A QUILTING group has celebrated its 35th anniversary with an exhibition at Newport’s Lysaght Institute.

Crowds of more than100 people - include one visitor from North Wales - visited the first day of the two-day exhibit hosted by Gwent Quilters. Around 200 individual quilts in all shapes, sizes and intricate coloured patterns were made by the group’s 30-strong membership, which draws from members from all parts of the region.

The event also included a trader’s stalls, a tombola and other activities.

According to Gwent Quilters’ chair Tessa Perry, who has been a member for six years, the hobby can be an “addicting one”.

“There’s so many ways you can that you can go about making a quilt, from the materials to the different skills that you develop,” she said.

“If you think about a regular quilt that would go on a normal bed, that would take about 100 hours.

“Obviously those that are more intricate can take even longer, so it’s definitely a time-consuming hobby - there’s no such thing as a quick quilt.”

Many of the members present at the exhibit last week had been in and around the group since it was founded in the 1980s.

According to Mrs Murray, the original members had been young mothers that have grown up with the hobby and are now grandmothers.

The group, which is “always on the lookout for new members”, meets on the fourth Saturday of every month at the YMCA in Mendalgief Road, Newport, from 10am til 4pm.

For more information, visit gwentquilters.weebly.com.