The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles is celebrating its 40th Anniversary with the launch of a Block of the Month project inspired by the Red Manor House Coverlet (1840-1860) from The Quilters’ Guild Collection. The BoM designed by teacher, designer and Guild member Jenni Smith and her Studio Manager Kay Walsh will be launched at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham and will run for 12 months from September 2019.
The Red Manor House Coverlet was acquired by The Quilters’ Guild Collection from a private collector in 2013. The coverlet previously belonged to a family who emigrated to South Africa from Gloucestershire and then returned to the UK to Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire where they parted with the coverlet. A central motif of a red manor house is surrounded by a series of frames depicting rural life and featuring cows, geese, horses, birds and an array of plants and flowers. The coverlet, which measures 249cm x 256cm, has only been on display once before and will be featured in The Quilters’ Guild Exhibition Forty; the evolution of a collection at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham this year.
Taking part in the BoM is easy. Participants (both Guild members and non-members) can register their interest online here. The cost to take part is a one-off fee of £30 which will include all the instructions and templates to make the complete quilt.