There are some makers whose work feels instantly familiar. Not because you’ve seen the quilt before, but because the spirit of it feels lived-in. Carolyn Forster is one of those artists. Her quilts have the warmth of things that have been handled, cherished, and stitched with a kind of thoughtful ease. There’s an honesty to her approach: materials gathered slowly, ideas sparked by old block patterns or the corner of a fabric bolt, everything guided by instinct rather than grand plans or rigid rules.
In this episode of Textile Talk with Carolyn Forster, we chat to the quilt artist who has spent decades championing accessible making. Carolyn is a teacher, author, wanderer, scrap-user, and unabashed lover of “stitichy things”. She has stitched since childhood and followed that thread all the way into an extraordinary professional life. Her impressive range of books have shaped how so many of us understand process and portability. More importantly, they invite us to explore new things, not seek perfection and always encourage us to follow our own rhythm.
What makes Carolyn special is the way she works with history while staying firmly rooted in the everyday. Her quilts sit somewhere between memory and momentum. She doesn’t approach patchwork from a place of elitism or precision-for-precision’s-sake. Instead, she opens doors. She reminds us that quilting can happen at the kitchen table, in the car park at a quilt show, or on the the sofa at night. She teaches us that creativity thrives wherever we choose to carry it.
This conversation winds through early influences, stitched histories, the unexpected turns of her career, the delight of teaching, the quiet rebellion of resisting the “quilt police,” and the satisfaction of using what we already have. Plus, don’t miss your chance to win a singed copy of her latest book The Easy Guide to Machine Quilt Making.
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Textile Talk with Carolyn Forster
Textile Talk with Carolyn Forster
Listen to the episode on your favourite podcast platform or click the link below to listen now.
A Creative Life Shaped by Curiosity, Scrap Bags and Serendipity
Carolyn’s journey into quilting didn’t begin with a grand plan or a formal apprenticeship. Instead, it grew out of the humblest, most familiar beginnings: childhood craft projects, a seamstress mother, and a house where fabric was always within reach. Listen tot he episode to discover how creativity often takes root long before we recognise it. Carolyn’s early experiments with hexagons, hand stitching and home economics lessons gently evolved into a lifelong practice. Proving that the most meaningful artistic paths often unfold by accident. It’s a reassuring reminder that you don’t need the ‘perfect start’ to build a beautifully creative life.
Blending the Past with the Present: How History Shapes Carolyn’s Contemporary Work
Carolyn speaks with real warmth about the quilt makers who came before us. The women working from necessity, the improvised scrap quilts that never made it into museums, the simple blocks that travelled from hand to hand across generations. This conversation reveals how deeply she draws from textile history, not to replicate it but to reinterpret it with a modern eye. Listeners learn how research, old block books, museum archives and even podcasts feed into her design language, influencing everything from fabric choices to construction methods. For quilters seeking a deeper connection to tradition, her approach is both grounding and inspiring.
Working with Intuition: Letting Fabric Lead the Way
One of the most compelling parts of the interview is Carolyn’s honesty about process. She doesn’t design quilts through computer software or colour wheels. Instead, she works instinctively, starting with the fabric she already has and sketching ideas in black pen on gridded paper. We explore how she allows her stash, her scraps, and the pleasure of simple repetition to guide her. There’s great comfort in hearing an expert quilter admit she often doesn’t know where a project will end up. For listeners, it’s an invitation to trust their own instincts a little more and embrace the unexpected turns of making.
Win a FREE Signed Copy
Simply, subscribe to receive our newsletter. Existing subscribers may apply and entries close on 7th January.
Competition open to UK residents only. Prizes can only be posted to a UK address.
A Deep Love of Scraps, Strings and Sustainable Making
In our previous interview with Carolyn Forster, we learned all about her approach of infusing old techniques with contemporary designs. And her commitment to using leftovers: string piecing, selvedges, scraps from years of projects. All of these offer a powerful reminder that sustainable quilting isn’t a new idea, nor does it need to be complicated. Her scrap quilts become little autobiographies of previous makes, with colours and textures resurfacing years later. Carolyn explains how resourcefulness has always been part of her practice and why it enriches creativity rather than limiting it. For quilters who feel overwhelmed by their stash or guilty about waste, Carolyn’s approach feels liberating, achievable and deeply rooted in quilting tradition.
Freedom Over Perfection: Rejecting the ‘Quilt Police’
Carolyn talks candidly about her early experiences of being told she was “doing it wrong”. She explains how she gently resisted the pressure to conform. This portion of the conversation dives into why rules can be helpful in some spaces (like judged shows) but suffocating in everyday making. She reflects on asymmetry, imperfection, intuitive choices and why personal expression should always come before perfect points. This is one of the most empowering themes of the podcast, especially for students and emerging makers who fear making mistakes. It’s a heartfelt reminder: creativity thrives when you give yourself permission.
The Joy of Teaching and the Importance of Creative Community
Teaching emerges as Carolyn’s greatest passion. She talks about why she adores working with groups and the exchange of ideas. She loves witnessing the moment a technique “clicks,” and the simple pleasure of stitching alongside others. She describes preparing handwork for travel, planning portable projects, and encouraging students to develop their own style rather than simply copying patterns. For listeners, this offers insight into not only Carolyn’s teaching philosophy but also the wider world of textile learning. Where community, conversation and encouragement are often as valuable as technique.
Listen now to Textile Talk with Carolyn Forster.
