Arabian Night, 1998      84" x 84"

 This is a classic Arabian tile design based on a seven point star with a border designed by my husband Ray.

 There are about 100 yards of bias-binding “grouting”!

  Shown at Olympia 1999, it got a nice write-up in Popular Patchwork 1999, and was subsequently featured in the Practical Encyclopaedia of Sewing.

  It was hung once at an exhibition held in St. Albans Abbey - a fantastic setting.

. . . and even the weeds are blooming, 1999                72"x 72"

The bit before the dots was 'A Bright Summer's Day', the Theme category at the National Quilt Championships at Ascot in 2000.

A weed is just a flower in the wrong place.  Here weeds and flowers from various sources share an unusual block.

Much to my delight, it won . . . and then sold.

Machine pieced, appliquéd and quilted.  Spot the bees!

 I later made a 75” x 95” version in just blue and (not too much!) yellow called Garlands for Sylvia for a friend.

Trilogy, 2002         

Three Art Nouveau panels based on Smit's designs.

I loved the gormless posing of the herons and the elegant dance of the fish.

It won the Machine Appliqué award at Quilts UK 2002.

Now owned by Alison Curry; she said it has been a great talking point in her living room.

45" x  33"

Gilding The Lily, 2003

My City & Guilds piece, variations on a lily design (centre) inspired by a Moorcroft pot.

Shown at Festival of Quilts, 2004; strangely, all 3 Judges asked 'Why 3 panels?'

Still, it was a hit with some people and all 3 panels are now owned by Judi Kirk.

Each panel 60" x 25"

Dent de Lion II, 2004                 23" x 31"

That most resistant of weeds, the ubiquitous dandelion has often been my design starting point. Here, the quilted border is emphasised with trapunto quilted leaves, on my dyed fabrics.  

Dent de Lion (I) was selected for an exhibition at the Nature in Art Museum at Twigworth in 2005, and was then featured on the Fabric of Nature Calendar 2006 produced by the Quilters Guild.

 It was the only item sold from the exhibition, bought by Rory Taylor of Hereford, so I had to make another, this one, transposing the 'clocks' and flowers.  It now resides, among others, with our youngest son, Richard, in Thorney in the Fens.

Chung Hua                              28" x 40"

2005                               

This Chinese “window lattice” design was marked on my own hand dyed fabric.

The pattern was enhanced with trapunto and free machine stitched with granite stitch;  it took a lot of reels of thread to complete the design!

It won the Cot Quilt Award at Quilts UK 2005.

Out of the Blue                  80” x 80” 2007

Using 2 different Makower Ombre* fabrics gave a background lattice, onto which I appliquéd the Art Nouveau style leafy border and my favourite butterflies on a spiral quilting pattern.

The lattice is  based on the Fibbonaci series . . . 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 . . . in widths and heights; I used the same idea for my Makower demonstration quilt called Dream Waves published in Popular Patchwork, issue 5, 2007.

*Ombre means shade or shadow, en Francaise!

Into the Blue                  48" x 25" 2007

   Ray's challenge - a 'strippy' based on a 17" tall special edition vase in our Moorcroft collection: Rachel Bishop's 'Study in Blue'.   I also made 'Imago', a poppy-red version; both have 3-D butterflies top-right.

One of them was a Judges Merit at Quilts UK 2007, and later that summer this one went to the Festival of Quilts at the NEC.   Both sold later.

In 2012 I made 'Into the Blue II', with an appliquéd butterfly, to hang at our bedhead. [As it still does:R]

'Into the Blue I' is owned by Julia Dekker, in Whitstable, Kent.

Floralia                           56" x 56" 2009

   Using a favourite block shape I set Art Nouveau flowers on black backgrounds, which makes the colours really zing.

  This quilt won both the Machine Appliqué and Small Wall Hanging awards at the National Quilt Championships, 2009.

   [At Judith's bequest, this quilt was gifted by the family to her student, friend and then fellow teacher at Sandridge,  Trish Tominey.]

De Morgan Magic          76" x 76"

 2010

  The starting point was some beautifully coloured fabrics produced for the Victoria and Albert Museum. The designs were adapted from William de Morgan tiles.

  The quilt was constructed from individual blocks which were quilted and appliquéd and then stitched together.

  It was awarded 2nd Bed Quilt at Quilts UK 2011.

Beautiful Belief        90" x 30"

2010

   A bed runner for lovers of duvets.

  Inspired by William Morris who is often quoted as saying: "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

 It won the Machine Appliqué award and was 3rd Bed Quilt at the National Quilt Championships, 2010.

Deco Fantasy                          39" x 53"

2011

This is a collage of Deco designs and colours.

I used machine appliqué and the quilt-as-you-go method with differently shaped blocks.

I loved using the really bright colours.

It was awarded 2nd in Theme – 'Art Deco Revisited' -  at the National Quilt Championships, 2011.

Afterwards, I realised I hadn't embroidered any eyes on the deer – no-eye deer how I missed them!

Poppy Day                      50” x 50” 2011

  Made around Rememberance Day, 11th November 2011, soon after an ex-work colleague and friend, who was a member of the British Legion, died.

  Winner of the Machine Appliqué and Small Wall Hanging awards at  the National Quilt Championships 2012.

  Also featured on the front cover of the Show Catalogue!

 (There’s an interesting feature about the construction of this quilt . . . see my hints!)

StripTease                   80” x  100”

2012

  One of a number of Strippys 'what I have done' over the years, mostly using Art Nouveau-style designs.

  It won the Machine Appliqué award at Quilts UK, 2012.

On Green Pond                70” x 70” 2013

  A central square of distorted pineapple blocks, quilted with circular ripples. Appliqued foliage and lots of silly, posing, flying birds and 2 owls!

It won the Piecing Award (!?), a Judges Merit and was Karen Milne’s Judge's Choice at Quilts UK 2013.

At the 2013 World Quilt Show in the USA it was awarded an Honourable Mention (4th, 5th? Anyway, a big green rosette) in the Traditional category and then toured the USA.

  Shown at the Festival of Quilts 2014, it was the July page of the Quilters Guild 2016 Calendar.

A Glimse of Sky            53” x 53”

2016

  The ideal English Country Garden, no weeding, no digging and a few pretty butterflies.

  And then the rain stops and through the clouds, there's a glimpse of sky!

  Machine pieced, machine appliqué and quilting.

  Was at Quilts UK 2016, didn't show well, but was selected to go to the 2016 World Quilt Show in the USA.

Flora's Rings, 2016      80” x 80”

  Double Wedding Ring blocks, using jelly rolls; very pleased with the 'stars' that come forward.

  Morning Glory and Passion Flower appliqué border and centre.

 Awarded Judges Merit and was Sylvia Critcher's Judge's Choice at Quilts UK 2016 in Malvern.

  Machine pieced, machine appliqué and quilting.

Framed, 2017                   30” x 34”

  Based on a painting by Edward Huyton from his book Flowers from an Island Garden, used with his permission.

  Trapunto Victorian picture frame border, the fussy-cut butterflies were ink-jet printed.  'Echo' quilted with flowers and butterflies in among free motion quilting.

  It was awarded a Judges Merit in the Theme, 'Gardener's World', class at Quilts UK 2017 in Malvern.

 Machine pieced, machine appliqué and quilting.

See also my News for June 2017

Larger Than Life 2018                20” x 42”

  The beautiful convolvulus "weed", a single barley stalk with its whiskery seed heads and the Common White butterfly, all larger than life, an exercise in reality!

 The butterflies were printed on cotton on an ordinary ink-jet printer . . . click the r-hand one for a closer view.  See my Hints for details.

  It was awarded 3rd in the Small Wallhanging class at Quilts UK 2018.

  Machine pieced, machine appliqué and shadow quilting onto a batik background.

Walled Garden 2018  55” x 55”

A fanciful garden of flowers using some of my favourite batik fabrics.

Asymmetric borders and a black background to make the colours sing. An odd number of butterflies, as usual.

Machine pieced, appliqué  and quilting.

Awarded 3rd in the Large Wallhanging class at Quilts UK 2018.

Midsummer 2020       55” x 55”

I made a lot of quick quilts for Project Linus during the Covid pandemic: so for a change, a pretty spray of flowers seen in a carpet inspired this exercise in appliqué and then of shadow quilting.

The Blue Tits make a change from my usual butterflies and it was also a challenge to make them life-like.

Machine appliqué and quilting.

Fine Feathers 2020            68” x 76”

Many of our beautiful, and some less so, British birds . . . as close as I could model or portray them in fabrics.

I was born and brought up in Dartford, Kent, so I had to include the rather dull Dartford Warbler!

And here in Wheathampstead, our particular favourite little visitor, the Nuthatch, shy, perfectly formed and . . . beautiful!   Can you find them?

Machine pieced, machine appliqué and quilting.

Winter Warmers 2022-23        52” x 60”

That winter was cold, so Judith made a lap quilt using an Improvisation method. Using dark navy sashing and raiding her batiks stash, she made this Winter Warmer.  Obviously(?) its real name is Batik Blues.   I needed one too!

She said: "OK. I'll make you one tomorrow". Next day she raided the stash again at 10 am, worked through, had lunch and dinner and other breaks, and tied off the last stitch of the binding of my WW at 10 pm. She had made mine in 12 hours.

She "went to the stars" in hers on 20 March 2023.   I will go to the stars in mine . . .

Download the © WW Instructions here