We’re starting to create a UAL community quilt, inviting students across UAL campuses, regardless of their course, to join in. The idea is for students to create a 13.5 cm x 37 cm, quilt patch, leaving a 1 cm border from your design and the patch edge for sewing purposes.  

We want the quilt to explore the theme of burnout and are asking students: 

- How do you overcome burnout?  

- How do you ground yourself? 

- Where do you find recharging energies? 

You don’t have to have all the answers or be amazing at sewing or even make something aesthetically pleasing; it’s a quilt patch for you and a physical process to make a visual reminder of the tools you can use to support your wellbeing. In the spirit of this collaborative endeavour, we’d ask you to give us the patch you make, so we can use it to create a UAL community quilt. 

We’re excited to bring this project to life. Once we have all the patch submissions, we’ll sew them together to create a community quilt. We believe it will serve as a powerful visual resource and a meaningful reminder for students across the university... 

“Quilts are tender, fierce and reliable. They are provocative and reparative. Quilts hold people and stories. As they conform to the unique shape of a body beneath the cascading surface, they affirm the vitality of love and safety”

- Jess Bailey, Short Radical Histories of Quilting, 2024. 

Ways to get involved: 

In-person: Join one of our quilting bee* workshops to create your own quilt patch and contribute to your UAL community quilt. 

*What is a quilting bee? A social gathering where people can meet, share advice, and work together sewing quilts. 

Use our provided materials or bring your own to craft a personal patch that represents methods and things that help you avoid or overcome burnout. 

Our quilting bee workshop will explore: 

• Learning basic hand-sewing techniques 

• Investigating different methods of quilt patch making 

• Exploring self-care practices needed for sustained wellbeing  

• Looking at examples of community quilt projects 

• Contributing to a communal visual reminder for yourself and others when burnout is on the horizon 

All sewing experience levels welcome and materials provided. 

Book your place on one of our quilting bees taking place in-person at: 

• LCF - 11/02/25: www.arts-su.com/ents/event/6375/ 

We'll also be giving away free hot drinks in the Arts SU office at LCF before the event, coming on your own or fancy a tea or coffee this is for you: www.arts-su.com/ents/event/6553/ 

• Wimbledon - TBC 

• Camberwell - TBC 

Any current UAL student, regardless of your course or college, is welcome to attend or join in with this project! 

Don’t have time to join the workshop, or want to join in from home?

Sign up for our quilt-at-home kits to make your patch in your own time

Check out our quilting Padlet here: Padlet_Arts SU 'UAL Community Quilt' 

(You will need to be signed in on your UAL account to access this.)

We're hoping to have all the quilting patches back by April 2026, with a deadline of 01/05/2026

What skills can you gain from this opportunity? 

By engaging with this opportunity, we hope you will develop your skills in –  

For those who attend the in-person events: 

• Communication and Collaboration 

• Creative and Conceptual Skills  

• Cultural and Contextual Awareness 

For those joining in at home:

• Creative and Conceptual Skills  

• Cultural and Contextual Awareness 

Arts Programme Skills Recognition Framework