Talking Quilts : Pauline Macaulay
Talking Quilts: Saving Quilters’ Stories project – celebrating our achievements so far
Every quilter has a story to tell about the quilts they make. Our quilting heritage is rich, diverse and important.
At a meeting of London Quilters in 2011 I invited volunteers to take part in a pilot project. Twelve LQ members came forward. Over the next few months I interviewed them in their homes. Interviews began by exploring the story behind one quilt that was made by the interviewee, their background in quiltmaking and the meaning of quiltmaking in their lives.
Those pilot interviews formed an important part of a subsequent application for funding to Heritage Lottery Fund. In 2013 HLF granted £89,100 for three years, and, since early 2014, Vicky Martin, an oral historian, has done a sterling job as part-time project manager co-ordinating the many strands of the Project.
This August, at Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, we were thrilled that several of those volunteers were able to attend our exhibition titled ‘Family Connections’ and social event to celebrate the achievements of the Project.
Talking Quilts is a national oral history project to record, preserve and share the stories of today’s quiltmakers. It is a Project of The Quilters' Guild which is building a national collection of quilters’ stories including sound and video recordings, photographs and transcripts. Volunteers, trained and supported by Vicky, have been recording and transcribing the narratives, practices and experiences of interviewees.
Interviews have been conducted across the UK, with a focus on eight of The Guild’s Regions including Region 1. During the three year Project over 80 volunteers have been involved recording or transcribing over 140 interviews. During the last few months the focus will be on establishing the Collection at The Quilters’ Guild in York.
The digital audio recordings and transcripts of the interviews, along with accompanying photographs are also being shared through an online Collection, so everyone can explore our quilting heritage. Talking Quilts is part of The Quilters’ Guild Collection where the interviews will be used by quilters, researchers and the wider community, as well as being safely preserved for future generations. The Talking Quilts Handbook is also available on-line for people around the world to freely download so they too can record quilters’ stories.
As initiator of Talking Quilts I am immensely grateful for the enthusiasm and generosity of volunteers including the Talking Quilts Committee who have been there since the early days and the huge amounts of time dedicated to the success of the Project. The talents, expertise and incredibly hard work of Vicky Martin have been key to ensuring this exciting archive and its contribution to quilting and women’s history.
Do enjoy listening to the stories which capture the rich and diverse heritage of present day quilters by visiting www.talkingquilts.org.uk to explore some of the interviews or find out more about the Project.
Pauline W Macaulay PhD
Chair Talking Quilts Committee 11 September 2016
Every quilter has a story to tell about the quilts they make. Our quilting heritage is rich, diverse and important.
At a meeting of London Quilters in 2011 I invited volunteers to take part in a pilot project. Twelve LQ members came forward. Over the next few months I interviewed them in their homes. Interviews began by exploring the story behind one quilt that was made by the interviewee, their background in quiltmaking and the meaning of quiltmaking in their lives.
Those pilot interviews formed an important part of a subsequent application for funding to Heritage Lottery Fund. In 2013 HLF granted £89,100 for three years, and, since early 2014, Vicky Martin, an oral historian, has done a sterling job as part-time project manager co-ordinating the many strands of the Project.
This August, at Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, we were thrilled that several of those volunteers were able to attend our exhibition titled ‘Family Connections’ and social event to celebrate the achievements of the Project.
Talking Quilts is a national oral history project to record, preserve and share the stories of today’s quiltmakers. It is a Project of The Quilters' Guild which is building a national collection of quilters’ stories including sound and video recordings, photographs and transcripts. Volunteers, trained and supported by Vicky, have been recording and transcribing the narratives, practices and experiences of interviewees.
Interviews have been conducted across the UK, with a focus on eight of The Guild’s Regions including Region 1. During the three year Project over 80 volunteers have been involved recording or transcribing over 140 interviews. During the last few months the focus will be on establishing the Collection at The Quilters’ Guild in York.
The digital audio recordings and transcripts of the interviews, along with accompanying photographs are also being shared through an online Collection, so everyone can explore our quilting heritage. Talking Quilts is part of The Quilters’ Guild Collection where the interviews will be used by quilters, researchers and the wider community, as well as being safely preserved for future generations. The Talking Quilts Handbook is also available on-line for people around the world to freely download so they too can record quilters’ stories.
As initiator of Talking Quilts I am immensely grateful for the enthusiasm and generosity of volunteers including the Talking Quilts Committee who have been there since the early days and the huge amounts of time dedicated to the success of the Project. The talents, expertise and incredibly hard work of Vicky Martin have been key to ensuring this exciting archive and its contribution to quilting and women’s history.
Do enjoy listening to the stories which capture the rich and diverse heritage of present day quilters by visiting www.talkingquilts.org.uk to explore some of the interviews or find out more about the Project.
Pauline W Macaulay PhD
Chair Talking Quilts Committee 11 September 2016
