Quilts and their details
The gallery show quilts dating from 2001 to 2008. They are arranged in chronological order, with the earliest quilts at the beginning, and show the progression of Philippa’s work. All are original designs, the first one being a more traditional quilt which was made from commercial fabrics. This is followed by bright contemporary quilts which employ Philippa’s own hand dyed fabrics, and which are constructed using either applique or by intricate curved piecing. Heavy use of free-motion machine quilting, often with trapunto (stuffed work), is used extensively and is essential in creating secondary patterns and sculptural effects.
(click on an image)
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'I consider myself to be a 'contemporary' quilter rather than an 'art' quilter, and by that I mean that my quilts are very much a modern interpretation of traditional quilts of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Inspiration often comes directly from a traditional quilt, the design being updated by the use bright hand dyed fabrics, by curving all the seams and then stitching the three layers of the quilt (the top, batting and backing) together, by machine, with free flowing patterns.
There are many processes to work through when making a quilt, and for me each of these is of equal importance and all are a pleasure. These include creating the design, dyeing fabric, drafting the pattern, making templates, cutting the fabric and sewing the many sections together to produce the quilt top. Then comes the design of the machine quilting patterns, transferring these designs to the quilt top, pinning the three layers of the quilt together, stitching the quilting designs, adding a couple of rows of contrasting the piping to the edge of the quilt, sewing on the binding and finally choosing a name for the quilt, making the label and sewing it place. I love the total immersion of working intensively on one quilt for several months. There are so many stages to work through that it is almost impossible to get bored.
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Some pieces of work seem naturally to be what I describe as 'a happy piece of work', where everything goes together like a dream and the finished result says everything I want it to say, and presents me with no serious design or technical problems. My aim is to create a dramatic piece of work that will call to you from across the room and invite you to step up close and explore the detail. To share with you the absolute pleasure that making a quilt gives me. To inspire you to make a quilt, or to try a new technique in your quilt-making. Or simply for you to go away feeling that the quilt has lifted your day, even if it is just for a few moments!'



























