Kennet Quilters – introduction
The Kennet Quilters have exhibited on the Whiteknights Studio Trail since it started. The majority of us live in the Trail area. Three of us live in Northcourt Avenue, one in Barnsdale Road and one in Glebe Road and we meet one evening every fortnight (currently by videoconference!). The group started 30 years ago and some of its founder members are still in it.
Our participation in WST has been one of the highlights for us working together. We have always used the Trail to promote patchwork and quilting in general and to provide contact lists and advice. As a result several more local groups have started up too. We also aim to raise money from raffling quilts and selling refreshments. Over the years of WST we have raised over £5,000, which has been donated to local good causes. If the Trail had gone ahead in 2020, we would have been raising money for Epilepsy Berkshire https://epilepsyberkshire.org/.
The WST stimulates our collaboration on pieces for the exhibition and stretches our creativity. This has also drawn us into contributing to other local exhibitions such as Reading and its Rivers and Lilies for Oscar Wilde. When we are not working on the Trail we also have other collaborative activities such as making stockings at Christmas for Reading Family Aid, making quilts for Project Linus and Buscott Ward (RBH) and creating ‘Fiddle Quilts’ for care homes.
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Kennet Quilters – individual contributions
“This quilt sums up my quilting passion. Once I decided to make this design, I had great fun searching through my fabric collection to choose the right dark and light tones. I did not need to go and buy any new fabric. Scrap quilts are my thing!” Lillian King
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“My interest at the moment is in using innovative techniques to make Journal Quilts – small quilts that record events through the year, like this view from Greys Court on a visit in December. The variety of skills such as dyeing fabric and using unusual materials were developed while I was doing a City&Guilds diploma in patchwork and quilting. I like to combine my love of landscape with its interpretation into textile art.” Mary Parry
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“I enjoyed making this wall hanging as it represented the type of sewing I usually do. It was hand stitched and quilted, and the design reminds me of holidays spent in Arran some years ago.” Barbara Reeves
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“I made this quilt for my granddaughter, Charlotte. It has small animals in the sashing, the alphabet at the sides, numbered squares and a teddybears’ picnic. Constructing the central bears was great fun. As well as quilting, I enjoy working in silver and fused glass to create jewellery which has been featured on the studio trail. I’ve recently pieced a quilt which we will raffle in the next trail.” Joan Lewis
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“This wallhanging grew like Topsy! It started as eight corner log cabin blocks in black and white which were made as samples for a book about patchwork techniques. A few years later they came together with the addition of red to highlight the blocks and bring them to life. “ Sue Harmsworth
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“I love producing geometric patterns in patchwork and quilting. I find it relaxing to hand-sew these using paper piecing, which can be picked up and put down, sometimes over many months, like this quilt based on Penrose tiling. But I also enjoy the challenge of working out the best way to assemble a geometric pattern using a sewing machine, and like the speed at which a machine-pieced quilt grows.” Anne Wheldon
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“Having been a traditional quilter for many years, I now enjoy working on smaller pieces using collage techniques. I like using themes around places I love, like this collage map of Venice or seaside places in West Wales.” Gaynor Lloyd
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“My favourite piece of work is this turquoise hanging, inspired by a Paul Klee painting. The original painting was multi coloured but I chose to use different shades of turquoise and different textures to create the piece. I’m a bit of a messy muddler and I prefer random to more precise shapes. Each block is a different size and shape and paper piecing was the best way to go. I enjoyed the whole process, from idea to completion.” Sallie Wall
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Group photo
Taken in the Queen’s Head, Christchurch Green where we got together to reveal the results of a ‘Chinese whispers’ quilting project that we displayed at the 2018 Whiteknights Studio Trail.
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In a normal year, we always look forward to the annual Whiteknights Studio Trail, where our local artists and craftspeople open their houses. This is the trail’s 20th year, and in a joint venture with the Whiteknights Studio Trail, Two Rivers Press is delighted to publish a beautiful celebratory book, The Art and History of Whiteknights, which features 28 artworks all inspired by the Whiteknights area of Reading. The featured artists have all exhibited on the trail over the years, and in the unfortunate absence of the trail itself in 2020 (it will be back in 2021!) we hope that this book will remind you of the wealth of creative talent in our locality, as well as inspiring you to reflect more deeply on the history and roots of this special part of town.