Today we're going to take a look at some examples of historic quilts made by quilters. First up is this lovely album quilt by Sarah Ann Wilson: (image by The Art Institute Chicago) This elegant quilt, featuring delicate floral and animal motifs, is notable for its depictions of black people in the central row. The … Continue reading Black History Month: Sarah Ann Wilson and Harriet Powers
This Youngish Quilters Black History Month project uses recycled materials. It is inspired by the workwear quilts made by African American women in the past, and recognises that many of today's quilters are re-using fabrics for different reasons. We started the month looking at the Quilters of Gee's Bend. Materials for quilt making there were … Continue reading Black History Month: inspired to stitch
Gee’s Bend is a small, isolated, rural community in Alabama in the United States, which at the start of the 20th century was mostly populated by the descendants of slaves. By definition, they were very impoverished, but their lives became especially hard during the recession of the 1930s. The families had been forced to borrow … Continue reading Black History Month: The quilters of Gee’s Bend
Greetings, it is October and that means it is Black History Month. Originally created by a group of black students in the 1970s in the USA (where BHM is held in February), it was first celebrated in the UK in 1987. The rationale behind this event is to recognise and celebrate the achievements of black … Continue reading Black History Month
Are you an Instagram user? We love Instagram here at Youngish Quilters - our Instagram Feed can be found at YoungishQuilters. There's a super fun photo challenge on Instagram at the moment called Great British Quilter. It's hosted by Sarah Ashford and Lucy Brennan and is described as "a month of getting to know one … Continue reading Great British Quilter – Instagram
After the excitement of Festival of Quilts I just wanted to get home and sew! I find the more time I spend with quilts and other quilters, the more I want to do - it really inspires me. Hopefully you are finding some time to sew over the holidays. Today I'm sharing instructions for a … Continue reading Block – The Queen’s Favourite
With just three and a bit weeks to the Festival of Quilts, all the folks here at Youngish Quilters have only really got one thing on our minds - quilt shows!! We have our workshops planned, our shopping lists written and a plan for all the exhibits we want to see. Although Festival of Quilts … Continue reading Visiting a quilt show
Did you enjoy our week-long Get Creative special on the blog? We hope you were inspired to flex your creative muscle, whether that was trying something new or spending a bit of extra time on one of your favourite crafts. At the every least, we hope you enjoyed reading about all the different ways we like to get … Continue reading A finished mini-quilt!
It's just a small step from loving fabric to wanting to make your own fabric - and that usually means either knitting or weaving. Weaving can require rather large equipment, but if you just want to have a go, then inkle loom weaving is fun to try out. An inkle loom is a simple wooden … Continue reading BBC Get Creative Day 8: Inkle loom weaving
Are you one of those people who can't draw to save their lives? Me too! But then I had a go and it turns out, it's not actually all that hard. Apparently the skill of sketching is not part of art degrees anymore, which seems a shame as it is so useful. It can be … Continue reading BBC Get Creative Day 4: Make a sketch!
