The Quilters’ Guild of the
'Our Patch'
The Region 1 Newsletter
Last updated 1st November 2009
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of the
Quilty Secrets at the
Mon-Fri 9-7, Sat 9-5, Sun
10-5. Entry Free. http://www3.hants.gov.uk/wdc/wdc-gallery.htm
It was well
worth the day trip from South London to
The
Hampshire historic collection spans three centuries and includes examples of
many types of work from an 18th century silk coverlet of extraordinary
colour and condition to
a Crazy Red Cross quilt from the 1940s. Hexagons feature prominently but
with many variations including a patchwork banner using hexagons to spell out a
peace slogan from 1814 and an unfinished hexagon shaped quilt with
concentric rows of tiny hexagons. I suspect the maker did not know how to
finish it!. The standard of the collection shown
here is high with wonderful examples of 19th Century work in particular
including appliqué and frame quilts. The NE England Strippy red and white quilt, the
The display
cabinets contain folded quilts, unfinished paper pieced work, needlework boxes
and patchwork and quilted clothes. There is a small display on the work
of Muriel Rose with the Rural Industries Bureau who commissioned quilts and
textiles during the 1930s from
Photographs without flash are permitted for personal
use and the lighting in the gallery, although low, produced good results
The show is
on only until 15th November and there are neither catalogues nor
postcards, however the curator who was on hand told us that a website was
planned for the quilts and she kindly gave me a copy of the outline
catalogue. The Jane Austen quilt will be returning to Chawton
after the show and will not be going to the V&A, although a request was
made, as they wish it to stay in Hampshire for the Centenary year in 2010.
The 2010 Raffle Quilt by Jane Steward
and Laurelle Morgan-Bruce ‘Snail Trail’
Tickets
on
Regional Day 6th
June 2009
Helen Deighan
Some of the Little Gems Quilts Challenge
Little Gems Challenge Winner – Cyanotype Quilt by
I'd be
willing to bet my very last fat quarter that there was no one who went
home after June's Regional Day without at least one new practical tip or
creative idea that they simply couldn't wait to try out. In fact, I
suspect that most people's heads were spinning with the wealth of information
on offer. Each element of the packed day seemed designed to educate and inspire
in equal measure and rarely has the cliché "something for everyone"
seemed so appropriate.
Even before I had fully entered the hall, I was dazzled by
a jewel-bright display on a table at the front that whetted my
appetite for things to come. After introductions to the new committee
members, these fabrics, quilts and textile pots were revealed to be the
work of Helen Deighan, the first speaker, a prolific
author and quiltmaker best known for her first book Dyeing in Plastic Bags ― a phrase
familiar to very many quiltmakers. I was fascinated
to learn that this practical and convenient method of working with dyes ―
which has opened up dying to those who, like me, would never want to engage in
the messy alchemy of huge bubbling vats ― was invented in a bit of a
panic the evening before Helen was due to hold a workshop, and inspired by the
plastic bag of squashed salad that accompanied her family’s Indian takeaway.
The title of another of her books, Magic Dyeing Made Easy, proved to be very apt when she unwrapped lengths of folded fabric to reveal beautiful
tie-dyed patterns, making the audience gasp in amazement as if she had produced
a rabbit from a hat.
In many ways, Helen was the ideal speaker: informative,
professional, generous with the details of her methods and the many samples
that she passed around and, by no means least, highly amusing. (I particularly
liked the anecdote about an illustrator who offered her immediate help after
misinterpreting an email from a third party that referred to “my dyeing
friend’s final book”.)
However, a slide presentation by
Appropriately, Cathy won the “Around the World” challenge
with an intriguing example of sun printing that involved a Photoshopped picture of an arctic exploration ship. Among
the other afternoon activities, Jenny Hollingdale
reprised her Quilt Forum, acting as a quilters’ agony aunt by offering valuable
one-to-one advice on overcoming practical and creative problems. It was lovely
to see some of the quilts that she had looked at during an earlier Regional Day
reappearing in their finished state at Show and Tell. It was a shame that there were so few
entries for Show and Tell, however, and for the Challenge Competition. It would
be lovely to get wider support for both these events (and, yes, I’m guilty on
both counts).
With the addition of traders, a display of European suitcase
quilts and the finished blue-and-white Region One signature quilt ― which
looked wonderful ― a raffle and a bring and buy stall, it was a crowded
day. The fact that all these activities came together so seamlessly is a
tribute to the committee and the other volunteers who worked so hard behind the
scenes to make it all happen.
Valerie Huggins
Nancy Crow in
I
know others have written before about Nancy’s workshops but I spent a week in
La Falera in Switzerland with her this Summer and as
she is planning to run classes at the same place for the next 5 years I though others might like a first
hand account.
La
Falera is a small village perched on the top of the
mountains with stunning views across the valley. Famous for its observatory,
where they discovered a new star, and also for its healthiness and cows -award
winning and with deep cowbells, the village is delightful. The hotel is on the
edge of the village with excellent breakfast and supper (
lunch is sandwiches or DIY) .The course itself is in the brand new
village hall with huge windows which is short walk from the hotel. My fellow
quilters were mainly Swiss or German but many spoke impeccable English and all
were friendly and inspiring.
I
flew cheaply to
This
was my third class with
Lesley
Knox
morsbags
– getting rid of plastic bags
Did
you see the morsbags stand at Festival of
Quilts? If you didn’t, maybe you heard
their bell ringing each time someone made a bag?
morsbags is the brainchild of
Claire Morsman who was horrified to discover how discarded
carrier bags are killing wildlife in our oceans. Increasingly, too, the cows that roam the
streets of
This
is a wonderful way to use those pieces of furnishing fabric that people are
always giving to quilters but which are too heavy or too floral for most
quilting projects. The bags are very quick and easy to make (less than half an
hour for a basic bag) and full instructions for cutting out and making the bags
are available on the morsbags website. I was one
of the first to make a free morsbags fabric
carrier at FOQ on Thursday morning and it was filled to bursting with purchases
by the time I left. However, since I didn’t acquire any more plastic bags
during the day, I arrived home feeling quite virtuous. My plan now is to make enough bags to wrap
all my Christmas presents. That way my
presents will look distinctive and I may even convert some friends and family
to using cloth rather than plastic bags for their shopping.
Visit
the morsbags website at www.morsbags.com and join the QGR1
pod. It would be great if we could reach
a tally of 100 bags by Christmas. Labels
and copies of the making instructions will be available at Regional Day on 3rd
October or by post from me if you send a sae. Please remember though that morsbags must be given away free - you are not allowed to charge for them (although donations can be made via the
website).
Lucy Poloniecka
Kazakh Craftswomen of Mongolia
This delightful exhibition is showing at the Brunei Gallery,
On the lower floor there
is a yurt, a Mongolian round tent, in which the
apparatus of daily life and textiles are displayed. The Kazakh community lives in Bayan-Olgii Aimaz, western
The display of textiles is the result of a year-long project undertaken
by Anna Portisch, who lived with a Kazakh family and
studied domestic craft production by Kazakh women. She worked as an
"apprentice" and learned the skills involved in making felt carpets
and wall hangings. Therefore we get to see not only the carpets and wall
hangings, but we also learn how they are made, through text, photographs and
films. Rugs and wall hangings are made for weddings, each member of the
groom’s family being given one or the other. In return the bride’s family receive gifts of cattle.
We are taken through the laborious processes involved in making felt
carpets, from sheep shearing, felt making, transfer of designs, cutting and sewing the pieces together. The designs are
abstracted forms taken from natural shapes such as Ram's Horn, Camel's Hump,
Bird's Claw, Bird's Beak and others. They are
"positive-negative" or "figure-ground reversal" patterns
using two colours. There are usually several patterns in one carpet:
the colours are traditionally red, black, white, cream, green, blue, yellow. The patterned layer of felt is placed on top
of an undyed layer of felt: they are quilted
together, where the edges of the pattern meet with
a couching stitch and a contrasting third colour
of woollen thread.
The wall hangings are a more intricate form of work. The
background is usually cotton material, with a red velvet border on three sides.
The lower edge is unfinished as these are made to hang behind beds or
other furniture. It is said that if a woman completes the whole border it
signifies that her life’s work is done. The ground is divided into sections by
folding, the designs are transferred using metal stencils and the
prick-and-pounce method, and then the lines are gone over
with milk or soap. The designs are the same as in the
carpets, but more colours are used in an individual piece. The hanging is
stitched onto a frame and then stitched with a hooked needle called a "Bis." The thread is fine wool.
In the yurt there are: three beds with hangings behind them, and
valances along the front, small rugs on the floor and on the beds, lots of
cushions, painted wooden chests, a table with a small sewing machine turned by
hand, a stove with a wok, small chairs. A cream-coloured
cloth with an appliquéd border covers the ceiling, and there are squares of
applied material arranged on it. It is a feast of colour
and would be a delight for any small child.
Barbara Laine
‘QUILT IN A DAY’ AT
On
the 26th June 2009 17 volunteers headed by Jane Steward and Gill
Burgess descended on the school to complete a project that had been several
months in the making. Sally Fanning,
head of year seven [12 year olds] had, in the Spring, approached the Quilters
Guild to see if they would be interested in doing a one day project with the
school on the girls ‘fun day’ and the idea was passed to Region One.
Jane
and Gill discussed the project and agreed to approach the school to find out
further details. After several
conversations and a school visit it was agreed that we would attempt to help
the girls to each make a ‘mini-quilt’ that would be joined to all the others
with hooks and eyes to make a flexible wall hanging. The thinking behind this was that each girl
would then have a go at each stage of quilt production and those who were not
able to finish in the time available would be able to add theirs at a later date. A design for each block was chosen by Sally
and, although ambitious, she thought that they would be able to cope. Jane then arranged to contact possible
volunteers and Gill got down to producing the workbooks and kits required.
On
the day 95 students and 17 volunteers gathered in the sports hall and were soon
at work. The day proved to be one of the
hottest of the year and we were all glad to see that a steady
supply of cold drinks were available throughout the day. Work progressed at various speeds but the
girls all did their best and I know that Sally was very impressed with what
they achieved, bearing in mind that most had never sewn before! She was also
impressed with how quiet they were! At the end of the day a good proportion had
finished and the rest were going to have a session with Sally the following
week to complete the project. After a very tiring day we all said our good-byes and went away
pleased with what we had achieved. Maybe some of the girls will be
interested enough to carry on stitching?
The
Region benefited in two ways, it showed that we were willing to tackle projects
along these lines and the school gave us £500 for Guild funds. This is going to be equally divided between
YQ projects within the Region and £250 to HQ with a request that it should
again be used for the Young Quilters.
They were also very generous in giving every volunteer £15 towards their
costs for the day so no-one was out of pocket.
I
would like to send a personal thank you to all the members who volunteered to
help, they were fantastic and without them the day would not have been
possible.
Gill
Burgess.
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