The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show, Olympia, London 2nd – 5th March 2017

The Quilters’ Guild once again had a big presence at this year’s Olympia K&S Show, with an exhibition of contemporary quilts, a Guild information stand and our regular Free Drop-In Workshop.

Each year, hundreds of visitors take part in our workshop, where they receive 1-1 tuition on how to make a simple patchwork block.  Once the block is complete, they take it to the design wall and try out different pattern layouts using the blocks that other participants have already placed there.

We teach a different block each year, so this year we showed the visitors how to make a ‘Corner in the Cabin’ block.  The block is a variation on the basic ‘Log Cabin’ design, where the centre square has been moved into one corner of the block, with strips of fabric (or logs) added alternately to only two sides of the square.


We have six sewing machines in the workshop, all generously provided by Brother each year, plus a workspace for those who prefer to stitch by hand.  There is a volunteer tutor at each workstation, who guides the visitor as they make their first piece of patchwork.  Fabric kits are prepared beforehand, ready for each visitor to select their colour choice and get started.  A free technique handout is given to each participant, so that they will be able to make more blocks at home if they wish to.

Almost all of the visitors to the workshop have not tried patchwork before.  Some haven’t used a sewing machine before and others have never threaded a needle before.  They all leave the workshop with a sense of achievement, having successfully completed their first patchwork block.

One lady who does crochet, but was new to patchwork, made her first patchwork block in the workshop on Thursday and also tried hand quilting on the big quilting frame that we have set up near the workshop area. She enjoyed it all so much that when she went home, she made 16 blocks in pink and blue batik fabrics, joined them together into a quilt top and came back to the show on Sunday to show us her beautiful creation.


Another lady said she had a fear of sewing machines, but was persuaded to make a block.  With the tutor guiding her as she used the machine, she had overcome her fear by the time she had made the block and was thrilled about it.

At the end of this year’s 4-day show, the visitors had made 535 patchwork blocks.  Each year, The Quilters’ Guild donates the blocks made in our workshop to Project Linus UK, which is a voluntary organisation donating quilts to children in long-term care in hospitals, hospices, refuges and social services.  Last year, Project Linus UK distributed a whopping 36,408 quilts to ‘children in need of a hug’.  If you would like to make a quilt for Project Linus, you can find out more, here.

The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles is the national membership organisation for quilters.  It is run by its members and welcomes everyone interested in patchwork, quilting and appliqué, whether they are absolute beginners, quilt as a hobby, or they are teachers, speakers and quilt artists who are well-known in the quilting world. You can find out more about us here.


Come and join us and share the fun!

Jane Steward

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