Griet Knops : “I met Sophie Campbell while living in Paris and she is the one who introduced me to patchwork and quilting. When I returned to Belgium I started a patchwork Group and later I have been one of the founders of the Belgium Patchwork Guild.
I am mainly a traditional. When I started, I worked exclusively by hand. Nowadays I do some machine piecing, but the quilting is always made by hand.
All my quilts have a traditional touch. Recently, I designed a quilt for a friend living in South Africa. 25 of us worked on it and sent it to her for her 60th birthday. I am happy to share it with you also, friends of Aurifil! All our hands have been designed on freezer paper and then appliquéd using fabrics close to African colours and prints. “
1. Here are the fabrics we selected.
2 Hands are appliquéd with zig zag stitches on various black fabrics.
3. Then the blocs are assembled with African orange fabrics.
4. The background quilting on the black fabric is inspired by a zebra skin and here is the final result! What a nice way to make a friendship quilt
Griet Knops is my mother in law. She, and her mother before her, has always been the thriving force behind the Belgian Patchwork Guild. She is still called upon for all exhibition display work. She has a great eye for colors and sizes and will know exactely where to hang every patchwork to make any exhibition a success. Most fun she gets from teaching other quilt passionates the traditional quilting techniques. Don’t hesitate to convers with her by email. Love.