Modern Art Quilters - Newsletter July 2026

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A Short History of Modern Quilting (and a Personal View by Helen Howes) In 2012, I joined the American Modern Quilt Guild, having decided that what I was doing was most certainly Modern (and, also, Quilting). The Americans were less than helpful about "foreign" quilters, and did not, at that point, want to have UK or European Groups affiliated. (This has changed since, but the presence is still pretty small.) So, I approached the QGBI with a proposal that a fifth Specialist Group be set up, to accompany Traditional, Miniature, Contemporary, and the British Quilt Study Group. A small notice in The Quilter magazine garnered a terrific response, and with the help of Liz Whitehouse, Heather Hasthorpe and I took a display, 5000 leaflets, a tendency to outreach, and a deal of enthusiasm to Festival of Quilts. We sat on the Guild stand, facing outwards, and just about everyone said Hello. We started on the Thursday morning with 2 members (HH and HH) and by the end of the weekend had almost 100. Some people joined the Guild to join Modern, some re-joined the Guild to join Modern, and a good time was had by all. We had a concept (outreach, you need new people or the organisation does not survive) and spent most of the next 5 years running around the country with demos, old sewing machines, thousands of postcards, and an ideal - "not showing-off, showing how..." We didn't invent Modern Quilting, far from it, but we did try to popularise and open it up to as many people as we could. We made a newsletter, which was open to all (the Guild eventually did not like this, but if you are signed up here, you are in the continuity...) I like to think I made a difference, sadly I find that the SIGs are inclined to a reduction rather than an increase of skills... And, look! People have rediscovered the Hexagon! This newsletter has been brewing in my mind for some time, HH writes, as I am fascinated by how much of what we think of as a New Thing has its roots in the work of the people featured here... Many were artists first, almost all came to teaching, most published essential and inspiring books, and I have tried to find extra links for these with the hope of inspiring your work, fun, and to lead you to your own original creations... Not all the links I wanted to make, but I do want to leave you time to sew. I'll do another set later in the year... Helen Howes and AitchBee Contact us direct on newsletter@modernartquilters.co.uk Why not forward this message to your quilty friends who might enjoy our ramblings. They can CLICK HERE to go straight to our newsletter sign up page. HEADER IMAGE: In 2016, The Quilter magazine published this - Modern Jazz as a four-part Improv Quilt. I still sell it... CLICK HERE to visit HH's webpage
We took the first version of this pattern to West Country Quilt Show, in sparkly red-and-white, and it's been flying off the shelves and into the 'net ever since... This grey and yellow version turns up everywhere!	Designed for the Modern Challenge "Fooling The Eye" set, inspired and curated by HB. The start of an amazing series! CLICK HERE to visit HB's Calendar to see where she's teaching 3-D illusions this Autumn.
Click on any picture in this Newsletter to read more. These are mostly links to external websites and blogs - have fun and enjoy looking!
	Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr have been around for a while, and are amazingly prolific writers, makers, and originators-of-ideas. Their Modern Quilt Studio is seminal in the Modern Quilt World, and their style is clean, colourful, and very accessable. The website is huge and well-worth exploring
	The late and delightful Gwen Marston has always been an inspiration. Recently I showed her book "Liberated Quilts" to a newcomer to quilting, and watched delighted as she piled into the scrapbox, sewing pieces together in happy abandon. Caught for life! Many of her books are still in print and are well-worth reading and re-reading... Take a look at this 3-book review on Dreamit-Quiltit
	A couple of years ago I did an online workshop with Brenda Gael Smith. Her understanding of fabrics, good style and considerate teaching, and utterly wonderful textile pieces were just astonishing. I can't recommend her too highly for her short ZOOM WORKSHOPS and, despite living in Australia, she really understands Time Zones!
	Last year at Festival of Quilts we had the pleasure of seeing a whole lot of big new pieces by Jo Avery - her style is very personal, with much hand-stitch and embellished detail, applique and embroidery. We particularly liked her books of "100 days" pieces CLICK HERE to see Jo's "100 days" projects
	Irene Roderick's quilts are very distinctively hers, and her teaching methods are almost unique - her "Dancing With The Wall" is preposterously easy if you follow the (simple) rules. Image is a detail from "Best Friends" from 2022. Books (Improv Quilting: Dancing With The Wall, and Design Then Quilt: A Dynamic Guide to Creating Stunning Modern Quilts) can be ordered through your local bookshop.
	Cindy Grisdela has a Way with Curves, particularly free-cut ones. She has several books in print, including Freehand Curve Quilts, Artful Improv, and Adventures In Improv Quilts. Details of these books can be found HERE, but as above please order direct from your local bookshop
	Sarah Hibbert makes quilts in linens, plain and hand-printed, hand-quilted for the most part. Her colours are subtle, and her stitching both precise and free. In the last couple of years she has acted as a ambassador for Modern Quilt Group, and (while very modest) has had a huge influence on the Modern Quilt world. (I have a small and treasured piece of ther work on my dining-room wall, HH writes). She also writes about collage, and how to generate designs with this hands-on, simple, and expansive technique. Books can be purchased direct from Sarah's webpage HERE
	Victoria Findlay Wolfe has an eye for the twists than can be made on traditional blocks and patterns, so fresh and sometimes unexpected. Her take on the Double Wedding Ring is delicious She does lots of online workshops, find details HERE

	HB and The Apprentice will be off again, this time to Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire. Friday 17th to Sunday 19th July 10am to 4pm Friday & Saturday - 9.30am to 3.30pm Sunday Lamport Hall Lamport Northamptonshire NN6 9HD (NN6 9EZ for Satnav) Click on the image for visitor information and online booking
	The CREATIVE STITCH Graduate Show 2026 Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th July - 10am to 4pm Admission £5 - under 18's free Needham Market Community Centre School Street Needham Market Ipswich, IP6 8BB Destash Sale • WI Refreshments Tombola • Free Parking! CREATIVE STITCH Alumni Groups exhibiting as part of the Graduate Show 2026: • Out of the Fold • Fibre Transformations • Textile Connections • Spotlight Textiles • Feed Dogs Down
We are happy to publicise your exhibition or quilting event anywhere in the country, please let us know at least a month before it is due to start and provide details of venue, dates, times, a brief description, and image and a website link if you have a relevant one.

	COMING SOON: Starting next month, a New Series in Umpteen Parts - Basic Skills for Quilters

	It's a BIG ONE! Get a cold drink and somewhere shady and have a fun time surfing around the net...
Our mailing address is:- 4, The Raveningham Centre, Beccles Road, Raveningham, Norfolk, NR14 6NU. United Kingdom

A Short History of Modern Quilting (and a Personal View by Helen Howes)