The Story of the Bonkers Quilt
A worldwide community project and how it came to be.
This unique, vibrant, hand-stitched "crazy quilt” was created by over 100 people from ten different countries all around the world and is set to be auctioned at the end of 2026 to raise funds for Medecins Sans Frontieres (AKA Doctors Without Borders).
It all started with a relaxing afternoon of "slow-stitching" in the sunshine, hosted by Jo Hall from UK-based company Bazaar at Sussex Prairie Gardens in the summer of 2025. This seed of an idea blossomed into a global textile art project, brought together by Annie Claxton (AKA Arty Farty Annie – that’s me!), through my YouTube channel and online community.
I’m so proud of our wonderful quilt - it’s a joyful riot of colour and texture, an expression of our love of stitching scraps of fabric into something beautiful, and a celebration of our creativity and friendship – and now it’s also going to enable us to support a very worthy cause, when it’s auctioned at the end of the year.
True to its name, the Bonkers Quilt follows the Victorian "crazy quilt" tradition, where individual patches of different shapes and sizes are placed in a random fashion on the background, then decorative stitching is added to secure and unify everything.
The whole project was made from upcycled textiles and fabric scraps – we used rescued textiles from the famous Bazaar Indian scrap bundles and raided our own scrap stashes. The interlining was waste from curtain-making and the backing was an antique damask tablecloth, both donated by community members.
There were no rules regarding materials, techniques, or colour, which resulted in a wonderfully chaotic and eclectic style, which I love. It’s a fascinating combination of textile arts and crafts, including embroidery, beading, weaving, applique, crochet and more.
Anyone was welcome to add a piece to the quilt, and if they weren’t able to join us in person, they were invited to send their contribution to me by post, so I could add it to the quilt on their behalf. Makers ranged from 7 years old to 80+, and in several cases, multiple generations of a family worked together. Some were expert stitchers, whereas others had never picked up a needle before, and it was lovely to see people helping and encouraging each other and enjoying the time together.
After the in-person workshop, I brought the quilt home to continue the work – lots of stitching was needed to secure everything, fill the gaps and blend it all into one crazy, chaotic, but cohesive piece. Over the following weeks, more pieces continued to come in, people also sent in extra scraps and doodads to fill all the wonky spaces. It took hundreds of hours of decorative stitching, then backing, tying and binding, but at last it is finished and ready to send out into the world!
It was such a joy and an honour to work on this project, and I'm so proud of what we’ve created. Every single piece was stitched with so much love and care that it can’t help but be beautiful. The variety of materials, styles, and techniques gives the quilt its incredible texture and unique look, but it’s the people and the stories behind the stitches that make it truly special.
Read the full storyAfter being displayed at various venues in the UK, the Bonkers Quilt will be sold via eBay auction at the end of 2026. In a vote held by the community, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was chosen as the sole beneficiary. 100% of the proceeds will go toward providing medical care where it is needed most.
The Bonkers Quilt is more than a piece of textile art; it is a symbol of what happens when a far-flung community turns small acts of creativity into something lasting—and shares it for the good of others.
