The Victoria and Albert Museum in London will present its first major exhibition of quilts from 20th March to 4th July. Exploring 300 years of British quilt making, the exhibition will show more than 65 quilts, from a cot cover made in the 1690s to recent examples by leading contemporary artists including Tracey Emin and Pauline Burbidge.
To celebrate this ground-breaking exhibition Coats is working closely with the V&A to support a range of workshops, educational events and activities for quilters and those new to the craft. Coats will be providing Coats Cotton quilting thread, Milward needles, and Rowan and Free Spirit quilting fabrics.
Events include:
• 27th February ‘Triple Triangles’, Learning to make a Scrap Quilt - Patchwork, Liberty Sewing School
• 21st & 28th March Workshops for Selvedge based on quilting, Liberty London
• 27th March Home Is Where The Heart Is – Patchwork, Liberty Sewing School
• 3rd April Learn to Sew, Liberty Sewing School
• 24th April Moving on from Learn to Sew, Liberty Sewing School
• 1st May Intermediate Patchwork, Liberty Sewing School
• 17th May Contemporary Quilting Lecture, V&A Sackler Centre
• 29th May Learn to Sew, Liberty Sewing School
• 12th June Kaffe Fassett Lecture, Liberty London
• 18th June Quilt Romance Lecture, V&A Sackler Centre
• 18th & 19th June Kaffe Fassett workshops at V&A Sackler Centre
• 19th June Moving on from Learn to Sew, Liberty Sewing School
Visit Quilts 1700 to 2010 and you will discover history, immeasurable dedication and skill behind each of the chosen quilts. Each quilt within the exhibition has a unique story to tell and the curators have unravelled some of the complex narratives and personal stories handed down with each intricately pieced quilt.
On display will be a cot quilt from Deal Castle, coupled for the first time with the maker’s diary which documents the daily life of an 18th century mother. There will also be bed covers with historical associations with prominent figures including Admiral Lord Nelson, Charles II and the Duke of Wellington.
The exhibition will include new commissions by contemporary textile artists including Susan Stockwell, Sara Impey, Caren Garfen and Pauline Burbidge.
The exhibition ends with Tracey Emin’s ‘To Meet My Past’ (2002), a confessional installation which follows the tradition of quilts used as vessels for personal and collective memories. One of the aims of the exhibition is to inspire a new generation to take up their needles and explore the idea of patchwork and quilt making.
Click here for full details of Quilts 1700 to 2010.
For Liberty workshops call Liberty Customer Service on 0207 734 1234 or click here for further information.
Image Credits
At the End of the Day, 2007, Natasha Kerr, © V&A Images
George III reviewing the troops (detail), 1803 – 1805, © V&A Images
Concept Quilt, © Pauline Burbidge
Quilts 1700 - 2010 is Supported by the Friends of the V&A, with further support from Coats Crafts and the Coats Foundation trust.