Marking Time
The exhibition has been to the quilt show at Uttoxeter in April, Weavers Gallery in May, and the Stitching, Sewing and Hobbycrafts show at the NEC at the end of June.
Textile Artists taking part:
Diane Botting, Cheryl Kirby, Veronica Coad, Catherine Campbell-Hyde, Jill Gray, Lesley Brankin, Ali Mesley, Jill Exell, Edwina MacKinnon, Kathy Unwin, Jan Webb, Ann White, Amanda Wright and Jenny Hall
The exhibition has been to the quilt show at Uttoxeter in April, Weavers Gallery in May, and the Stitching, Sewing and Hobbycrafts show at the NEC at the end of June.
Textile Artists taking part:
Diane Botting, Cheryl Kirby, Veronica Coad, Catherine Campbell-Hyde, Jill Gray, Lesley Brankin, Ali Mesley, Jill Exell, Edwina MacKinnon, Kathy Unwin, Jan Webb, Ann White, Amanda Wright and Jenny Hall
Marking Time was the theme that was decided for 2017’s exhibition by Stitch in the Middle, a CQ group that meets bi-monthly at the Avoncroft Arts Centre in Bromsgrove. This theme gave us a wide choice for our quilts; the statements for the pieces in the exhibition reveal some of the different ways of “marking time” and show some of the diverse approaches to the topic.
Diane Botting's quilt was based on a map of 1840 of a Plan of the Parish of Astley, Worcester. The map hangs in St Peter Church, Astley. Her piece is based on the area where she now lives, which was then a blacksmith's shop. It marks the time of a bygone era.
Lesley Brankin took as her inspiration a rare image of her great, great grandfather, Samuel Renshaw, a sickle grinder. The original photo now resides in the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. The image captures a specific instant in time. Jill Gray's theme was Sewing Seeds. Her inspiration was her interest in gardens and garden plans. |
Ali Mesley’s pieces are based on the seasons. Having moved to Malvern, she became more aware of the seasons and the passage of time, day length and the light. A second piece is based on life's journey that we take through time and the paths and things we may find along the way.
Jill Exell's 'Evolution' depicted the always changing shoreline from dawn till dusk. Fences are erected to reduce the effect of the movement of the sand and stabilise the dunes. Ann White produced two quilts. 'The Beach Hut' is based on holiday photos taken in Australia of a dilapidated beach hut, and 'The Blue Hills' is inspired by a poem, 'The Land of Lost Content’, by A.E. Houseman. |
Veronica Coad's theme was taken from a photograph of a dandelion head (clock) which was printed onto organdie painted with acrylics and bonded onto a hand dyed background. Further interest was achieved by using mawata silk handkerchiefs for the parachutes.
Edwina MacKinnon's quilt is entitled 'From May to March'. In May 2016 when visiting a friend in Canada she experimented with eco printing for the first time. From these experiments a long horizontal piece was used with the idea of looking through a letterbox at a section of a garden layout. |
Amanda Wright's quilt 'Towards Infinity' is based on various patterns that conform to the principle of the Greek letter Phi, which is used as a symbol for the mathematical ratio known as the Golden Section or Divine Proportion.
Cheryl Kirby's work 'A Walk in Town' is one of a series of pieces inspired by a photographic record of one such walk. It reflects the altered surface over time, as drainage conduits are added and cobbles replaced by paving stones and continual erosion. |
Jenny Hall's quilt is 'Dungeness Winch Houses'. These derelict and decaying winch houses and boats on Dungeness beach are remnants from a time when a living was made from fishing at sea.
Kathy Unwin's theme was 'Moor to Sea', a patchwork landscape. Her two pieces were designed with references to landscapes of the English south west. |
Jan Webb's quilts are based on the four seasons in the life of the horse chestnut tree. Experts are predicting that two million of these trees will be lost in the next 15 years due to the damage by moths and diseases.
Catherine Campbell-Hyde's quilt is based on the moment in time when trees have shed their foliage. They show the contrast between the beauty of the autumn colours and the stark outlines of the bare trees. |