An impressive group of quilters walked away with first prize with their first ever joint venture at the Loch Lomond Quilt Show earlier this year.

The friends are all City and Guilds students at Meldrum Craft Workshops in Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire. It’s not hard to see why their now famous Fire and Ice Quilt won first prize...

The quilt called Fire and Ice depicts the extremes of the heat and violence of a volcanic eruption contrasted with icy water. The resulting quilt contains contrasting shapes and colours that make a dramatic design. Almost as dramatic as the real Icelandic volcano which erupted coincidentally just as the quilt was nearing completion!

The quilt is made mostly of hand-dyed fabrics, dyed by a member of the group, which were then pieced and decorated with a range of techniques including applique, fabric painting, free machining, hand embroidery, soluble fabric, fusion and embellishing. Piecing and quilting was done with Coats Cotton. And Alcazar machine embroidery threads were used for part of the decorative work.

The quilt has been widely admired and was even chosen for display at this year’s Festival of Quilts at the NEC.

Further information about the quilt and about City and Guilds courses in Oldmeldrum can be obtained from Pat Robins who can be contacted at Rainbow Fabrics and Needlecrafts, Urquhart Road, Oldmeldrum, AB51 0EX,  on 01651 873280 or by email pat@rainbow-fabrics.co.uk.