Smiles all round!

In this up-coming week the girls will be having their last sessions at the Residential care homes, which I’m sure they’ll all be disappointed about because they have been loving the experience and they’ve been telling us so!

Firstly,  the girls have been telling me how rewarding they find the experience. Each week they come back with so many stories, little anecdotes and beautiful work.

All the girls have commented about how lovely the activities co-ordinators are within the homes they’ve been visiting. Each one is really excited about the project and so pleased that the girls are there giving their time to interact with the residents. But they love doing it! One of the girls even comments about how they ran over their allotted time within the Residential care home because they were enjoying themselves so much chatting away and working with the residents!

There are such positive comments regarding the residents responses too. Each of the girls in the care homes have noted a particular few who really engage in the making of the work, whilst others are far more open to talking about their life experiences. But it is noted by the girls that when they’re visiting smiles are seen on the faces of the residents, and even the staff!

One of the great things about the project is that not only does it affect the residents within the Residential care homes, but the staff who work there and even people who are visiting. I’ve been told that at Whitchurch Residential care home, when one of the residents had their daughter visit she also began to help stitch away!

As I mentioned in this previous post  Quilting is very much a community craft- it draws people together. This is becoming more appropriate and evident with each visit the girls have. Each visit builds up the bond between the girls, the residents, the staff and everyone else who is touched by this experience. 

Whilst flicking through her photo album Penny also found these snaps of the exciting goodies that can be found in the suitcases.

Now, I briefly mentioned before that each group of girls would take in a Red Suitcase full of crafty things to help them, and now you can see exactly what treats are inside. The suitcases are full of all things a craft lover dreams of: metres of beautiful fabric; embroidery skeins in every colour you’d ever want; enough thread to last a project; pins galore and needles too!; fabrics pens and pencils in a variety of shades; inspirational magazines and books; and enough pairs of scissors for the job!

Another exciting textile treat located inside the suitcases are the hand printed logos by Maisie!  These have nearly all been embroided into, and I cannot wait to show you how creatively the residents have been working to get their names down on to them. Keep your eyes peeled to see how these lovely resources are being used, and to hear about the girls experiences!

Age UK (again!):

After seeing the post on our Age UK training, Penny informed me that she had some photos of the day. As I mentioned in the previous post on it, we all had a great experience learning all about how to work in the Residential care home and the smiles on our faces just exemplify that!

Last week, we received out certificates from the training event too, which was a lovely reminder of the day.

Quilting: a very brief history.

Quilting: what’s it all about?

When beginning this project not many of us girls really knew a great deal about quilting, after a few wise words from Penny our knowledge deepened, but I have found myself wanting to learn more. So I decided to pop into Hereford College of Arts Library and get some books out!

These are the two I selected and have been flicking through this evening: one with a more comprehensive history of quilting, and another with culturally diverse quilts.

The first thing that astounded me was the length of time quilting has been in existence- records indicate the foundations of the technique started in the Orient over 1000 years ago. The skills then travelled Westwards and was utilised in European lands and then into colonial America. It was in North America that social significance became entwined with the quilting.

English, Irish and Scottish immigrants who settled in the new lands in the beginning of the 19^th century began to form parties, and as part of these women would gather to quilt until the dark came and stopped their efforts. Quilts were made for communally for special occasions to show their significance in the society.

It draws a nice parallel to the Red Suitcase Project how the act of quilting builds a community. The project is seeing the breaching of two parts of society who often do not cross paths. It is a way of communication between generations and a way to build a sense of community within Herefordshire. Because at the end of the day that is one of the most brilliant aspects of this project- not the finished quilts, not the exhibition at the Courtyard, but the building of a community and the impact it will have on both generations.