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Welcome to Contemporary Quilt

Contemporary Quilt is a special interest group of The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles.
We are a diverse group of quilters and fabric artists working at the cutting edge of quilt making creating innovative and dynamic art.

The 2024 Journal Quilt Challenge Hidden

Thank you so much to those of you who responded to my plea to suggest themes for the JQ challenge. We had some great ideas – one of which is the theme for 2024. The others we will keep for future challenges. It was also really helpful to have general feedback on what you do and don’t like about the JQ challenge. We can never please everyone, but it’s so useful to have your views. Do email me anytime if there’s something JQ related on your mind!

See the full instructions here

Alison Livesley [email protected]

Slideshow of Journal Quilts 2023 - Words

We are delighted to say that our Exhibitions Organiser Kay Leech has secured two great venues for a selection of JQs to be exhibited later this year. 10 July to 15 September 2024
Fairfield Mill in Sedbergh, Cumbria www.fairfieldmill.org
27 September to 29 September 2024
Textiles in Tremain Historical Church, Ceredigion, Wales

See the Events page for information about members' exhibitions

To send us information about your events and exhibitions please click here

Submit events

CQ Challenge 2025

The CQ Challenge for members for 2025 has been announced.
The theme is Pathways.
In case you are not familiar with the CQ Challenge it is a juried event open to all CQ members. The chosen quilts are exhibited at various locations in the UK in the subsequent two years, 2026 and 2027. It's a wonderful opportunity to show your work and promote CQ. Early details can be seen here.

Anne Tuck Prize

The Anne Tuck Prize 2024 is now £180 - this is a development opportunity for relatively new CQ members.
Anne Tuck, from the North East of England, was a teacher committed to bringing on new quilters. In memory of that, her family donated funds for a Prize after she died in 2015. Anne's work was a varied, imaginative and colourful inspiration for others https://bubbulles.wixsite.com/annetucktextileart

You are invited to apply if you joined CQ less than 3 years ago and are not an established textile artist. Winners often take a course or workshop with the Prize money, but we will consider other options. It cannot be used for travel or accommodation costs, for example, to go to a face to face course, or on something you have booked already. The winner must write an article, with photos, for the CQ Newsletter on how they used the Prize and the impact that had on their work.

Interested? Apply now! Email me your name, QGBI membership number, date of joining CQ and no more than 60 words on how you’ll use and benefit from the Prize.
Deadline midnight, 30 September 2024.
The CQ Committee will consider all applications that have arrived by then and choose the Prize winner. We’ll let the lucky person know by 15 October. Paperwork and payment by BACS must be completed by 31 October.

In 2025, the Prize will be awarded as part of the next CQ Challenge.

Catriona, [email protected].

The Anne Tuck Price for 2023 has been announced.
Congratulations to Sarah Tomlinson for her entry 'Diversity in greens' to the CQ Challenge Diversity which won her the award. Read her article from the CQ March 2024 Newsletter.

CQ Newsletter September 2024

Read a selection of articles from the September Newsletter which explore metal as a textile material.
Robin Tost: Sculptor of Quilts
Yes one can machine through metal - Maggie Jarman

And now for...the Sixth Suitcase Collection (2023-2025)

Bookings are now being taken for our new Suitcase Collection
'Something Completely Different'
Please email Saray Rayfield at [email protected]
See previous Suitcase Collections here

Photographing your work?

Here are two helpful articles -
Tips on photographing quilts by Delyse Upton
and
Editor's explanation: reaching the right resolution by CQ's Newsletter editor Maggie Jarman

Diversity 2023 CQ Challenge

See more photos from Diversity at Peebles here

We are planning a 2-year exhibition cycle for
‘Diversity’
April 2024 at Tweeddale Museum and Gallery, Peebles in the Scottish Borders.

QGBI Region 2 Quilt Show, Lullingstone, Kent, 19th - 21st July 2024
ICHF Creative Craft Show, Farnborough International Exhibition Centre, Hampshire, 30 August - 1st September 2024
ICHF Creative Craft Show, Westpoint Exeter, Devon 26th - 28th September 2024
ICHF Scottish Quilting Show, SEC, Glasgow 6th - 8th March 2025
ICHF Creative Craft Show, NEC, Birmingham 13th - 16th March 2025
CELF, Llandrindod Wells, Wales - 17th April - 29th May 2025
Quilt Fayre, Stormont Hotel, Belfast, 28th - 30th August 2025

Can you help find venues for us? Ideally the venues need to be free as we have an extremely limited budget, most of which will be used on physically getting the works from one place to another. If you have any ideas and contacts, I would love to hear from you. Kay Leech, Exhibitions Coordinator
[email protected]

CQ Talks

A series of talks from well-known artists has been a great success with CQ members. Most recently - a talk by Cas Holmes.

Previous speakers have been Lisa Walton, Pat Archibald, Joanna O’Neill, Leah Higgins, Sabi Westoby, Sarah Burgess and Christine Chester.

We are planning to continue these talks, so keep an eye on your inbox for details of our next event. We work within artists' contractual constraints and spaces are therefore limited and recordings are not available.

These free lectures are currently available to CQ members only.

CQ Groups

Learn more about how CQ Groups work in this article by Penny Armitage about Exe Valley Group's joint work 'The Wall'

The UNCHARTED catalogue is now available.
The catalogue, prepared by Annie Henderson-Begg and Maggie Jarman, is now on sale for £10.
Click here to order

You can now view all the Uncharted Quilts in our online gallery

Website Banner image by Alicia Merrett 'The Thin Blue Line' first map quilt Alicia had made.

The Quilters' Guild of The British Isles
St Anthony's Hall
York, YO1 7PW
United Kingdom

www.quiltersguild.org.uk
admin @quiltersguild.org.uk
t: 01904 613242

The Quilters' Guild is registered in England and Wales as a charity, no. 1067361 and a company limited by guarantee, no. 3447631.
The Guild is registered as a charity in Scotland no. SC043174. Registered office: St. Anthony's Hall, Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PW