quiltfest
  • Quiltfest 2022
    • Irene MacWilliam BEM
    • IM Quilts
    • IM Journals
    • IM Stomachers
    • Uncharted Contemporary Quilt
    • Challenge
    • Mere Kats
    • PTB
  • Previous Exhibitions
    • Quiltfest 2021 >
      • Val
      • Rebecca Collins
      • Maureen Poole
      • Gwenfai Rees Griffiths
      • Traders
      • Invited Guests
      • Reg 13 in Quilters' Guild Collection
      • Letters and Numbers
      • Landscapes
      • Flowers
    • Quiltfest 2020 >
      • 40 Years and Still Stitching
      • Song of the Celts
      • Traditional Stars
      • Cauldron
      • Ten Plus
      • Invited Members' Quilts
      • Traders' Quilts
    • Quiltfest 2019 >
      • Trading Day and Colwyn Quilters
      • Maps Exhibition
      • Just One Day Exhibition
      • In Print Exhibition
      • Modern Quilts Exhibition
      • Colwyn Quilters
      • Trading Day
    • Quiltfest 2018 >
      • Quilts at The Pavilion
      • Quilts at The Museum
      • Trading Day
    • Quiltfest 2017 >
      • 1001 Nights
      • On The Edge
      • Wrexham Tailor's Challenge
      • Miniatures
      • Make and Take
    • Quiltfest 2016 >
      • NinetiesCollection
      • Wrexham Quilting Circle
    • Quiltfest 2015 >
      • Region 13 Challenge
      • Contemporary Quilt Challenge
      • Dislocation by Contemporary Quilt Group
    • Quiltfest 2014 >
      • Barbara Howell: A Retrospective
      • Going Dutch
      • Cestrian Quilters
    • Exhibition 2013 >
      • Susan Briscoe and Friends at the Pavilion
      • Rieko Domon at the Museum
      • Cwiltcymru
      • Threadbare
    • Exhibition 2012 >
      • Ferret 2012
      • Magie Relph 2012
      • Dilys Fronks 2012
    • Exhibition 2011 >
      • Made in Wales - DeAnne Hartwell-Jones
      • Made in Wales - Other Artists
      • Passage Defined - By Design
      • Trees and Carved in Cloth - Turning Point
      • Miniatures by Sandra Goldsbrough
      • Quilts in the Library
      • Trading Day
      • Ario Workshop
    • Exhibition 2010 >
      • Effie Galletly 2010
      • Contemporary Quilt 2010
      • Liesbeth Williams 2010
      • Celtic Connection 2010
      • Borderlands 2010
      • Exhibition 2005 >
        • Travels with Cloth - New Horizons Group
        • Pat Salt 2005
        • Invited Artists 2005
      • Trading day 2010
    • Exhibition 2009 >
      • Nikki Tinkler
      • Hanging Together
      • In Response
      • Bethan Hughes
      • Peaceful Hearts
      • The French Connection
      • Kate Cawley 2009
    • Exhibition 2008 >
      • Elizabeth Brimelow 2008
      • Calendar of Kings 2008
      • Invited Artists 2008
      • Sisters' Choice 2008
    • Exhibition 2007 >
      • Chiaroscuro 2007
      • Boutis 2007
      • Hot and Cold 2007
      • Miniatures 2007
      • Invited Artists 2007
    • Exhibition 2006 >
      • Pat Storey 2006
      • Images of Wales 2006
      • Invited Artists 2006
    • Exhibition 2004 >
      • By Design 2004
      • Invited Artists 2004
    • Exhibition 2003 >
      • Edrica Huws 2003
      • Invited Artists 2003
    • Exhibition 2002
  • Contact us

Quiltfest 2011
Trees and Carved in Cloth
by featured artists
Turning Point

Trees in the Park

"The Celtic Wisdom of Trees" by Jane Gifford is the inspiration for our collection of hangings.  It is a beautiful book full of stunning photographs looking at the beliefs of an ancient people.  But this is not some faraway lost civilisation, these are our ancestors and their voices can, almost, still be heard and, if we open our eyes, the trees are still right here.
There was great excitEment as we studied the Celtic Tree Calendar to see which tree we were born under.  Some people were happy to work with their birth tree while others had various reason for choosing another tree.  Once chosen we found that our trees had all sorts of meanings and properties completeley unknown to our media numbed senses.
The process of study and then creation has been one fo the most satisfying our group has undertaken.  We hope you enjoy the results.
 

Aspen:  The Whispering Tree            
Jan Watson

Picture

Oak Tree:  The Berlinn                    
Pat Archibald

Picture

This tree of the autumn equinox - September 21 - my birthday! The trees are delicate and slender with greenish-grey bark, a horizontal branching pattern, and almost round leaves. In autumn the leaves turn bright yellow and red before dropping to the earth and fading to black. The aspen is a pioneer species - it is fast growing and regenerates profusely after disturbance.

The Oak Tree is the 'high rise' of the forest supporting numerous different forms of insect, animal, bird and plant life amongst its roots, bark, branches and leaves.  It was also the wood that formed the framework of the west highland galleys that traded up and down the Western Isles of Scotland in the Middle Ages until James I of England banned their use in the 14th century.  The template for the galleys was a legacy from the Viking inhabitants of the Isles in earlier times.



Blackthorn: Blackthorn Winter                     
Morven Roche

Picture

Ash: The Tree of Life
Margaret O'Gorman

Picture

When winter seems never ending, the Blackthorn tree sends out the first signs of spring. These tiny blossoms on twisted thorny branches brighten up the dullest day. The Blackthorn’s delicate white flowers are a sign of hope during a dark time of the year. 
Known as the Tree of Life in many cultures. The story I like best is passing children between the branches to ensure their good health.


Hawthorn: The May Tree               
Margaret Morrow

Picture

Coppiced Hazel:          
Alison Drayson

Picture

My tree is the Hawthorn or the May tree.  The May tree is the tree of the Virgin and the sign of fertility. The blossom can be white or very pale pink and covers the tree in May. The background is strip pieced and then the painted lutradur is twisted and stitched and embellished both by hand and machine. The green sheers are easily moved in any breeze.

In Celtic mythology the hazel represents wisdom. This quilt is based on a coppiced hazel tree in a bluebell wood. It uses a mixture of commercial and my own hand dyed fabric.


The Willow: Salix Alba                    
Jess Morrison

Picture

Silver Birch:                    
Mary Ennis

Picture

The willow which grows in wet places was, to the ancient Celts, the tree of enchantment and healing.  A feminine tree ruled by the moon. The three trees represent the three aspects of the tree spirit, the white goddess, virgin; mother; crone. The tree spirit's symbolic pendant is the 5th consonant of the ogham alphabet.
The standing stones are for the druids who harvested the sacred mistletoe found more commonly growing on the willow than the oak.
The words " Salix alba" have been machine embroidered onto the quilt in such a manner as not to be readily visible - an enchantment, a mystery to be exposed to the initiate.

The "dainty lady "of the woods is seen in Celtic lore as the embodiment of the feminine principle, here represented by the symbol for Venus and the maypole.
I used white cotton, birch bark and silk satin, this last being stressed and coloured with artists' paint sticks. Leaves and flowers are stencilled or appliquéd and then stitched. The work is machine quilted.


Rowan:                   
Liz Ferguson

Picture

The Scots Pine: Celtic Sentinel
Joyce Watson

Picture

The Rowan is also known as the Mountain Ash.  As you climb the mountains of Scotland it is often the last tree you pass on the way to the top. It was long regarded as a protection against evil.  Archaeologists looking at a pile of stones, seeing a rowan close by, think of this as evidence that they are looking at an abandoned house.   Last year the autumn colours of the tree were so vibrant I felt I had to depict mine in that season.

The Scots Pine sheds its lower branches as it grows to maturity.  People too, with the experiences of life, lose the anxieties of youth and focus on what is important. A moonlit solitary pine tree grows among the bluebells on a Scottish hillside. The focus is on the textured tree-trunk with its broken lower branches and mosses, developed with painted burnt and distressed tyvek, lutrador, velvets, sheers etc. The foreground is felted wools and yarns, interwoven with painted fabric rocks and bluebells.  



Carved in Cloth

When The Smith Art Gallery and Museum in Stirling offered us an exhibition, we decided to make a collection inspired by their most prized possession, The Cowane Chest, which was presented to the City of Stirling in 1636 by John Cowane, a local merchant and benefactor.  The chest of dark oak is not a great work of art but is very heavily carved on every surface in much the same way as we cover the surface of our quilts with stitch.
A neutral colour was chosen to complement the dramatic red walls of the Victorian exhibition gallery.
We hope our individual interpretations hyave done justice to this piece of Stirling's history.

Thistle Moon:
Pat Archibald

Picture

The Cowane chest has several hundred years of association with Stirling.  The thistle motif is carved in a very naive form on the chest but I have reproduced it in a more natural but still slightly stylised way on my quilt.  The chest is now kept in the Smith Museum under the protection of Stirling Castle, shown here silhouetted against a full moon.

Cowane Chest:
Margaret Morrow

Picture

Evolon (faux suede) was painted with silk paints, salted and then stitched to represent the oak tree that became the chest. The verses that are carved on the top and sides are machine stitched into the quilt. The quilt is hand embellished.


Strip the Thistle:
Morven Roche

Picture

Strippy quilts are made from a repeated pattern on a narrow strip of cloth. Since Scotland has no tradition of this style I decided to invent my own.
 Taking three elements from the Cowane Chest I have made strips using reverse appliqué,  joining them together with a traditional square diamond background and given a contemporary twist by the use of a twin needle.

Heartwood:
Margaret O'Gorman

Picture

This piece started by combining strips of dark brown fabrics which were couched and embroidered with gold cord and wool as in the heartwood of oak. It was then carved into triangles to allow the addition of pale oak fabric with the Cowane thistles appliquéd and quilted.


The Flower of Scotland:
Liz Ferguson

Picture

It is plain from the Cowane Chest that the thistle has been important to the Scottish people for a long time.  I have chosen the text as one that is appropriate for Homecoming Year given our history of immigrants and emigrants.

Kistful of Kindness:
Jess Morrison

Picture

" The chest is not a great work of art but a pleasing piece made by an artisan. The quilt design therefore tries to emulate a handcrafted look. The woven centre of my quilt represents human interaction and openheartedness. As valid today as in the 1600's are the carved statements expressing acts of kindness."


The Merchant's Gift:
Mary Ennis

Picture
In addition to some representations of the carvings on the chest, this quilt bears references to the history of the Merchants Guild, whose members were the original benefactors of Cowane’s fifty thousand  mark legacy.
Part of the insignia of the guild was a ring embellished with five stones, emerald, ruby, amethyst and crystals. These are represented in the emblem on the sailing ship.
The guild met each month, and the story goes that as they left, participants each received a pie, which they took home to their wives as proof that the evening had not been lost in dissipation in the local hostelries.
Only cotton is used in this piece. It has been embellished with machine trapunto and machine quilting. 


Rampant Thistle:
Jan Watson

Picture
Inspired by the idea of an empty chest, thistles have invaded the framework and taken over the space.  


Curvaceous Carving:
Joyce Watson

Picture
Intense machining is used in a distorted manipulation of the carving on the oak chest which was presented to the city of Stirling in 1636 by its benefactor, John Cowane.

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  • Quiltfest 2022
    • Irene MacWilliam BEM
    • IM Quilts
    • IM Journals
    • IM Stomachers
    • Uncharted Contemporary Quilt
    • Challenge
    • Mere Kats
    • PTB
  • Previous Exhibitions
    • Quiltfest 2021 >
      • Val
      • Rebecca Collins
      • Maureen Poole
      • Gwenfai Rees Griffiths
      • Traders
      • Invited Guests
      • Reg 13 in Quilters' Guild Collection
      • Letters and Numbers
      • Landscapes
      • Flowers
    • Quiltfest 2020 >
      • 40 Years and Still Stitching
      • Song of the Celts
      • Traditional Stars
      • Cauldron
      • Ten Plus
      • Invited Members' Quilts
      • Traders' Quilts
    • Quiltfest 2019 >
      • Trading Day and Colwyn Quilters
      • Maps Exhibition
      • Just One Day Exhibition
      • In Print Exhibition
      • Modern Quilts Exhibition
      • Colwyn Quilters
      • Trading Day
    • Quiltfest 2018 >
      • Quilts at The Pavilion
      • Quilts at The Museum
      • Trading Day
    • Quiltfest 2017 >
      • 1001 Nights
      • On The Edge
      • Wrexham Tailor's Challenge
      • Miniatures
      • Make and Take
    • Quiltfest 2016 >
      • NinetiesCollection
      • Wrexham Quilting Circle
    • Quiltfest 2015 >
      • Region 13 Challenge
      • Contemporary Quilt Challenge
      • Dislocation by Contemporary Quilt Group
    • Quiltfest 2014 >
      • Barbara Howell: A Retrospective
      • Going Dutch
      • Cestrian Quilters
    • Exhibition 2013 >
      • Susan Briscoe and Friends at the Pavilion
      • Rieko Domon at the Museum
      • Cwiltcymru
      • Threadbare
    • Exhibition 2012 >
      • Ferret 2012
      • Magie Relph 2012
      • Dilys Fronks 2012
    • Exhibition 2011 >
      • Made in Wales - DeAnne Hartwell-Jones
      • Made in Wales - Other Artists
      • Passage Defined - By Design
      • Trees and Carved in Cloth - Turning Point
      • Miniatures by Sandra Goldsbrough
      • Quilts in the Library
      • Trading Day
      • Ario Workshop
    • Exhibition 2010 >
      • Effie Galletly 2010
      • Contemporary Quilt 2010
      • Liesbeth Williams 2010
      • Celtic Connection 2010
      • Borderlands 2010
      • Exhibition 2005 >
        • Travels with Cloth - New Horizons Group
        • Pat Salt 2005
        • Invited Artists 2005
      • Trading day 2010
    • Exhibition 2009 >
      • Nikki Tinkler
      • Hanging Together
      • In Response
      • Bethan Hughes
      • Peaceful Hearts
      • The French Connection
      • Kate Cawley 2009
    • Exhibition 2008 >
      • Elizabeth Brimelow 2008
      • Calendar of Kings 2008
      • Invited Artists 2008
      • Sisters' Choice 2008
    • Exhibition 2007 >
      • Chiaroscuro 2007
      • Boutis 2007
      • Hot and Cold 2007
      • Miniatures 2007
      • Invited Artists 2007
    • Exhibition 2006 >
      • Pat Storey 2006
      • Images of Wales 2006
      • Invited Artists 2006
    • Exhibition 2004 >
      • By Design 2004
      • Invited Artists 2004
    • Exhibition 2003 >
      • Edrica Huws 2003
      • Invited Artists 2003
    • Exhibition 2002
  • Contact us