieces. Some of the quilts and the
quilting were truly mind-blowing.

The Best in Show quilt Starring You by
Peter Byrne from the Toronto Modern
Quilt Guild was simply breathtaking.
With a palette of just black and white,
Peter used 90 pieces of turned-edge
appliqué, which he said “Allows for the
greatest freedom of composition.” It was
then densely quilted to add highlight
and defi nition using a heavyweight black
thread. It really was stunning, and luckily
Peter was posing for photographs at the
exact time I arrived, so here he is!
One of the special exhibits that I found
particularly fascinating was the Amish
Quilts of Lancaster County. These quilts
were made by women across time
and cultures and there is a distinctive
aesthetic to these quilts. The Sunshine
and Shadow quilt was made in c.1930
with striking concentric diamond shapes
within the square inner border and
hand-quilted with designs such as scallop
loops and fl oral vines. The Baskets quilt

Lancaster Amish Quilt Baskets pattern

c.1935 struck me as surprisingly modern

with the bold use of pink and the repeated

block pattern. This repeat pattern was less

common among the Lancaster County

Amish, and fewer than 10 of these basket

quilts are known. So this really is a very

special quilt and I felt lucky to be able to

see it up close.

I was thrilled to learn that Victoria Findlay

Wolfe was the featured artist this year.

I’ve long since admired her work, which

has also been exhibited at the Festival of

Quilts in 2018. What struck me most about

Victoria’s exhibition was how eclectic her

quilts were. Each one was diff erent, and

she uses such a wide range of techniques

and experimentation, it would be hard to

pinpoint her characteristic style. Here of

two of my favourites – Cascade, which

illustrates a cascading contrast of colour

(plus more curves!) and the Improv

Star Storm which as you can see has a real

wow factor, yet Victoria claims it’s easy to

make. The pattern is available to purchase,

so maybe one day I’ll give it a go.

Cascade by Victoria Findlay-Wolfe

Improv Star Storm by

Victoria Findlay-Wolfe

Sarah’s Back to Basics display

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