There’s nothing quite like a quilt
Textile artist Helen Spence pictured with her work "Baptistry Window" which is on display at the "More Cushy Numbers" exhibition at 78 Dergnate in Northampton.
THERE is something very special about a quilt. During the 1990s, the idea was exemplified in the Winona Ryder film How To Make an American Quilt, in which a bride-to-be heard tales of romance and sorrow from her elders as they constructed a quilt.
And this notion is no Hollywood myth.
Over time, particularly in America, hand-made quilts have been associated with the marking of special family events and preserving of memories.
Thanks to my American hubby’s family, my own cupboard is well stocked with flowered quilts, coverlets and hand-knitted blankets gifted during my bridal shower in Denver and wedding in the UK. And, every time they are taken out, they act as a reminder of a happy time.
So it was with appreciation that I visited the newly-launched exhibition More Cushy Numbers at 78 Derngate, which showcases the art of quilt-making practised here in Northamptonshire.
And I had no idea it was quite so prevalent right here in the county.
This exhibition alone contains the work of four groups: the Hamtune Quilters from Parklands in Northampton, the Barton Patchers from Earls Barton, the Chapter House Quilters of Weedon and the Higham Piecemakers in Higham Ferrers.
Spread throughout an entire floor of the building, the exhibition includes examples of patchwork and quilting, including everything from Christmas-themed pieces, to a gardening-themed quilt, to more abstractly designed work and Rennie Mackintosh-inspired designs.
Peering at each quilt, it is easy to see just how much time and effort has gone into them.
The exhibition has been put together by a team including quilting teacher Helen Spence, enthusiast Ann Harris and 78 Derngate house manager Alison Sutherland-Kay.
Helen and Barton Patchers member Lynn Watts talked me through just why quilting is so popular in Northamptonshire.
Helen said: “I think it was a few years ago when it really had its big revival.”
Lynn said: “It was the American bicentenary in the 70s and that had a huge impact on American quilting interest and then that came over here as well. They started looking at their family histories and their ancestors.”
Helen added: “It originally started in England and then went over to America. As I understand it, it started in the Middle Ages as when men went to war the armour used to cut their skin, so they started putting sacking with straw between it to protect the skin. Then the women got involved and said ‘we can make it better than that’.”
Lynn said: “The settlers who went over to America had very little and their clothes did not last well. They had to make use of everything, even sacks.”
Helen first came to an interest in patchwork and quilting about 15 years ago and nowadays she even teaches the skills at the Poppy Patch shop in Great Doddington.
But why is quilting still so widely practised?
Helen said: “I think it is very therapeutic. There was an article in a national paper recently about it being very good for stress relief. It is a hobby you can really get lost in.
“There is such a variety of things you can do. With things like knitting you can be still working from someone else’s patterns but with patchwork you can really make something that is your own. There are so many patterns that you can go on forever and not run out of ideas.”
n The More Cushy Numbers exhibition will run until April 22. To find out more, log onto www.78derngate.org.uk
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