Sitting on the stage of the Theatre Royal Winchester, another 12 Wintonians joined the second Fabric of Winchester Community Sewing Day, designing, making, and sharing their bespoke quilt blocks for inclusion on a special memory quilt.

Participants benefitted from the guidance of the project’s Memory Artist, Katy Rundle, who helped in the translation of personal stories into unique squares. The majority of attendees had never used a sewing machine before, but all found the confidence to learn with the assistance of Helen Stevens from the Wessex Quiltmakers, Winchester’s local quilt guild.

Inspired by the beautiful fabric on offer, one participant’s block featured the Nigerian flag, the country of her family’s heritage; another used fabric offcuts from family baby quilts and dressmaking clothes that the individual had used for her children.

Celia, who had never used a sewing machine before, and prior to the session had limited sewing experience, designed a block centred on Winchester’s High Street.

She said: “I chose the High Street because it’s the link for the community, going up and down the space."

With Katy’s help, she was able to sew a colourful path with two people hand in hand.

"This is ‘my’ Winchester," she said. "I relate to it through the people and friends that I see along the street each day."

Memories have become the foundation of the project, helping to raise awareness and support for the St John’s Winchester Dementia Support service.

Winchester local, Darlene, designed her block to feature St Catherine's Hill.

She said: “For years, my mother walked over St Catherine’s Hill; she taught me to sew but now has lost these memories due to dementia. I just wanted to catch one memory for her." 

Individuals, families, community groups, churches and schools are invited to donate a block for the project by November 10.

For those unable to attend one of the remaining Community Sewing Days, blocks can be made independently and dropped off or posted to either St John’s Winchester or BellaCrafts, along with a Block Donation Form to capture the stories and memories behind each square.

Hampshire Chronicle: The Fabric of Winchester project by St John's Winchester

STORY FROM BLOCK DONATION

St John’s Winchester has gathered several ‘memory’ blocks made by St John’s residents and those in the Winchester community.

Speaking of her block and the memory it represents, one St John’s resident said: “My block represents Eype beach. My aunt lived there, and I would visit at least once a year with my family.

"We used to travel down in the back of a Land Rover. My uncle had a dairy farm, and his daughter delivered the milk to the local village; I loved walking along the beach with all seven of my cousins.”

Speaking about the Community Sewing Day, the St John’s resident continued: “I very much enjoyed the sewing day. Although I can’t craft as well as I once could, I loved the day, and I enjoyed working with a variety of people and all the chatter.”

Stitched blocks collected by St John’s will be sewn together by local volunteer quiltmakers, to create memory lap quilts. The completed quilts will be publicly displayed in The Arc in January 2024, and then gifted to Winchester Hospice for use by their patients.

Hampshire Chronicle: The Fabric of Winchester project by St John's Winchester

LOCAL BUSINESSES GETTING INVOLVED

By sponsoring the project, hosting a Community Sewing Day, or donating fabric for participants to turn into creative blocks, more than a dozen local Winchester businesses have thrown their support behind The Fabric of Winchester.

Sarah Davis, improvement manager at Winchester BID, said: "I am delighted to support the project. This is such a lovely initiative for the city and an opportunity for individual businesses to contribute, literally to the fabric of Winchester. It is a chance for nationals and independents to collaborate and share their stories and experiences for future generations.”

In recognising the important role that local businesses play within Winchester, there are several opportunities for them to become involved: businesses can stitch their own bespoke block, donate a piece of fabric representing their organisation, or purchase a bespoke block that will be made to include their company logo, with prices starting at £60 and free of charge for charities and non-profits.

Hampshire Chronicle: The Fabric of Winchester project by St John's Winchester

COMMUNITY SEWING DAYS 

10am until 2pm, Thursday, October 5 – Winchester Bakery

1.30pm until 6.30pm, Friday, October 13 – Winchester Sports and Leisure Park

11am until 5pm, Sunday, October 22 – The Arc

All Community Sewing Days are free to attend but registrations are essential via the Playmakers website. Full details including accessibility and capacities are available on the St John’s Winchester website.

Attendees are encouraged to bring along any fabric with sentimental value, although materials and sewing machines will be available for use. The project’s Memory Artist, Katy Rundle, will be on hand to assist participants in translating their memories and stories into bespoke block designs.

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?

  • Stitch your own 9” x 9” ‘block’ (the squares that make up a quilt) – you can do this independently and in your own time, or at one of our Community Sewing Days
  • Donate a piece of fabric of clothing – make sure to include a Block Donation Form with your fabric so that we can collect the story behind your contribution.
  • Join one of the free Community Sewing Days being hosted around Winchester.
  • Purchase a ‘Business Block’ for your business. Free of charge for charities and non-profits.
  • Share your memory or story along with any photos of your block on social media and use one of the hashtags: #FabricOfWinchester or #StitchedTogether
  • Sign up to receive Fabric of Winchester updates via the St John’s Winchester website.

SUPPORT THE ST JOHN’S DEMENTIA SUPPORT SERVICE 

In recognising the power of personal stories, Fabric of Winchester participants are asked where possible to consider a gift of any size towards the St John’s Dementia Support service, donating for those whose memories are cherished. With the support of the community, St John’s will be able to answer every call for help, meeting the unprecedented demand for the free service and transforming the quality of life for all those in Winchester living with dementia.