Sunday 8 November 2015, 2-5pm
As the days start to get chillier, we’re launching a cosy winter project to make a quilt for the Garden, led by textile artist Katherine May.
We’ll be in the Pineapple House, with the wood-burning stove keeping us warm, working together to make a communal piece. You can come to one session or to all – at this stage we are planning one a month. Please bring 1-2 items of clothing or textiles that you no longer wear or want. It should be an item that you are happy to contribute to the group. Think about the story of the garment: Where did it come from and why do you no longer wear it? You can also bring any hand sewing materials you already have at home to complement your materials, and any scissors, needles, thread, scrap fabric etc that you like to work with. A selection of hand-sewing/cutting/unpicking tools will also be provided.
You don’t need to book and you don’t need to be experienced in sewing!
Here’s how Katherine describes her inspiration and work;
“This project is an ode to the women’s of ‘Gee’s Bend’, a community of quilt makers residing at the bend of the Alabama River. Their practice of quilt making for their families by using up all available fabric scraps and old clothing, has guided my own practice in contemplating the life of materials through collecting, unpicking, growing and sharing. Their quilts were used within the home to keep warm – hanging over windows or spread on their beds. When they were not in use, the quilts were hung outside to refresh in the air.”
Quilt Garden
garden;
verb. to lay out, to cultivate, to tend a garden.
To garden, to quilt;
to lay out, to arrange a variety of pieces of parts.
To prepare, to devote oneself to sew up between pieces of cloth
to the growth of the pieces,
to the cultivation of a group of stitchers.
To tend, to care for
broken or unused pieces of clothing or cloth.
To attend to our work composed of patches,
attentive to working together
Katherine May