Summer 2001 Newsletter

 

 

WOMEN INTO THE MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE

10th - 29 April 2001

EXHIBITION REPORT

 

The Challenge was particularly designed to encourage members to create a body of work that demonstrated and stretched skills at all levels of ability. It also enabled quilt makers to express their personal hopes for the future. A minimum/ maximum quilt size was demanded in an effort to both create unity and comply with the restrictions demanded at the venue. An educational/ entertainment slide-show of the work has been prepared and will be offered to other quilt groups and/or in other settings for education and entertainment.

 

A full grant of £300.00 was received from the London Borough of Camden in response to our application to them for help with funding the exhibition.

 

The setting in the Long Gallery at Lauderdale House appealed to us for many reasons. Kate Cox and I first viewed it on a beautiful summer day. Light streamed through the many windows but clearly would not cause a problem for textiles. We discussed the room over an excellent espresso in the coffee shop, looked at the low costs involved and the bonus that our quilts would be able to be seen by many who would not normally visit a quilt show - and we made the decision to use it.

 

Lauderdale House is located in Waterlow Park, Highgate. It is used for craft shows, exhibitions, concerts, wedding receptions and other functions, private sales, adult education, music classes, yoga classes and rehearsals. The park is very beautiful and abuts the famous Highgate Cemetery. There is a good coffee shop and Highgate Village is close by with its restaurants, boutiques and other amenities.

 

The disadvantages were outweighed by the advantages. There was a possibility that we might have to move our stewards from the room at short notice - and it did happen once - and also that we would share the space with a carpet sale at the weekends. However, although the viewing of the quilts was not as fine or focused when the floors were dominated by the carpets - it did mean that this was compensated by having more viewers. Also, we would not have been able to have the building open at weekends if the carpet people had not been there. Another disadvantage was the early closing time of the house.

 

The exhibition was displayed for almost three weeks. During that time it received over 600 visitors as well as captive audiences from the four concerts and other activities held in the Gallery.

 

The response from the public was most positive. Everyone appeared impressed by the quality of the work on show and I am pleased to say that we also had some sales. Here are some of the comments recorded in the visitors’ book :

 

"Wonderful work, so clever"

 

"I am so thrilled by it - really first class - innovative - thoughtful and lovely to look at. Well done."

 

"A lovely way to celebrate women’s craft"

 

"I admire and envy the skill and imagination - and so well displayed!"

 

"Impressive - unexpectedly so"

 

"Worth the puff of walking up that hill!"

 

Quilters came from far and wide to see the show. Many of my morning coffees, enjoyed whilst waiting for the house to open, were accompanied

 

by groups of quilters who had traveled some distance to view the work. I am pleased to say that they were not disappointed. Not only were the quilts admired and the quality of the hanging commented on - but the amenities of the house and park and nearby Highgate Village were also appreciated. We were pleased to welcome quilters from Canada, Australia, South Africa, Germany, Denmark, Japan and South America as well as from all parts of the United Kingdom.

 

Amongst the quilts on show, we had also hung "Working Together" which was made by five Barnet-based members in response to a grant we received from the Borough Millennium fund. Members of Barnet Council who attended the show were very pleased with the piece and it is to be hung in Chipping Barnet Library.

 

The response from the staff at Lauderdale House was also rewarding. They were amazed by the amount of interest shown in our work and the number of enquiries they received. They were also complimented on the show. They hope we will use the venue again.

 

We had asked visitors to vote for their favourite quilt and although the voting was very close - the winner is Sabi Westerman. Well done Sabi!

 

Overall it was a most successful exhibition. However, areas of improvement for future events would include a heavier focus on publicity and to create brightly coloured leaflets. Unfortunately publicity is extremely expensive.

 

The exhibition would not have happened without the hard work and support of many of our members (and non-members also). My grateful thanks go to all those who acted as stewards, to those who were involved in "hanging" and "taking down" the work and of course to everyone who entered a quilt.

 

Special thanks are due to Peter (Christine’s husband) and Christine who did so much work on preparing the hanging devices, to David Cohen and Steve Merrett for their work at the Private View, to Mary Rose Fry who is not a member of LQ but who stepped in to steward whenever needed and especially to Sue West who was "always there" when needed. I would also like to thank the Knitting and Stitching Show and Susan  E.

Seagram who generously donated prizes. Their support is greatly valued.

 

Marlene Cohen May 2001

 

 

.     CHAIR CHAT                 The main event in the last quarter  was the Lauderdale House exhibition. I do hope everyone enjoyed it, and certainly, our many visitors did. The Committee thinks it was a great success, a lovely venue, and that the quilts looked wonderful

- beautifully hung.

 

Many thanks to everyone who helped: a collective effort, but especially to Marlene Cohen, who masterminded the whole endeavor and who spent very much time and effort working on our behalf. Alicia Merrett and Sue West also deserve special thanks for time spent in preparing the exhibition and shepherding it along. I was proud to be associated with it. And it was also a lovely private view party.

 

Nowadays it seems to be difficult for people to find time to be public spirited, and thus our collective efforts - for instance, those who gave time and kept promises over stewarding - are to be appreciated all the more. We will be reviewing the whole process to make sure that we can learn from it for the next time.

 

Marlene and Kate’s challenge, strongly worded as it was, achieved a heartfelt response from members who exhibited and I think it was quite moving to see so much feeling turned to such professional and beautiful results. But perhaps I am tuned in to strong emotion at present?

 

Sewing is a pleasure and creative act in which much relief and relaxation can be found. Struggling with exhibition or competitive pieces is all right some of the time, but what to do when I want to sew, but don’t want to think too hard? - especially when personal life gets a bit sticky (and all of us have been there, as I have recently). I have hit on one solution: make quilts for traumatized children with Project Linus. This is an informal group, recently arrived in the UK from the  USA, that is named after the little chap in the Peanuts cartoon who was always pictured with a comfort blanket. Ask me for more details if you’re interested. I made two small bed quilts for them this spring--and felt much comforted myself. And now the sun shines, so I hope the early summer weather lifts your spirits too. Happy quilting!                        

 

                                                      Christine

 

 

 Exhibition Review

by Alys Robinson

 

The opening night of our Millennium Exhibition at Kenwood House was well attended by quilters, spouses and also by many of the crowd who had come to see the painting exhibition on the ground floor. All of the non-quilters were impressed by the artistic quality of the pieces in our show. The hall was just the right size for the number of quilts shown, and Marlene and crew did a magnificent job of hanging them. They sorted remarkably well into groups--evidently, some of us have the same taste in colours! Overall, I was very impressed by the quality of work in the show. If I had not known, it would have been difficult to tell the work of the less-experienced quilters from the professionals.

 

Pot-Luck Supper

March 19th, 2001

 

The London Quilters held a Pot-Luck supper on March 19th, which was a great success. The quantity and quality of the food was fantastic and everyone enjoyed chatting, eating and drinking. This was followed by a wonderful Show & Tell of the Exhibition quilts, plus other pieces made by the members. We’ll be repeating this in January 2002.

 

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The AGM will be held on Monday 15th October 2001 instead of November because we have been able to book a special speaker for the November meeting; see next article.

 

The Chairman would like to issue a Block Challenge for the AGM called Shaded Log Cabin. Members are asked to make a Log Cabin block using any number of fabrics in one colour only, making one half the block light and the other half dark. For instance, if you choose blue, you can use any print or solid fabric in blue, but making one side of the Log Cabin using values of light blue, and the other half in shades of dark blue. The "centre" can be any size, shape or placement (in the same colour); the finished size is 12 1/2" square.

 

There will also be a "Bumper Show & Tell" at the AGM. All members are encouraged to bring a quilt they have made in the past year, particularly those who haven’t participated in a show and tell before.

 

DIJANNE CEVAAL,

AUSTRALIAN QUILT MAKER

 

We are very lucky to have booked well-known Australian quilt maker Dijannne Cevaal as our speaker for the November meeting. She will also be teaching a two-day workshop to the London Quilters the weekend of November 17th and 18th. This will probably be held in the hall where we have had the last two workshops. The subject will be Dijanne’s version of Tifaifai, or how to adapt Hawaiian style quilting to do your own, non-traditional looking designs. The cost will be £60, with half required when you book a place. Alys Robinson will be bringing plenty of pictures of Dijanne’s work to the skills night in July for members to have a look at. Please contact Alys if you would like to book a place.

 

QUILTS FOR LIFE:  KATHLEEN WEINHEIMER

& STUDENTS

March 29-June 2, 2001

New England Quilt Museum Lowell, Massachusetts

by Marlene Cohen

 

Any quilter visiting New England should try to fit in a visit to the New England Quilt Museum.  As well as holding several exhibitions each year, the museum also houses a permanent collection, a library (with a yard-sale section) and a shop full of books and fun notions such as cards, pins, thimbles etc.  (This visit I managed to purchase some much needed hand-painted fabric and a thing to add to my name badge)

 

The current show was dedicated to Kathleen Weinheimer, an important and much loved quilt teacher who worked from home and at adult education classes in Massachusetts. Sadly Kathleen died of leukemia in the late 1990s.  However

75 women have been taught by her and many of them get together to collaborate in producing regular exhibitions in honour of her life and work and to benefit the many charities in which she was personally involved. She was concerned greatly about inequality in all levels of society and many of her quilts have been made in response to her feelings and emotions relating to this. She created  a Quilts for Life quilt show and all the proceeds were donated to a worthy cause.

 

Her other major inspiration was the seasons and she never tired of this colourful subject matter; this was clear in the works on display. I particularly liked her crisp and cool interpretations of winter. Her love of colour and incredible talent for combining printed fabrics is evidenced in both her work and that of her students who four years after her death still recall her lessons on colour.

 

On close inspection, many of the quilt patterns could be seen to be traditional and simple but the inspired use of fabric has resulted in complex and original designs which I found to be very appealing.  On a personal note I would add that although I have not used many printed fabrics in the past two or three years, this teacher's work has inspired me to consider using them again.

 

The student work was clearly identifiable and lacked the brilliance of Weinheimer, never quite managing to draw the different prints together to create a "new" pattern. However, many of them are still meeting regularly and working at her lessons and may well achieve some of her artistry.

 

According to her students, Kathleen "taught people to believe in themselves and to see the beauty both in the world outside their windows and in their hearts". She was totally involved in her quilt making and shared her love and enthusiasm for this craft. Indeed her family was raised amidst her work with her design wall just three feet away from the kitchen table. She is clearly missed greatly.

 

 SHAUKAT FABRIC SHOP

 

I have been asked to tell you about a fabric shop based in central London, that is open 7 days a week. Located at 172 Old Brompton Road, London SW5, Shaukat sells a wide variety of 100% printed cottons including Liberty in full rolls as well as remnants. Their remnants are half the normal price and come in various sizes from 50 cms to 2.5 cms - ideal for quilters. The remnants come in hundreds of prints and colours. The shop also stocks a variety of other fabrics such as linen, jacquard, silk, satin, lace, voile, wool and 100%  plain cottons in all colours. You can contact them as follows:  Tel: 020 7373 8956, 020 7 373 6927

                    Fax: 0207-3735516,

                    E-mail mulena@shaukat.co.uk

 

 Exhibitions

Quilt Art - Moving On: until 14 July, at the Braintree District Museum, Town Hall Centre, Market Square, Braintree, Essex, CM7 3YG,

tel. 01376 325 266.  Open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., closed Sunday.  Trains from Liverpool Street.

National Quilt Championships: at The Exhibition Halls, Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire 5--8 July 2001. Tel: 01775 712100

Now and Then: at the Minerva Art Centre, Llanidloes, Mid Wales, 7 July--15 September 2001. Tel: 01686 413467/2278

Quilt 2001: at the Knitting and Stitching Shows, Alexandra Palace, Dublin and Harrogate from 11 October--25 November 2001. Slide entries must be received by August 24th 2001. For an entry form, write to Creative Exhibitions Ltd, 34 Lewisham ark, London SE13 6QZ or telephone: 020 8690 8888 or e-mail: andrew@eventorg.demon.co.uk

 

INTERNET INFORMATION

 

The London Quilters web site address is:

http://members.tripod.co.uk/London Quilters/lq1.htm

It is run and maintained by Tricia Revest, whose e-mail is:  p.a.revest@qmul.ac.uk