The City That Never Sleeps Quilt

Have you made other scrappy quilts and, if so, are they always such a celebration of colour? I’ve made several scrappy quilts. I particularly enjoy making them because the combination of fabrics, including vintage, modern, beautiful and sometimes downright ugly fabrics - can result in an interesting, quirky quilt. I also enjoy sourcing the fabric from different places, including thrift shops, clothing offcuts and donations from quilting friends. Inevitably, they end up being bright and colourful.

Do you like to do a wide variety of styles with your quilts? I have made many different types of quilts and have enjoyed them all. However, there’s something very satisfying about a quilt like this postage-stamp quilt, because it does not require many design decisions, and you are converting a basket of disorganised scraps into something beautiful to look at and use.

Did it take you long to master the art of quilt making? I don’t feel that I have mastered the art of quilt making, but have obviously have improved since I began. I’m fortunate to live in an age where I can learn enormously from other quilters through magazines and the internet.

Any helpful lessons learnt via trial and error? I have had many learning experiences while making quilts. My first quilt featured curtain netting and Lycra swimwear offcuts, which I have since discovered was perhaps not a good fabric choice! Since then, I’ve learnt not to cut fabric when I am tired, that colour runs on a quilt is fixable, and sometimes you need to recognise when something is a WOMBAT (waste of money, brains and time)!

Can you find plenty of time to do all the stitching you want to do? Like all quilters, I’d love to have more time to spend quilting. However, quilting is a great hobby, because it can be fitted in around other things that I have to/want to do in my life.

What are your favourite materials to work with? Primarily cotton fabric, but I am currently making a quilt out of recycled silk ties, which is fun and a bit outside my comfort zone.

What is your home and workspace like? I’m fortunate to have a dedicated room to do my sewing in, although it does sometimes leak into the rest of the house. My fabric stash has been sorted into drawers, based on colour, which works very well for me. I have a design wall, which is really just a queen-size batting hung over a curtain rod. I also have two sets of small plastic drawers, bought from an office-supply shop, to store my rotary cutter, needles, bobbin, unpicker and other essential quilting items. This system is effective, because I know where everything is without having to hunt for it, and if I’m going away, I can just take the drawers with me and I know that I have everything that I need.