With delicious pastries and hot coffees aplenty, The Winchester Bakery played host to The Fabric of Winchester’s fourth Community Sewing Day, welcoming more than a dozen individuals as they made bespoke quilt blocks for inclusion on several special memory quilts.
A handful of participants were returning attendees from previous sessions, noting their enjoyment at the opportunity to connect and create in an inspiring and supportive environment. During the session, eight unique quilt blocks were donated, with a further seven started and nearing completion.
The project’s memory artist, Katy Rundle, noted the success in bringing the Winchester Community together.
She said: “It’s lovely to get groups of people together to discuss their memories of this city and then translate them into images. The stories that people have related to the textile art they’re making are as important if not more important than the quilt squares themselves, they’re really fascinating."
One donated block featured bright, patterned bunting, reminiscent of the bunting strung across Winchester High Street during the summer months and throughout the festival season. Another with a teacup and cupcake represented happy memories of visiting Winchester with friends and enjoying tea and cake in a local cafe.
With personal stories front and centre throughout the project, participants have had the opportunity to share memories of iconic Winchester spaces and places.
Katy said: “We’ve actually had a couple of people I’ve seen do St Catherine’s Hill, but of course, everyone’s interpretations will be very different so even if everyone did the same and had the same memory of the same place each image would look very different."
Wintonians can donate a piece of fabric, clothing or sewn quilt block to the project until Friday, November 10.
To meet demand for the Community Sewing Days, a final two ‘drop-in’ sessions have been scheduled between 10am until 1pm on Thursday, November 9 and Friday, November 10, enabling individuals to finish their pieces prior to the closing date.
The Fabric of Winchester aims to encourage the sharing and cherishing memories, particularly highlighting the important work of the St John’s Winchester Dementia Support service, which has provided life-changing support to more than 300 individuals living with dementia since the programme’s inception in October 2022.
STORY FROM BLOCK DONATION
Trixie Clifford is part of the volunteer Wessex Quiltmakers and has been an integral asset to the St John’s Community Sewing Days. With her experience, Trixie has shared her skills and embroidery knowledge supporting project participants with creating their blocks, including using one of the eight machines donated to the project by Janome.
Speaking with That’s TV Hampshire at the Winchester Bakery Community Sewing Day, Trixie discussed the block she had stitched and donated to the project.
She said: “For my patchwork square, I used fabrics from my stash, but the boat and the sails are very special to me because they are made from my husband’s old shirts. He was a great enthusiastic sailor. Making patches like this can bring back lots of lovely memories."
Trixie’s block is a fantastic example of how sentimental fabrics can be used to represent a special memory.
Trixie’s block, along with other blocks and donated pieces of fabric, will be included in one of several memory quilts. The completed quilts will be on public display at The Arc between January 12 to 14 2024 and then donated to Winchester Hospice, for use by their patients.
HOW TO TRANSLATE A STORY INTO A DESIGN
Supporting The Fabric of Winchester participants to translate their memories into block designs is local textile artist and project memory artist Katy Rundle.
From drafting ideas on paper to selecting the appropriate fabric, Katy has attended all public Community Sewing Days to help participants’ visions become a reality.
Regarding her role within the project, Katy said: “Translating your Winchester story into a design can be tricky but talking about the story can help a detail that makes it personal to you; this will help simplify the design that you want to create. I’m also there to help participants sketch their ideas on paper before the stitching begins.”
With the support of Katy, St John’s has gathered dozens of blocks which will be included in the completed memory quilts, including her own donated block which depicts the ‘colour and happiness’ of Winchester’s Original Flower Stall.
COMMUNITY SEWING DAYS
11am-5pm, Sunday, October 22 – The Arc
NEW DROP-IN SESSIONS ADDED: 10am-1pm, Thursday, November 9 and Friday, November 10 – St John’s Winchester Community Room
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?
- Donate a piece of fabric or clothing
- Stitch your own 9” x 9” ‘block’ (the squares that make up a quilt)
- Join one of the free Community Sewing Days
- Purchase a ‘Business Block’ for your business
- 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 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.
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