Sandie Lush

I can't believe my bad luck! I've had to miss another Piecemakers meeting, and the speaker was the fabulous Sandie Lush! Sandie is well known for her wonderful hand quilted wholecloth quilts, and while I prefer machine quilting myself, I am full of admiration for anyone who can hand quilt to Sandie's standard.

She brought along what must be one of her most famous quilts - a cricket jumper! She made it for an exhibition at Lord's Cricket Ground in 1999 which was called 'Under the Covers' (rather good cricketing/quilting pun there!). The quilting is used to simulate the aran patterns of the jumper, but seeing this photo, it's hard to realise that the quilt, called 'Slip one, knit one' is big enough to cover a single bed! I think the label is the perfect finishing touch.

The success of this quilt led Sandie to experiment with other knitting designs and fabrics, and she made a whole series of jumpers in this way. Here is 'Twist Four', a quilt in my favourite colour.

Wholecloth quilts are notoriously difficult to photograph, and the next quilt (even though it's beautifully appliqued) is no exception. Apparently it started off as 'Millennium Tuips' but finished up being called '2003 Tulips' and many people will remember seeing it win second prize at the NEC that year. The applique is exquisite, and the handquilting is a delight to see. You can just see the curving feather motifs echoing the applique shapes.

This last quilt was actually made by children at the school where Sandie is a governor. The centres of the squares contain the children's portraits, and you can clearly see the quilting designs on this simple beauty. If it took Sandie 3 years to finish a quilt, Sylvia (and the rest of us!) must be heartened, as I know that she has been working on this Hawaiian applique quilt for a while. It's her 'coffin quilt' as she wants it draped over her coffin when the time comes. It's not too clear here, but the quilt is an unusual shape, as it needs to drape over a long, narrow box!

Andrea brought along this very sophisticated quilt, which she had started a long time ago, found and finished recently. She says it was 'not very exciting' but I think the muted colours make it restful and elegant.

Diane's quilt is Japanese folded patchwork she made at a workshop. The fabric colours and choices emphasise the Japanese feel to it.

Carolyn's quilt is a Sizzling Strips on the other side, and this is the back, made from leftovers! How clever is that!

Since it is summer, we have organised a couple of outings. The first is to the 'Quilting Yarns' exhibition at the Redditch Needle Museum (and a brief stop at the Cotton Patch on the way back!) on Friday 12th June. We will be going by car, so a petrol contribution will be appreciated. Ruth has organised a trip to Hemingford Grey to look at Lucy Boston's quilts, and then the New Horizon's Exhibition at Wimpole Hall on Saturday 27th June. The cost is £13.50 each, and there are still a couple of places left. If you would like to come on either of these days, please ring me or leave a comment, and I'll get back to you.