 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
‘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 centre’s, all you need to be able to do is hold a needle.
We are delighted to announce that you can now pre-order your copy of "A GIFT OF QUILTS" a pictorial record of quilts made for the 2012 Games. Up to 29 February you can pre-order at a special price of £12.95 + p&p (US $20.95 + S&H). The book will be launched at the Stitch and Craft show at Olympia and will cost £14.95 from 15 March onwards. If your group or school has made a quilt there are multi-buy offers as follows:
To order: Please email customerservice@traplet.com
Tickets on sale for the Stitch and Craft show. Tickets cost £10 in advance (£9 concessions) and can be bought from www.twistedthread.com or by calling 01394 288521. You can now see information all about the show on their web site and you will find us on the top floor listings. I'm sure you will notice the two lovely quilts they have used to highlight the information! As there are going to be many, many quilters attending, if you would like to teach a workshop or show a technique Twistedthread is waiting to hear from you. Do get in touch with them. If you are running a coach from your area do give us the information so that we can list it for you and make sure that your coach is full. VIEWERS CHOICE. You will be able to vote for your favourite quilt when you visit the show. We are very grateful to Doughty's Fabrics and Traplet Publishing (Patchwork and Quilting magazine) for donating the prizes. QUILT ANGELS REQUIRED As you can see from the paragraph below we are delighted to be able to show all the quilts received together for the one and only time. After the show they will be dispersed to their recipient countries. What we need now are QUILT ANGELS to help us on the days of the exhibition. Will you be attending? Can you spare some time during your visit to be a QUILT ANGEL and wear the white gloves? Do please get in touch with us by emailing agiftofquilts@yahoo.com with your availability. Agreement has been reached with Creative Exhibitions Ltd (Twisted Threads) to give A Gift of Quilts showcase space at the Stitch & Craft Show at Olympia ll, London, 15-18 March 2012. We will display all of the quilts received. It will be a wonderful opportunity to see all the quilts in one location. Further information about opportunities to be a Quilt Angel in other parts of the country is now on our News page. Olympia ll, the capital's premier venue, is located on Hammersmith Road in West London, it has escalators and lift services making it very user friendly. Olympia has its own dedicated tube station (Kensington Olympia), own mainline station, London buses drop you off at the door, is currently outside the congestion zone and coach companies run trips to the show from all parts of the country. Invitations have been extended to Kaffe Fassett, Brandon Mably, Sir Steve Redgrave, Dick Palmer CBE and Sir George Young MP to visit the exhibition.
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 will be on show at the showcase of the olympic quilts at the Stitch and Craft Show at Olympia ll, London, March 15-18 2012.
(Updated 23.01.12)
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 within the Cultural Olympiad. We are proud to have been awarded the "Inspire Mark" given to official projects within the Clutural Olympiad 2012.
|
