ABOVE: Russell Barratt’s textile gallery at FOQ 2026.
By Patricia Belyea
BIRMINGHAM UK Meeting the makers behind the quilts gives the work an entirely new dimension. At the Festival of Quilts 2026, leading textile artists from around the world were invited to present solo exhibitions in their own galleries. Each offered a unique perspective on what quilts can communicate.
CATHERINE-MARIE LONGTIN — Canada
Log Cabin Variations and Other Colour Stories
Catherine-Marie explores the interplay of light, colour, and pattern through both new work and selections from her archives. Her contemporary interpretations of the Log Cabin block reveal endless possibilities within a traditional form.
DAISY ASCHEHOUG — USA & Norway
Modular Curves
Bold and inventive, Daisy uses repeated curved motifs to create dynamic modern quilts filled with movement, rhythm, and vibrant colour.
LUKE HAYNES — USAPortraits in Fabric
Luke's monumental quilt portraits tell one story from across the room and another when viewed up close, where thousands of reclaimed textile fragments reveal extraordinary detail. (Photo: Nicole Marie Leth, Luke's wife, standing beside Luke's self-portrait on his bed.)
CLARA NARTEY — Ghana & USAWoven Stories
Drawing on her West African heritage and American quilting traditions, Clara combines digital imagery, printed fabric, free-motion embroidery, and thread painting into richly layered narrative quilts.
RUSSELL BARRATT — UKWithin / Without
Russell transforms secondhand clothing and household textiles into exuberant, unexpected textile collages that celebrate color, texture, and reinvention.
THE QUILT COLLECTION — UKThe Story Beneath the Stitch
The Quilters' Guild Collection presented historic and contemporary quilts that displayed quilting as creative expression across generations. Collections Assistant Roupal Jain is pictured with the Ridehalgh Quilt — a spectacular late-1800s velvet-and-silk mosaic quilt measuring 80" × 82", with pristine gold braid outlining every piece.
SAQA — InternationalCamouflage
Members of Studio Art Quilt Associates featured the magic of wildlife concealment in this year's themed exhibition. Two of my favorites:
Uncompahgre Fritillary by Launa Rubin (USA)
Green Pepper and Gecko by Mieko Washio (Japan)
SPEAK THEIR NAME — UK
Memorial Quilts
Each commemorative square in the six displayed quilts honors someone lost to suicide. Together, the quilts form a moving memorial while raising awareness and offering support to bereaved families and friends across the UK.
MODERN QUILT GUILD — USASelections From QuiltCon 2026
Twenty outstanding quilts represented highlights from the Modern Quilt Guild's annual QuiltCon exhibition, showcasing the breadth and innovation of today's modern quilting movement.
Bringing an exhibition to the Festival of Quilts requires far more than making exceptional artwork! Every gallery represents years of creative vision, careful planning, transportation, installation, and countless hours of behind-the-scenes work.
Together, these remarkable exhibitions remind us that quilts are not simply objects — they are powerful works of art with stories to tell.
I am truly thankful for everyone’s dedication and determination to bring their work to the Festival.
TO SEE MORE BLOG POSTS ABOUT FESTIVAL OF QUILTS 2026:
winning quilts at FOQ 2026 +click here
competition quilts at FOQ 2026 :: part one +click here
competition quilts at FOQ 2026 :: part two +click here
the beauty of japan at FOQ 2026 +click here
something unexpected at FOQ 2026 +click here
red poppies at FOQ 2026 +click here
peeps, shopping & learning at FOQ 2026 +click here
