"Everything But Cotton".Let’s explore the world of quilts that were made with what I call ‘Not Cottons’. When quilters don’t have access to a stash of quilter’s cotton, what do they turn to? This one hour lecture, trunk show and Q & A session shows quilts – antique and modern – made of wool, silk, polyester and more. The trunk show of my own work shows what you can create with neckties, saris, kimonos and other unusual, ‘not cotton’ textiles.

About Julia:

I’m an international award-winning quilt maker living and working in Northern California, just east of San Francisco.Born and raised in England, I worked as a textile designer in the woolen and worsted mills of Yorkshire and Scotland before taking a job with a luxury tailoring company on London’s Savile Row. A design position at a menswear company in New York City brought me to the US, and I’ve been here ever since. I discovered quilt making on travels through the small Amish towns of Pennsylvania. Some of the first quilts I made were for my young children.

Since 2016 I have specialized in making silk quilts, sourcing my fabrics from neckties, clothing and furnishing fabrics. I have a passion for reuse and recycling, which leads me to rescue vintage blocks and textiles. These reclaimed fabrics become the starting point for my quilt designs.

My book, Patchwork Luxe: Quilts from Neckties, Kimonos and Sari Silks is published by C&T Publishing

I feature on TheQuiltShow.com‘s episode #2902. I am on the teaching faculty of Mancuso Show Management’s Quilt Fest and Quilt Festival Houston . I blog regularly on a collaborative sewing blog, See How We Sew.

My on-demand class ‘How to Use Silks in Your Quilt Making’ is available at Creative Spark.

My quilt ‘Viva la Vida’ showed in art galleries and museums around the US, and ‘Dreaming of Margilan’ featured in issue 152 of Quiltmania magazine.