The up and coming Quilts 1700-2010 exhibition at the V&A is going to be a feast of history, story telling and ancient gossip! I cannot wait to see how they did it in the old days when they really cared about making something special to communicate with future generations and hand down along a family line. Not only does this decidedly historic craft look a treat, but it also serves practical purposes, keeping family warm and using up odds and ends of left over fabric, I love a thing which can be both functional and aesthetically rich!
Patchwork has now once more come into Vogue, whether for style or for reasons more akin with the way we are now choosing to live I don't know, a bit of both I expect, but everyone's at it! Workshops, clubs, socials and even inmates are taking up the craft. It is known to be a calming, reflective act...perfect for a group of highly strung inmates at Wandsworth prison to pick up a patch and start to create something stunning to be proud of! The blue and black image above was created by this group, who demonstrated a huge amount of patience, commitment and creativity on making this piece, an amazing and worth-while project, that I think should be spread out amongst community groups, more prisons, day centres, schools etc...I will even start a group patch work in the place we are currently doing up to house the 'New Cross Project' coming later this year!
My personal relationship with patchwork began last year when my mum handed down to me a patchwork she had started with her own mother when she was a little girl but never got round to finishing. I shall soon blog about my progress, the history and stories within this quilt, and the love that it now houses!
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