Just One Quilt: Annette’s Story

Annette signed up for a quilt course with me quite a few years ago, after been inspired by an exhibition I put on in our hometown of Ilkley. She was slightly baffled by the idea of cutting up fabric, to sew it back together again and thought it would be 6 weeks of her life, and she would then move on to the next thing! However, she suddenly felt at ease with the other women, and sewing enabled her to make a lovely group of friends during a career break – she also loved styling her projects and choosing fabrics with meaning.

The scrap of Danish fabric used in the quilt in the film instantly had my heart too, and Annette kept bringing it to class and taking it away again until we hatched a plan to use it. I came up with a porthole design to mirror the plates designed by Bjorn Wiindblad, and there was just enough to pull it off – with the addition of some Liberty Tana Lawn, which is never a bad thing!

Annette definitely has a good eye for design – and for rescuing orphan fabrics or nik naks in the local charity shops. The Liberty backing came from one of her road trips to Standfast Barracks when she would ping photos to me on my phone and pick up bargain bolt-ends I still treasure. Although she lacks confidence in her finished quilts on a technical level, I can assure you they are beautifully made.

Other quilt stories have touched on how quilting allows us to feel a real connection with people in our past, and making this film was special because Annette talked about her Danish grandma with such love and affection. It’s not always noted just how much a positive role-model can affect you and it is wonderful to give thanks for their influence even when they are no longer here.

No other craft would enable you to make such a personal, tactile, beautiful object to capture the memory of a loved one and that is why everyone should have a go at Just One Quilt in their lifetime!