Gillian Travis could be described as a textile whirlwind, who bowls you over with her enthusiasm, creative ideas and talent. Whenever we meet she has usually just jumped off an aeroplane from an exotic adventure, and is whipping up a few quilts before setting off again. I would love to be able to bottle Gillian’s spirit, though you would only require a small measure at a time!
Gillian’s textiles are stunning. She is one of my favourite art quilters and what is even more special is that her art is driven by a pure desire to capture memories and make beautiful work. There is very little ego and that is refreshing! Gillian is also a great teacher, and I have loved the workshops I have taken with her. She prides herself on pioneering new techniques and always pushes boundaries to inspire her students to make exciting work.
She is also quite messy, but I do get very over-excited when I visit her studio space and see fabrics from around the world, boxes of journal quilts and a quilt book library to die for.
My top tip is to watch the film and then find out more about Gillian on her own blog, or in a workshop and at Festival of Quilts. Everyone I introduce to Gillian’s textile work comes away incredibly inspired and it is impossible not to want to grab your camera or phone and start recording your own textile journey.
Find out more here
Love it Gillian, so you, and I understand. I just want to be making them all the time too. There’s so much inspiration out there that sometimes the hardest thing is to decide which bit of inspiration to go with first!