All about Green Man Quilts
Teaching quilting techniques so you can have fun designing and creating your own marvellous masterpieces.
Hi, I’m Sheena, an experienced quiltmaker and teacher.
I have been sewing since childhood and have loved sharing my knowledge with others for many years.
My passion is teaching – I love working with people to support their learning, to challenge them, and to extend their reach so that they can create the quilt of their dreams!
My Great Aunt Mary (Mary the Great!) started me off on the path to becoming a good stitcher.
It had been strongly suggested at school that I didn’t continue with the sewing classes, after I cut my skirt along the fold line of the pattern, made a pigs ear of the french seams in the nightie and did who knows what damage to the domestic science apron (all we had to do was hem it and chain stitch our initials!).
Those were the 3 projects for that year! Dismal! But I went home, told Auntie Mary about it and in a weekend she taught me more than I had learnt in the whole year. And inspired me to create things of beauty! I entered – and got first prize in the dressmaking competition at school the next year!
My initial interest in quilts came from the Laura Ashley patchwork packs from the 1970s and 80s.
Laura Ashley fed my passion for colour by selling me various bags of fabric – off-cuts, pre-cut hexagons – the lot, and with these I started my journey into quilt making.
As a primary school teacher in the 80s I ran quilting clubs and worked with the children to create items for school fetes and the like.
At this time I was a teacher member of the Quilters’ Guild and supported the Young Quilters team with a variety of workshops. I am no longer involved with Young Quilters though I have maintained my involvement with the Guild, serving as Festival of Quilts Officer from 2016 until 2021 and as a Trustee from 2021 until 2023.
I began to make quilts seriously in 1995 after I first attended a workshop taught by Judith Wilson in St Albans.
Following this super introduction, I attended a number of courses taught by Judith over the next few years. I then successfully completed the City & Guilds Certificate in Craft and Design (Patchwork & Quilting) at Missenden Abbey taught by Barbara Weeks and, after a few years break, the City & Guilds Diploma in Craft and Design (Patchwork & Quilting) at Missenden Abbey taught by Janice Gunner.
I have been influenced by the quilts exhibited at The American Museum, Bath and the V&A; and by many different quilters, a few of whom are referenced in my blog. My inspiration comes from the natural world, folk traditions, story and music and I am particularly drawn to Modern and Improv quilting.
This adventure in craft and design, through quiltmaking, has led both directly and indirectly to some of the pieces on this website…. take a peek!
Aunt Mary the Great
The Green Man Quilts Gallery
Beyond the Ditch Quilting
Radiating lines quilted onto improv circles. hand dyed fabrics in greens and yellows
Ice dyeing result 1
Fabric dyed using ice dyeing technique with golden yellow, magenta and indigo Procion dyes
Back of quilt “Storm on an Amish Sea”
Improv pieced backing, using leftover fabrics from the front of the quilt
Sunshine and Stars Quilt
Blue and Red Tangled Stars block in Wheat (Mustard!) background
Walking the Line 2
Free machine quilting, couching and trapunto based upon a line from The White Horse of Uffington
Walking the Line 1
Transfer printing, free machine quilting and walking foot quilting based upon a line from the White Horse of Uffington
Waistcoat for Ralphie
Silk waistcoat. Applique based on the Green Man’s Eyebrow
Storm over an Amish Sea
Storm at Sea design created in solids based on an Amish Palette.
Stacked Pinwheels
Stacked Pinwheel design using boat picture fabric
Rhodri’s Gecko Quilt
Mixture of applique and stencilled Gecko motifs on ombre background with a pieced insert
Original Harmonic Convergence in hand dyes
4 individual pieces of fabric hand dyed in plastic bags. Ricky Tims’ Original Harmonic Convergence technique. Walking foot quilting
Linen Drunkards Path
Drunkard’s Path blocks bordered on two sides. Walking foot quilted with organic wiggly lines
Hiroshige, the whirlpool and me
Inspired by woodblock print, The Whirlpool at Awa by Hiroshige. Hand dyed fabrics, free hand curved piecing.
Group Quilt – The Strong 4-Patch
International block swap. Walking foot quilting radiating from bottom corners.
Bottom of the Fridge wall hanging
Scrap quilting with whatever leftovers are lying around. Walking foot quilting with straight lines on linen
20 by 20 in 2020
Gathered up and tied, ice dyed, walking foot quilting voiding 20 small squares. Created for a Challenge for the QGBI Modern group.