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Creative Quilting Reaps Rewards

Lynn OnionsRuth PeelLynn Onions, Sue Chapman and Ruth Peel

Two students of patchwork and quilting at Eastleigh College have been awarded gallery displays for their creations at The Festival of Quilts, which will be taking place at the NEC in Birmingham from 20 – 23 August this year. This is a very exciting opportunity for the students involved, not least because the exhibition is expected to attract in excess of 30,000 people drawn from over 50 countries around the globe.

Lynn Onions and Ruth Peel are two of only a handful of students nationally who were selected for the honour, one of whom will be awarded a £1000 bursary by The Quilters Guild of the British Isles. The winner of this prize is due to be announced at a Gala Dinner on Thursday 20 August, prior to the opening of the Festival.

Ruth's quilt displays a variety of techniques, including batik, dyeing, marbling, appliqué and ink jet printing. Having taken over 200 man hours to complete the piece, Ruth went through an emotional journey before the project finally reached fruition:

"At times I found it very daunting and have wanted to screw my efforts up and stuff them in a cupboard… The final design gradually evolved as I came to realise I would have to omit some of my ideas to reach a resolution."

Lynn's multi-coloured piece hangs in stark contrast next to Ruth's deep blue tones, and is inspired by the structures of electricity pylons.

Sue Chapman, the students' lecturer at Eastleigh College commented:

"This is a very exciting new initiative and I am thrilled that two of my students have been selected."

If you would like any further information on the Patchwork and Quilting course, or any part-time or hobby courses at Eastleigh College, come along to the part-time open event on Wednesday 8 July, 4 – 8pm. Alternatively, please contact us for a new part-time prospectus on 023 8091 1299 or goplaces@eastleigh.ac.uk.

Release date 02/07/2009