tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post8107800559823049612..comments2024-03-25T09:56:16.164+00:00Comments on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: Quilts 1700-2010 by Adèle GerasUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-46891750880861349512010-06-28T08:49:20.013+01:002010-06-28T08:49:20.013+01:00And by the way, Apricots at Midnight was my first ...And by the way, Apricots at Midnight was my first Adele Geras, read about 3 years ago when I first started blogging. Great stuff.harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04470091985662379182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-61269625628918882012010-06-28T08:48:06.518+01:002010-06-28T08:48:06.518+01:00I just saw this exhibition yesterday and loved it ...I just saw this exhibition yesterday and loved it as much as everyone else. I did a bit of quilting years ago and am now inspired to start again -- bought a book and some fabric to get me started. Thanks for this great review.harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04470091985662379182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-74823510448762193932010-05-25T08:45:53.833+01:002010-05-25T08:45:53.833+01:00I loved this exibition too. I hope to go again bef...I loved this exibition too. I hope to go again before it closes with my best friend who has made quilts herself. Have you seen the beautiful quilts in The American Museum just outside Bath? It's well worth a visit if you are ever in the west country.Joanna Troughtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15041828379147594493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-90087931605581754382010-05-24T10:54:46.297+01:002010-05-24T10:54:46.297+01:00I have a group of friends who are quilt-makers and...I have a group of friends who are quilt-makers and who live in Jeddah, where I lived for several years. Their different nationalities and their very different experiences of life there are all reflected in the beautiful quilts they create and the stories behind each patch are equally amazing.<br />The quilt exhibition at the V&A will be my next stop. Thanks for highlighting it, Adele.Savita Kalhanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07977368691995933130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-12817010703237063432010-05-24T00:48:16.852+01:002010-05-24T00:48:16.852+01:00Yes, the same sort of thing Dianne and the same so...Yes, the same sort of thing Dianne and the same sort of thrift and need. We have a quilt and craft fair here each year. There are often works of art on display but they do not 'speak' in the same way.catdownunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06959328192182156574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-8805917660387027342010-05-23T21:54:18.126+01:002010-05-23T21:54:18.126+01:00This sounds wonderful. I have had a secret yen to...This sounds wonderful. I have had a secret yen to make quilts ever since reading the Green Knowe books as a child where Mrs Oldknowe makes quilts from the clothes of people who have once lived in the house. Lucy Boston's own quilts can still be seen displayed at Hemingford Grey Manor in Cambridgeshire and they are works of art to equal her books.Katherine Langrishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529700103932422873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-23228301570291017032010-05-23T19:02:54.767+01:002010-05-23T19:02:54.767+01:00Catdownunder... your war time quilts in flour bags...Catdownunder... your war time quilts in flour bags and hessian sound similar to one on display at the V&A except this was in bits and scraps of old uniform...serges and drill fabric... in greys and khaki and navy with a recording of a woman's voice from the time telling how they met in one another's houses and how hard it was to find fabric. These were quilts of need rather than purely decorative but the pragmatic voice together with sombre colours of the quilt highlighted that same 'wonderful sociological history', that you mention.Dianne Hofmeyrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18222157214605257030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-17821848673970610272010-05-23T18:17:56.167+01:002010-05-23T18:17:56.167+01:00I feel horribly ignorant, now. I have a friend who...I feel horribly ignorant, now. I have a friend who has always been an avid quilter (quilt-maker?) and I feel ashamed that all I've done is say "how clever" / "how pretty" instead of actually understanding the history and story behind it. Thank you, Adele, for opening my eyes! I won't be able to get to the actual exhibition but I'm going to visit those sites now.Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-58098730348705471232010-05-23T13:13:59.943+01:002010-05-23T13:13:59.943+01:00I loved this exhibition, too. Interestingly, I was...I loved this exhibition, too. Interestingly, I was less taken by the contemporary quilters who had little plaques explaining the motivation behind their work. The anonymous work of quilters from hundreds of years ago - or stuck in a prison today - spoke to me much more. The Wandsworth prison quilt was by far my favourite. And I must confess to buying some fabric in the shop afterwards!karen ballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05595346107578248030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-85380521411020305422010-05-23T10:32:40.855+01:002010-05-23T10:32:40.855+01:00Thanks for all the comments! I wish wish wish I co...Thanks for all the comments! I wish wish wish I could come to your workshop, Dianne. And Juliette, I'm delighted you enjoyed Apricots at Midnight...thanks. Of course, you're right Michelle, seeing the makers would have been good too, but I guess you have to draw the line somewhere. And yes, I loved Pauline Burbridge too.adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826710558292792068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-20271553419600039742010-05-23T05:21:44.761+01:002010-05-23T05:21:44.761+01:00I am so glad you chose to write about the exhibiti...I am so glad you chose to write about the exhibition, Adele, becauses you are right: it is ALL about stories. And the convict ladies' surprisingly ladylike quilt was my favourite too. <br /><br />My only criticism of the show was that I wanted more images - paintings or photos - of the women (and men) at work on the quilts. Such pics as I have seen elsewhere showed a quietly intense interaction between the participants.<br /><br />The Strawberry Hill exhibition next door is good too.michelle lovrichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01026972300195225090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-13147148009124484642010-05-22T23:33:35.577+01:002010-05-22T23:33:35.577+01:00A bit off topic, but I just wanted to say how much...A bit off topic, but I just wanted to say how much I LOVED Apricots at Midnight as a child. It's a beautiful, beautiful book with a little something for everybody - my favourite story had a supernatural, spooky feel to it but most were realistic historical stories, some the kids-fighting sort that other kids love - which my parents bought me because they loved the cover design, showing the central patchwork quilt. I'm so sad to hear that it's out of print - I hope it is resurrected, because it's a gem and deserves to enchant new generations as much as it did me!Juliettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00203399623895589924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-58481710714492757992010-05-22T22:44:33.064+01:002010-05-22T22:44:33.064+01:00Quilts often tell a wonderful social history! We h...Quilts often tell a wonderful social history! We had a magnificent and moving display of war time quilts here in Australia. Some were made from rough hessian sugar bags and flour bags. They were interspersed with some more modern pictorial quilts. I was working on the display next to the quilts at an exhibition and people kept going back to look at the quilts again and again. Get to yours if you can!catdownunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06959328192182156574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-28445321419850464672010-05-22T21:54:54.017+01:002010-05-22T21:54:54.017+01:00Lovely post Adele... and yes I thought this a marv...Lovely post Adele... and yes I thought this a marvellous exhibition and found the work done by the Wandsworth Prisoners under the guidance of Fine Cell Work very moving esp. when I found a square done by a prisoner obviously longing for his African home. But it wasn't just the traditional quilts...it was the modern work of artists like Pauline Burbridge with black and white pieces that looked like fine etchings of watery, reeded landscapes but were in fact stitched and quilted, that were magnificent. The V&A have gone from strength to strength to create a dynamic experience. The new Ceramic Gallery, right at the top under the cupolas is brilliant too. In 2 weeks time I'm doing a one day workshop at the V&A on 'Digital Photographs in Stitched Textiles' which I'm hoping will be story-telling with a difference... in fact exactly what quilts are. A great post... thank you!Dianne Hofmeyrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18222157214605257030noreply@blogger.com