OLD TRADITIONS l memory quilts
MaryBloomfieldCoverlet(seepage80),
whichcontainspowerfulexcerptsof religious
passages,mainlyrelatingto thedeath
of a child.However,in anunashamedly
sentimentalquilt,I chooseinsteadto
celebratemotherhoodbyfeaturingquotes
fromsomeof mychildren’smosttreasured
books(seebelow).Butallfamilieshave
bothsadas wellas happytimesandto
memorialisethetruthyouneedto represent
both.MysmallwallhangingThereAreNo
Words(right),a siblingpieceto TheText
of Childhood,wasmadeat a timeof pain
afterthelossof mychildin pregnancy.Like
theoriginalBloomfieldmaker,I foundgreat
solacein stitchas a way to process my grief
and sadness.Dothefabricsyouuse hold a certain
significancetoo?
I’vealwaysusedclothingandrecycled
fabricsfromfamilymembersbecauseof
thehugeemotionalweighttheyimpart.
I alsolovefabricthatis linkedto a feeling
ora place– andas a geographer,I confess
to a weaknessformapprints.I believethat
thefabricsusedareintrinsicto a quiltbeing
ableto conveya senseof when, where and
by whom it was made.Whodoyoumakeyourmemory quilts
for,if notforyourself?
I sewformyfamily.I loveto feelthatI am
stitchingthema legacyto sharewithfuture
generations.ButI alsolookforwaysto
addcluesfortomorrow’sresearchers– for
example,I loveto includetheredkite,a
birdI seeeverydaywhereI live.A quilt
embodyingyourowntimeandplace,and
yourfamily’suniqueandquirkylives,is
a preciousthing– youcan’t buy it and
therefore it is priceless.Topright ,ThereAreNoWordsbyDeb
McGuire:20insquare.Thissmallquilt
wasmadein reactiontotheEdwinand
MaryBloomfieldCoverlet.Thelossof
a childin pregnancyis oftenmetwith
awkward,painfulsilence.Thetexts
surroundingthecentralhexagons
containthewords,bothgoodand
misjudged,thatoftenfill that silence
whena babyis lost
Left,TheTextofChildhoodby
DebMcGuire:76insquare.Debhas
recordedquotesfromherchildren’s
favouritechildhoodbooksasa way
ofcapturingthewordsofchildren’s
worlds.Seetheindividualquotesand
theirbooksourcesonDeb’swebsite
(see Further information above)FURTHER
INFORMATION
TheV&A’sAnnWest
Coverletis a wool
patchworkandappliqué
piecemadein 1820byAnn
West,possiblyin Wiltshire.
Aswellasreligious
imagery,it containsmany
panelsdepicting19th-
centurycharactersand
occupations,including
whatappeartobeportraits
oflocalpeople.Findout
moreatwww.collections.
vam.ac.uk/item/O134051/
coverlet-west-annIn 2018,BBCRadio4 made
a programmecalledMoving
Pictureswhichtakesan
in-depthlookattheV&A’s
AnnWestCoverlet.You
canlistentothis28-minute
programmeatwww.bbc.
co.uk/programmes/b09ly6rkInterestedin makingyour
ownmemoryquilt?Deb
recommendsModern
MemoryQuilts:A handbook
forcapturingmeaningful
momentsbySuzanne
Paquette(C&TPublishing,
2019).Thebookcontains
practicalprojectstoshow
readersa varietyofways
tocreatepersonalised
quilts,suchasincorporating
motifs,photographsor
favourite clothing.Discovermoreabout Deb’s
lifeandworkat
http://www.plainstitch.co.uk@plainstitchdebPHOTOGRAPHY: ARTIST’S OWN IMAGEPHOTOGRAPHY: ARTIST’S OWN IMAGE