A Quilt of Belonging…

This is not exactly what I had planned for today.  Really!  I was making a “things to do list” with hopes of doing a bit of blog tidying up.  Somehow though, I fell into a rabbit hole and ended up searching for information about Caribbean textiles.  All is not lost however, as I discovered a spectacular quilt called “A Quilt of Belonging”. 

Photo of the Quilt of belonging at the Inaugural exhibition at the wikipedia:Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. Photographer: Nick Wolochatiuk.

The concept is amazing, the result even better.  Although finished in November 1998, I can’t say that I’d heard about this quilt and I must have been dozing in my garden shed when/if it came to Australia.  The block for Australia is one of embroidered wildflowers, beautifully done by Lyn Prichard.  The write up by the Australian High Commission leaves a lot to be desired.  Perhaps it would have been better to have assigned that task to our famous Quilt Historian & Collector, Dr Annette Gero.  The craft of quiltmaking came to Sydney’s colony (NSW) with British female convicts.  The Rajah Quilt was made in 1841 during the women’s transportation.  

If you are interested in a brief overview of Australia’s quiltmaking history then a good place to start is The History Blog.  Otherwise, seek out one of Annette Gero’s excellent books.  They are guaranteed to keep you away from your sewing machine for weeks.  Of course, you can always count this as research and inspiration!  Time well spent, I’d say…

So, getting back to the Caribbean, here are the colourful blocks provided by these tropical island countries to A Quilt of Belonging.