The 25 for 25 Collection
This collection of 25 works by contemporary makers was intended to act as a snapshot of patchwork and quilting at the time of The Guild;s 25th Anniversary in 2004. Each piece is 1m square in size. Like the 90s collection most of the works were commissioned by the regions of the Guild from makers in their area, but an additional brief was to try to include makers not already represented in the 90s collection. The twenty-fifth quilt was chosen by competition. Guild members were invited to submit a quilt inspired by lines from 'Live Blindly', a poem by Trumbell Stickney: "The rainbow breaks his seven-coloured chord, And the long strips of river-silver flow". The winning quilt was Singing in the Rain by Jo Rednell.
The range of techniques used in the works in the 25 for 25 Collection is very broad, as they are in the 90s collection, and include hand and machine piecing, hand and machine quilting, hand and machine embroidery and embellishment. In addition, many of the makers went much further with fabric colouration with works showing a number of different hand dyeing techniques as well as the use of photographic transfer medium (Sandra Meech) and inkjet printing onto fabric (Carol Dowsett). There was also more use of unusual materials (metal, sports net and shoe laces for example in Nikki Chandler's piece Urban Tribal). These changes in approach between the 90s collection and the works in the 25 for 25 collection do seem to reflect a distinct change which can also be seen in the wider quilting world.
