Orpington Quilters
Orpington Quilters
In July 2024 we were delighted to welcome Tracy Aplin, ably assisted by her good friend and fellow quilter Jean, to give a talk titled "My Life in Quilts".
Tracy is a very accomplished patchwork and quilter and is incredibly passionate about this craft. In addition to designing and creating fantastic quilts for submission to various quilt fairs, she is also a committed member of Dragonfly Quilters, as is Jean, and teaches in various workshops.
At school, Tracy was not very academic and did not enjoy her time in early education. She was more interested in sports, like swimming, and sewing, in fact she made her first patchwork piece around the age of 13-14. Eventually she was diagnosed with dyslexia and was given extra help and time in completing exams, etc. From senior school, she went on to study tailoring at college, and Fashion and Textiles at Canterbury, which she loved.
After college she worked in the fashion industry for many big companies, including Warehouse, Marks & Spencers, etc. Patchwork was, and still is, a passion and Tracy would hand sew pieces on the train on the long commute from Kent to Central London.
In 1998-199, small sections of this quilt were sewn together on the train. It had many uses over the years, from playmat to picnic blanket so it is well washed and worn.
Early in her marriage, Tracy joined a very friendly quilting group and when she was expecting her first daughter, Ellen, the group helped Tracy to complete this lovely quilt.
Unfortunately that marriage did not survive and after her divorce Tracy immersed herself in her favourite pastime and created this beautiful quilt, which she named "New Beginnings". In May 2002 it was exhibited at Sandown and was published after Tracy produced the pattern. At another show someone else won an award for their quilt in this design but was disqualified when it was discovered that the design was not their own.
Dated 2004, this fabulous quilt is called "Beaded Beauty" and is a brilliant design incorporating intricate beadwork. This piece is a great example of Tracy's love of non-straight edges that she often uses on her quilts.
"Log Cabin Fever" was created when Tracy's children were very small. On day trips with other young mums to local Walmer Castle, the mums would set up a picnic while the children ran around, and Tracy sewed!
In addition to quilts for exhibitions, Tracy loved to make personal quilts, especially for her children. The quilt on the left was made for Polly, her daughter from her second marriage. As a child, Polly loved sewing and drawing and, together with Tracy they designed this applique quilt, which contains family pets, handwriting and many features chosen by Polly, as were the fabrics. This quilt was shown at Birmingham.
Tracy had a very favourite aunt and they spent many hours together baking and sewing. When her aunt died, Tracy inherited her collection of Liberty prints and created this lovely quilt in 2014 , which was shown at Festival of Quilts and won an award.
Her husband wanted a caravan so they bought one but Tracy thought it very beige and cream, not to her vibrant style at all. So she set about replacing all the soft furnishings with colourful patchwork. Much of this quilt was pieced during hospital visits to the Evelina with Ellen. For a couple of years, Tracy taught her caravan quilts at the Festival of Quilts.
In most instances, Tracy creates her own patterns but this quilt, "Queen's Cross" was designed by Jen Kinwell. It was pieced together on a beach in Ibiza on a family holiday.
Tracy had always wanted to make a "Double Wedding Ring" quilt and this one was hand sewn during lockdown in 2020.
Another lockdown creation, this quilt was originally intended as an entry for Birmingham in 2020 but Covid intervened and it only appeared on the website.
During the creation of this "Lone Star" quilt, Tracy used the offcuts of the main star to create smaller stars to surround it, and aptly named it "I'm Not a Lone Star".
Most of Tracy's quilts look very complex in design but this quilt shows that even with a simple non-patch block, clever use of the fabrics can make the effect very striking.
Not just skilled at making fabulous quilts, this is a beautiful quilted jacket Tracy made out of Liberty prints.
Tracy created this amazing quilt for her beloved Nan. It is made using fabrics bought in the US with money that her Nan gave her for that specific purpose.The design incorporates many aspects of her Nan's life and family history. Whenever Tracy visited her in the care home, her Nan was always wrapped in this quilt.
Tracy's love and passion for patchwork quilting was very apparent in her talk. She acknowledges that sometimes her style is unorthodaox and quirky, but everyone agreed the results are always fabulous.
Many thanks to Tracy for such an interesting evening.
In March 2024 Bonnie Foster from Beckenham Quilters came along, with her able assistant Janet, to talk about the various charity quilts and projects that her quilting group produces.