Love Patchwork & Quilting - UK (2019-10)

Quiltpatterndesigner Brittany Lloyd walks the fine line

betweenmodern and traditional.Here she shares her

knowledgeonhow toglean inspiration from the past

I wasgoingtocreatemoreabstract

ideaswithboldandbrightfabrics...

noin between.I gingerlyplaced

myselfin TeamModern,andthat

wasthat.OrsoI thought.

Valuetheolder

thingsin life

AsI begantobuildmyquiltingskills,

myappreciationgrewforthequilts

thatmygrandmother,Lois,a

talentedtraditionalquilter,created.

Theskillandcreativitythatsheput

intoherquiltsweresecondtonone,

andmostof hersewingwasdone

Whenit comestoquilting,there

areseeminglytwodistinctstyles:

modernandtraditional.Picture

yourfavouritesportsteamandtheir

biggestrival.You’reat a match,side

picked,catchychantsmemorised

andteamcoloursdonned– there's

nomistakeaboutwhereyour

loyaltieslie!

Duringmyfirststepsintothecraft,

thisis howI viewedtraditionalversus

modernquilting.It feltlikeI hadto

choosea teambeforeI leaptintothe

quiltingring– eitherI wasgoingto

doclassic,traditionalpatchworkor

entirely by hand. While in awe of her

quilts and the immense amount of

time she spent on them, I still

labelled her designs as traditional

and on the opposing team to my

modern aesthetic. Making quilts in

her style was something I could

never see myself doing.

A little later down the line, as I

began to design quilts that I wanted

for my own home, I found myself

drawn to more symmetrical ideas

with calming colour palettes. Turns

out repetitive blocks and classic

inspiration really spoke to me. So,

I hear you ask, how does one draw

modern inspiration from traditional

designs? Good question, quilters!

It certainly doesn’t come overnight.

Like any relationship, you have to

give it time and a good dose of

attention. Find your favourite

traditional quilt or block and grab

some coffee with it. Sit down and

have a proper chat. Get to know it,

where it’s from, the history behind it,

how it’s traditionally used, popular

piecing techniques... the whole

shebang. Once you've learnt the ins

and outs, it’s time to spice things up.

Make it modern

Make a list of what you love about

modern quilting. Is it the use of

negative space? Perhaps the

minimalism? Maybe abstract ideas?

Ombré colours? Unique shapes?

Exhaust all of your ideas so that you

give yourself plenty of inspiration

further down the road. Next, take

your traditional concept and modern

IN THE KNOW

Ð he new classic

Àfe l t l i ke À ha d t o c h o o se a t e a m b e fo re À l ea pt

into the quilting ring - À wa s e i t h e r go i n g t o do

traditional patchwork or more abstract ideas

Traditional

quilts are one of

Brittany's main

sources of

inspiration

IN THE KNOW