I have not worked on any of my own quilts in what I would consider to be unusual places however, here is a picture of me and others quilting at Henry's Lake campsite at a family reunion. Not my family, the family of some friends we were visiting with. The quilt had been coming to the annual family get togethers for some years, the children sat underneath it and played in the shade and wiped sticky fingers. It rather needed a wash but that would have removed the design. A design representing the family with a flower in the middle, the grandparents names in the centre, their children's in the petals. Then new flowers spreading out from there, the child's name and spouse in the middle and the grandchildren's names in the petals. Buds for the children much wanted and loved but who never drew breath. Some years later I visited again and the quilt was at last finished and proudly displayed on the grandparents bed. The grandmother smiled at me and said she could still tell which section I had sewn, in amongst her own and those of daughters, daughter-in-laws and latterly granddaughters, calling it the English bit ( I had made my stitches a tad bit smaller than the rest, ohps!) and that sometimes she wished that some of those sticky finger marks had not washed all the way out.
I also had the privilege one Autumn, or perhaps considering where I was at the time I should say Fall of being in Salt Lake City at Conference time. Walking in the ZCMI mall on Ladies Day, to see several quilting frames spread out. The quilts were to be donated to charity and were waiting to be tied.
Anyone was welcome to give it a go.
Some knew just what they were doing sat down and got started, others had a little tying tutorial and were away. I had been shown the method at a Relief Society homemaking only a few nights before and was delighted to try out my new skill.
Stay for as much or as little as you liked as one quilt was finished another was added. There was a steadily growing stack of quilts that were going to be bound in the various Relief Society meetings that would follow. Person after person (yes mainly women) sat sewed moved on and were replaced by another.
That's me with my back to the camera at the bottom of the picture on the left.
I do not know for sure but I presume this was a regular feature as most just accepted it was there.
I have no idea where the quilts I worked on were headed, but I hope they were of use and warmed both body and heart of the recipient.
I know I was warmed by the experience.
I wonder if it would work at the Metro Centre in Gateshead?
