Wednesday 23 September, 6­-7.30 p.m.: Talk, Log Cabin Quilt Blocks, Catherine-Marie Longtin in Conversation

The Batsford Gallery and Bookshop, 266 Hackney Rd, London E2 7SJ, United Kingdom

Catherine-Marie Longtin is a Montreal-born French Canadian quilt-maker and textile artist living and working in South East London. Raised in a family of makers, she learned to sew from her mother at an early age and began experimenting with fabric through handmade household textiles and furnishings.

After completing a PhD in cognitive science and pursuing an academic career across Montreal, Paris, Lyon and Cambridge, she left academia in 2008 to return to her enduring love of textiles, colour and composition. For the past decade, she has worked full-time as a quilt maker from her studio in Camberwell, developing a distinctive visual language informed by abstract art, minimalist design, architecture and interiors. She has exhibited widely within the contemporary quilting community and, prior to London Textile Month, was part of the Selvedge Quilt Jamboree at the Museum of the Home.

Her recent work explores the expressive possibilities of hand stitching and English paper piecing, combining traditional quilt structures with freer, more organic forms that introduce movement and rhythm into familiar geometric patterns. Through subtle colour relationships and carefully balanced compositions, her quilts function as both tactile objects and studies in abstraction, reflecting a thoughtful and deeply material-led approach to contemporary textile practice.

Event Description
Join Catherine-Marie Longtin for an evening in conversation celebrating the publication of her new book Log Cabin Quilt Blocks: 100 Colour and Pattern Variations published by Batsford. Taking place alongside her exhibition at the Batsford Gallery, the talk explores the enduring appeal of the log cabin quilt block and the remarkable creative possibilities contained within one of quilting’s most recognisable structures.

Using the simple foundation of strips of fabric sewn around a central square, the log cabin block has inspired generations of quilt makers for more than 150 years. Through colour, scale, placement and composition, Longtin demonstrates how this seemingly straightforward form can generate endless visual variation, from bold geometric arrangements to subtle studies in rhythm and tone.

The event accompanies an exhibition of quilt blocks featured in the book, each displayed individually to reveal the extraordinary range and inventiveness of Longtin’s approach. Together, the works form an immersive exploration of pattern, abstraction and colour through stitch and cloth.

Your ticket includes a drink and £5 off the book on the night.

Event Cancellation Policy
All bookings are non-refundable. However, if you let us know that you are unable to attend an event you have booked at least two weeks before the event, we will open up your place. If we find another participant, you will be offered a credit note.

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