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Anne's Quilting Delights

Anne Cameron lives on Speyside, close to the picturesque village of Archiestown surrounded by some of the area’s most stunning scenery; scenery that has, over the years, inspired much of her work as a quilter.

Patchwork quilts have been in existence for centuries and were at the height of their popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries. Most usually used as bed coverings, quilts have been made from a variety of materials throughout time and while left over fabrics were sometimes used to make quilts, at others quilt making was seen as a genteel pastime; only the wealthy having the available time in which to pursue the craft. Quilting evolved as techniques changed due to economics and needs. What didn’t alter though was the vibrancy and usefulness of these quilts, a vibrancy and usefulness that Anne Cameron brings to her own work.

Anne first began sewing 30 years ago, making clothes for her children but it wasn’t until 2007 that she became hooked on quilt making. Answering an advert in a local newspaper Anne went along to a taster session on quilt making at the delightfully named ‘Puddleduck Patch’ in Cullen. The requirements were a sewing machine and a ‘quarter of an inch foot’ – Anne had no idea what the term meant, but went along anyway and was dismayed to find that quilting required precision and accuracy. Thinking that all this sounded too much like maths and not her thing at all, Anne decided she’d help by making the tea and sweeping up. Thankfully, as the day progressed Anne began to learn some of the techniques required for quilting and found that she enjoyed it so much, that she booked onto the first of what was to become a series of classes.

Armed with a rotary cutter; essential for quilting, her sewing machine, rulers and the all important ‘quarter of an inch foot’ which Anne found was a measured length of fabric, she chose her very first design to make a small quilt and loving the fabric so much; fabric being her weakness or strength depending on how you look at it, she’s never looked back.

Although quilts are Anne’s main interest she also makes wall hangings and the most delightful button trees; handmade button applied wall hangings where the trunk of the tree is created by a process called ‘couching’, which actually reflects the different textures of a tree trunk. These beautiful button trees have additions in the form of butterflies or ladybirds depending on the tree, season or colours depicted in them.

Whilst most of Anne’s work is done in her workroom of her farmhouse home, the summerhouse in the garden is for Anne ‘her special room’, where she does much of her thinking. No wonder really as the summerhouse looks out across farmland where Anne’s Highland cattle graze and wander. Clearly important to her, Anne dotes on her cattle Daisy and Eve, providing them with the best of care. A country woman at heart, Anne’s work reflects what she sees around her. One of the wall hangings in Anne’s farmhouse depicts a window scene and uses embroidery on a linen background to show the countryside in all its glory, reminding her of her own early years growing up on a farm near Ballygawley in Northern Ireland.

Designs for Anne’s work either come from something she’s seen in nature, from her imagination or books of quilt designs. For Anne though the underlying theme of her creations is the fabric that she chooses and the marrying of fabrics and colours together to create just the right effect. She also feels that the whole quilt, including the backing, must be up to the same standard and so important is this to Anne that her quilts can be, in the main, turned over and used on the reverse without worry about ragged edges or uneven finishes.

With an average quilt taking anything between 3 – 6 months, Anne’s work evolves depending on what she has on her agenda and the intricacy of the quilt she is working on. Currently making a children’s quilt for her granddaughter with a pony theme – her granddaughter is mad about ponies, Anne has sourced a backing to reflect this love of horses complete with sleeping ponies on it.

Anne sources her materials from far and wide including locally in Elgin, from Cullen’s fabric shop ‘Patch of Blue’, in Alford and off the internet. Her quilts will last a lifetime as she only ever uses 100% cotton and can be passed onto future generations. Her quilts are quite often used in place of a duvet or over the top of one to give an old-fashioned feel to bedroom decor.

Made with love and care Anne’s quilts have gone all over the world. Lady Irwin from Craigellachie bought one to send to Dubai; others have been purchased by visitors to Speyside and gone to the USA while some stay nearer to home. Anne creates quilts that she herself would like; others are commissions. Clients generally give Anne a colour preference with which to begin, giving her free rein to work on the design. As Anne says colour is all-important; there’s no point making a pink quilt to go in a blue room. For many clients seeing a quilt before they buy is all-important. Quilts are very tactile and people need to feel and see the quality before they purchase.

Making a quilt requires accuracy and while some parts of a quilt are hand sewn others are machined. The use of a self-healing cutting board and rotary cutter are paramount as too are sewing rulers. The process begins by choosing a design, the fabric is measured and cut accurately before a quarter of an inch seem is sewed in. These seems are then cut according to what is being made and the pattern being followed, pressing the seems as you go. Assembling the quilt into individual blocks that are then pieced together, results in the quilt top. A wadding then goes under the top and the backing goes underneath the wadding creating three layers of quilt. Then the real fun begins as Anne chooses her method of actual quilting, for example, ‘free motion’ where patterns or stylised animals, birds or leaves are sewn into the top of the quilt, or ‘in the ditch’ quilting where sewn lines follow the seems on the top of the quilt. Once at this stage the quilt has it’s binding applied around the edges and to finish it off Anne labels all her quilts.

Everything on Anne’s quilts, no matter how small or insignificant is there for a purpose, it hasn’t happened by accident. For example the colours on her Plum Creek inspired quilt indicate the motion of water and a second Little House on the Prairie inspired quilt shows a lamp that America’s first pioneers often lit and held in their windows to light the way home for those yet to arrive.

Anne asked me to name my favourite of her quilts; difficult to do at first glance so beautiful are all her works. On reflection though a rustic coloured single bed quilt caught my eye. With appliquéd leaves and houses made from recycled fabric, this was an old fashioned type of quilt. Some of the squares had a loose-edged finish to them and the brushed cotton backing only added to the old fashioned feel. In complete contrast was a large double bed quilt in lovely striking ‘picnicy’ colours. Very vibrant and almost like a sunflower, the material used reflected the feel of summer and the work on the underside was as lovely as that on the top.

Anne’s home is filled with colour; she clearly has an eye for it. On her chairs she has examples of cushions, the covers of which she has made. She’s also interested in making table runners with fabric sourced from France where she goes each year to Provence. She’s also begun making ‘infinity scarves’ out of Liberty fabric. These scarves are beautifully soft and have no beginning and no end, being worn entwined around the neck to enhance blouses and tops with their colours and designs.

Anne’s character is as sunny and vibrant as her work and is reflected in the quilts that she works so tirelessly on. Her work can be viewed on line at www.speysidequilts.co.uk or www.facebook.com/speysidequiltsanne/ Anne can be contacted by phoning. 07788175857 or via email at e:anne@speysidequilts.co.uk

ENDS.