ABOUT US
Maggie Jarman – Love of textiles must be genetic for my mother was a brilliant seamstress, learning her skills from her needlework-teaching aunts. School, university and my teaching career constantly provided opportunities to pursue two disciplines simultaneously, geomorphology and stage costume. An introduction (by Lynne Seaman) to the world of Art Quilting was a revelation: therein lay the way of fusing together all my passions, landscape painting, printing, photography, and fabric.
Lyn Lambert – After four children and pushing pushchairs for 18 years I was introduced to patchwork and quilting, and found it a wonderful escape. I had made children’s clothes but I’d never had time to ‘play’. Nowadays I experiment with new materials and techniques, and with By Design find stimulation, thought-provoking challenges, friendship and fun.
Janet McCallum – As a graphic designer and part of The Quilter editorial team, I constantly work with shape, colour and design. Although book design can be a little constraining at times, I find fabric gives my creativity free reign. I love colour and texture, and collect photos of patterns in nature to use in my work. They are a constant source of inspiration. janet@janetmccallumdesign.co.uk
Grace Meijer – I have been sewing for most of my life. It is more than a pastime, almost a passion. I very often use photos that I took on my travels. What I could not achieve with paints, I can with fabrics.
Penny Bicknell – I love the challenge of working collaboratively. It stretches me in thought and ability; opportunities present themselves which I just have to explore. I like to mix tradition with a more contemporary approach, but never manage to take the easy option! Letting the piece dictate what happens next is so exhilaratiing – I would recommend it to anyone.
Susan Chapman – I work with textiles, cloth has been significant at all stages of my life, and I feel that the selecting, printing and dyeing, and stitching of fabrics help me to communicate my feelings, concern and observation of modern society, and the passage of time. www.susanmchapman.wordpress.com
Kate Dowty – I love texture and the tactile qualities of textiles. Inspiration comes from the landscape, the sea, the coastline and the colours of the world around me. There is always something new to see and to interpret in fabric and stitch. Some pieces are representational, others more abstract. The approach is always impressionistic; the techniques always improvisational.
Mary Hewson – I took up patchwork as a young mum, simply intending to make a pair of bedspreads from dressmaking scraps. I am fascinated with geometric designs, and experiment with everything from dyes to computers. Now I am a granny, a retired patchwork teacher, a contemporary quilt maker, and quilt history researcher. I still make the occasional bed quilt!
Christine Restall – I am interested in contrasts of light and shade, both in design and in life, and especially in the effects of light (or its absence) on colour. In sunlight, colour can be raw, strong, violent; in moonlight, colour is subverted and removed. My work is largely abstracted from nature, though myths and fantastical landscapes also appear, but I always hope to evoke human emotion. www.christinerestall.co.uk
Hilary Richardson – I come from a family with a tradition of home crafts. Now I explore the artistic side of my nature in textiles, although a scientist by training. My work is influenced by the natural world and my concern for the environment. My techniques are influenced by a personal need for accuracy and neatness. Colour is important, and I prefer to use fabrics I have dyed myself. I do not expect people to like my work, but hope to make them think about the subject I have chosen.
www.hilaryrichardson.weebly.com
Beverley Wood – I am a textile artist, embroiderer and quilter, with a passion for design and colour. I enjoy mixed-media techniques in both art quilting and book design. I have loved passing on my knowledge through thirty years of teaching adults and children. I have exhibited in the UK, Europe and USA. It is a privilege to work with such talented and like-minded people in By Design.