 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
‘A Gift of Quilts’ is the project being organised by Jenny Rundle and Sharon Garrick plus a team to encourage people from all walks of life and ages from all over the UK to make and donate up to 500 patchwork quilts. The object is to give a quilt to each country participating in the London Olympics and Paralympics in 2012 (The Games) as a unique sign of friendship and peace. This is the first time that a presentation of quilts has been made to countries attending the Paralympic Games. Countries attending the Olympic Games have in the past received quilts. The “Gift of a Quilt” is open to anyone, any age, any skills, it can be an individual, a group of friends, a village project, a school project, a community project involving care homes, day centres, all you need to be able to do is hold a needle.
We are delighted to be able to post the link to Michele Young's film of Jenny and the quilts at the exhibition. Do click on the link and see it for yourself. http://micheleyoung.co.uk/films.html
The Adventures of Percy, Bailey & Adria.
If your group or school has made a quilt there are multi-buy offers as follows:
We have produced a DVD with images of 416 quilts together with a detail view of each one This DVD ROM is designed for use on a PC running Windows; the screens seen will vary with the different versions of Windows.
To order a copy please send a cheque made payable to A Gift of Quilts for the sum of £4.99 plus 75p postage (£5.74) together with your details to A Gift of Quilts, 6 Barrow Hill, Goodworth Clatford, Hants SP11 7RG. Multi-buy offers; 3 copies for £13 or 5 for £21 plus p&p. Stitch and Craft Show Olympia 15-18 March 2012 Four hundred and twenty quilts were on exhibit at the Stitch and Craft Show at Olympia and over 30,000 visitors attended this once in a lifetime chance to see them before they go to their recipient countries. The organisers were delighted to be able to present a quilt to Annie Lush from the British Olympic Sailing team. Our picture shows the quilt made by the Charismatic Quilters of Dewsbury. Annie was particularly interested in the quilts that had a sailing theme and you can see some of those on our gallery page. She is pictured next to the quilt "Weymouth and Portland wave to the world"
VIEWERS CHOICE. If you were unable to get to the show in London to cast a vote for your favourite we are delighted to say that the top viewer's choices will be on show at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC Birmingham in August. We are very grateful to Doughty's Fabrics and Traplet Publishing (Patchwork and Quilting magazine) for donating the prizes. The winning quilt was by Elisabeth Green and titled "Star Line-up"
The Human Legacy A Gift of Quilts will be a very tangible element of “the human legacy” of The Games. Sir Steve Redgrave speaking in Salisbury during the 2011 Arts Festival emphasised the importance of the “legacy” and the part that is being played by those of us who whilst not being athletes are just as much a part of the Games. It is a part of our lives as quilters to make and give quilts as gifts for loved ones, to comfort victims of disasters, to support favourite charities, to cheer drab rooms and brighten lives. The legacy of these quilts made for A Gift of Quilts will take them around the whole world to the mighty world powers and the smallest of countries. The legacy they leave behind is just as important as it has brought together people who might never have sewn before, who now have a new group of friends to meet with and share a common bond. Those who have difficulty having their voices heard in our society now have a creative outlet that can reach all echelons of the community. Some who have physical disabilities have been able to be part of a colourful, dynamic process linked to The Games and feel an inclusivity that might have been denied previously. We are very proud that Sir Steve Redgrave CBE and Dick Palmer CBE have been keen to support us by lending the quilts that were given to them as UK representatives at the Atlanta Games in 1996. We asked Sir Steve what he thought about giving a quilt as a gift of friendship: The Human Element. Do you think projects like A Gift of Quilts is a good way to involve non-athletes? "The Olympics are a very special event and not just for the athletes, but for the whole country. Anything to embrace areas other than sport is special for the ones involved. The cultural element of the Games is relatively a new idea but is always well received."
Both of these quilts have been loaned to us and were on show at the showcase of the olympic quilts at the Stitch and Craft Show at Olympia ll, London, March 15-18 2012.
(Updated 13.04.12)
If you are wondering what has happened to our "Links" section you will now find it on our "Contact" page. A GIFT OF QUILTS is an entirely self-funded project supported by The Quilters' Guild as part of the Cultural Olympiad. We are proud to have been awarded the "Inspire Mark" given to official projects within the Clutural Olympiad 2012.
|
