Jayne Evans

Jayne started quilting when she signed up for adult education classes one September about 25 years ago at Lanwood School in Pontypridd with Clare Claridge. When the January term started only Jayne turned up so she transferred to a small group who met in each other’s houses in Caerphilly. She still meets with 2 of the original group.

She likes hand quilting as she can pick it up and work on it in front of the TV but also does other work including machine made quilts. In fact she tackles a wide variety of techniques including hexagons, baby appliqué quilts and traditional quilting and patchwork – she is a member of Sonia Fox’s traditional Welsh quilting group. Jayne likes to learn lots of techniques and then use them for her own ideas.

Jayne’s favourite themes include Celtic imagery, myths and nature. This is shown in some of her work. Last year she started on a series of wall hangings based on Celtic images including interlacing and Celtic animals and she is now half way through the last one.

She also loves dragons and folklore and is doing a folklore course at Cardiff university which has fuelled her imagination to produce a hanging in silk and cotton.

She is currently making another fabulous dragon quilt. It is made from a throw her sister bought for her in Northern France. She luckily spotted some co-ordinating fabric the Exeter Quilt Show for the back. It has taken a year so far to quilt around the printed pattern of the Chinese dragon but it is only one of many projects she is currently working on.

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Another favourite theme is nature – particularly the coast. This can be seen in her Shipping Forecast Quilt that she is making for her sister Jill.

The pattern is from the Book “Hearty Good Wishes” by Janet Clare and the fabric is from The Patchwork House also designed by her to go with the book. The back spells out the nickname she bestowed on her sister as a child – Jilly Dando. The illustrations she drew and coloured herself from “The Amazing Alphabet” by Pam Holland.

Jayne also finds time to pursue her interest in Gold and White work embroidery. If this is not enough she also finds time to run half marathons including the one in Cardiff in October and all the training that it involves. A busy and talented lady.