quilting
Gleneagles Ps & Qs
Photo Essay
The quilters of Heald Green United Reform Church in Stockport meet every Monday evening for several hours to quilt and craft.
Desert Island Days
‘We sometimes do a "Desert Island Day", on a Saturday, we are stranded in the church hall from 10-4pm with only our sewing machines and fabric for company. What a hardship!’
Lynn, Committee Member
The all-day Saturday session welcomes more heavy-duty projects and as a result is a much quieter atmosphere. King size quilts take shape, extensive sewing boxes are brought out and placed on the table and complicated sewing means crafting accessories such as white quilters gloves and mini sewing irons are in use. These days a quite rare (perhaps one every several months) as they must be fitted in around the church’s timetable and there is often a rush to book the hall before the local orchestra gets there first.
Fabric & Quilt Elicitation
Like an image, quilts are made to be shared and appreciated, discussed and critiqued. Practically, quilts are one of the largest needlework projects to undertake, the fabric multiplies, growing from the first panel on the quilter's lap until she can wrap herself up in it as she continues to stitch. They require many hands and large spaces such as community centres and church halls where they can be unfurled and held up with the help of multiple crafters so that eyes can trace the stitching of each block and panel.
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Old fabric retains in it a sacred quality, either it is no longer in print, so it becomes revered like a rare book. The stash was a precious collection, material relics of different eras were unearthed. In the non-patterned edges of fabric roles, the name of the design is printed in this blank space, those knowledgeable in the history of material could be seen reading these tiny strips and identifying the precious gems.
Mary & the linen quilt
Fabric Elicitation
Mary's linen quilt hadn’t been touched for two years, bundled away in annoyance due to the nature of its unforgiving fabric. After being worked on again she was adamant that she would not give it away, the amount of time saturated into the weave meant she was keeping it, it would go on her bed.
