Malvern Quilters
Malvern Quilters is an active group that meets fortnightly to enjoy quilting and fabric crafts in the company of others. An exhibition of members’ work is being held in April, and Denise Strutt from the group tells us more.
Why is a traditional craft still so popular?
Although it is an old-fashioned pastime, it still has lots to offer us today. Craft is back in fashion and is huge at the moment with all sorts of television programmes. We recently enjoyed a talk by Jennifer Taylor who appeared on The Great British Sewing Bee on BBC One.
Quilting is a straightforward hobby to take up. You just need some scraps of fabric and the most basic of equipment, so it doesn’t have to be expensive either. Groups like ours make it a shared activity, and doing something together is very satisfying.
Who are your members?
We have a very diverse range of ages, all the way from one lady in her 90s to a member in their mid-20s, plus everything in between! We have a wide range of ability and everybody is made very welcome. Some people turn out amazing work, and are more than happy to support others with their work.
We have regular visiting speakers, some of whom are quilters, some are fabric artists. They might run a workshop for us, recently Teresa Lane showed us how to use embroidery stitching to create landscapes.
Tell us about your exhibition
Every two years we elect a new president and at the end of their term, we hold our exhibition. We’ve used Colwall Village Hall for many years which we love, it has good facilities and plenty of space for our hanging panels.
Every member of our group has the opportunity to display their work, there is also the chance to browse stalls from a number of invited traders, and we have a sales table for the materials we all bought but never got around to using! Refreshments are served, including tea and coffee plus cake, and light lunches.
In the lead up to the exhibition, the President chooses fabrics and a design for a quilt, which we all create together. We are given homework to make one large and two small squares, before putting all our work together to create the quilt. This is offered as the star prize in a raffle, along with many other prizes. The event raises money for a local good cause chosen by the president, which this year will be Amaze.
Do you welcome new members?
Absolutely, and if you’re interested in finding out more, then just come and introduce yourself to one of us at the exhibition. Alternatively, you are welcome to come to one of our fortnightly meetings which are held at Malvern Vale Community Centre.
Malvern Quilters’ exhibition takes place at Colwall Village Hall on Saturday 27th and Sun 28th April from 10am to 4pm each day.
Entry is £3.