QGBI Excels

Maker:

Jeni Rutherford

Date:

2019

Contemporary quilt commissioned for The Forties Collection, a body of work representing contemporary quiltmaking across the U.K. in the 40th anniversary year of The Quilters' Guild.

The inspiration for this hanging is The Guild and how patchwork has evolved in the last 40 years. In 1979 contemporary work was unusual but now the Contemporary Quilt Group is one of The Guild’s specialist groups. The hanging is in two parts: the front features QGBI, The Guild’s “initials”, in a contemporary way. The back features traditional block designs—where the Guild began—but the single colour blocks and quilting are contemporary. It represents all the people beavering away, in York and around the UK, who are generally unseen but make The Guild what it is today. The motifs feature 40 in Arabic and Roman numerals. XL can be pronounced excel, which is what Guild members try to do.

The Forties Collection quilts were made to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles. The 18 regions of The Guild are represented, as well as the three age groups of Young Quilters. Each piece was a new work specially made by a Guild member not already represented in The Collection. The makers were asked to interpret the theme of 40 as creatively as possible. The rule was that the finished piece had to have one dimension of 40 inches and between 25 and 40 inches in the other dimension. These pieces were exhibited at the Festival of Quilts in 2019 in a gallery entitled ‘Spotlight@40’.

Commissioned by Region 2 (Kent, Surrey, Sussex)

25 inches (63.5cm) x 40 inches (102cm)