Weekend Read: Freeform Quilts, Jessie Cutts
Few crafts carry as much mythology around precision as quilting. For generations, it has been framed as a discipline of exact measurements, faithful repetition and technical perfection — beautiful, certainly, but sometimes intimidating to those drawn to fabric with a more instinctive hand. With Free-Form Quilts and Patchwork, Jessie Cutts gently unpicks that idea, revealing quilting as something far more expressive: a conversation between colour, cloth and the maker’s own eye.
Cover for Freeform Quilts and Patchwork by Jessie Cutts.
Soon to be published by Batsford on 14 May 2026, Jessie’s first book is as much an invitation as it is an instruction manual. Working under the name Cutts & Sons, the Ramsgate-based artist has become known for transforming traditional patchwork into contemporary textile art. Drawing on a two-decade background in graphic design, communication design and illustration, she approaches fabric with the sensibility of a painter, using shape, line and colour to create quilts that feel both modern and deeply tactile. Her pieces often begin with salvaged cloth, offcuts and treasured scraps, assembled through an improvisational process that allows each work to evolve organically.
Jessie Cutts selecting fabrics and colour combinations for a new quilting project.
That same philosophy runs through every page of Free-Form Quilts and Patchwork. Rather than prescribing exact formulas, Jessie encourages readers to work responsively — cutting, piecing and composing as they go. Mistakes are not hidden or corrected; they become part of the design itself. For anyone who has ever admired a quilt but felt daunted by the precision it appeared to demand, this book offers a more generous way into the craft.
Jessie Cutts cutting directly into quilted stripes to create an improvised compositions
The opening chapters explore materials, tools and technique, before moving into a series of exercises designed to loosen the hand and sharpen the eye. These studies encourage confidence in improvisation, helping makers see fabric not simply as material, but as a creative medium in its own right. From there, Jessie introduces a collection of projects that balance guidance with freedom — tonal wall hangings, striped compositions, checkerboard variations and hand-stitched smaller pieces — each one offering a framework while leaving space for personal interpretation.
A patchwork quilt by Jessie Cutts brings bold colour and graphic pattern to a bedroom, showing how contemporary quilting can transform an everyday interior.
What makes the book especially compelling is the way Jessie honours quilting’s heritage while quietly expanding its possibilities. Through Cutts & Sons, she has built a practice that elevates quilting beyond utility alone, showing how a domestic craft can become a form of visual language. Her teaching reflects that same generosity, making even the most experimental approaches feel accessible. The photography throughout captures every fold, stitch and composition beautifully, turning the book into a source of inspiration as much as instruction.
Quilted panels blur the line between craft and art, using hand stitching, colour and composition to turn patchwork into striking contemporary textiles.
We are especially pleased to celebrate the publication of this new title as Jessie will also be joining us at the Selvedge Quilt Jamboree on Friday 19 June 2026 at Museum of the Home. Her talk on free-form quiltmaking promises a chance to hear more about the ideas behind her work and the creative approach that has made Cutts & Sons such a distinctive voice in contemporary textiles.
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Further Information:
Free-Form Quilts and Patchwork by Jessie Cutts will be published by Batsford on 14 May and is available to pre-order now from all good booksellers.
The Selvedge Quilt Jamboree takes place on Friday 19 June 2026 at Museum of the Home, London. Find out more and book your ticket HERE.
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Image Credits:
Lead: Portrait of Jessie Cutts
Photography by Aloha Bonser-Shaw and Jessie Cutts