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. 

Dancing in the Streets

Madeira

Quinta do Lorde 4-15 December 2017

Having enjoyed the Azores in 2011, we had high hopes for our visit to Madeira; albeit a winter arrival that we could do little about.  Funchal was lively and its mild climate attracted those visitors wishing to escape Europe’s chilly December snowfalls.  Christmas celebrations were in full swing and there was much to occupy our time.  Perhaps the best feature of these activities was our entrée to regular cultural events practised on Madeira since its discovery (1419) and subsequent settlement.

Despite Madeira’s relative isolation, its position as a vital seaport on the “Columbus route” across the Atlantic to the riches of the West Indies, allowed its culture to survive.  I wasn’t able to locate an ethnographic museum as such in the time we had, but a vibrant Christmas Market in Funchal more than made up for it. 

A wonderful diorama of island life unfolded as we walked the length of the market between the Cathedral and the old Fort.  Stalls of local produce and foods included island grown fruits and vegetables (a rich, almost tropical collection), meats and deli items, tastings of boutique beers, and a smattering of spirits, local brew poncha and wines.  Madeira included, naturally!  Shakespeare mentions Madeira wine and Winston Churchill savoured it on holiday here.  We were also treated to traditional song, dance and music, enhanced by colourful costumes, those fascinating carapucha caps and lively performers.  It was all so welcoming and fun, yet unpretentious. 

Madeira Cathedral

The closest brush I had at the Markets with textiles (other than costumes, of course) was an older lady preparing wool for spinning.  Language of course, kept me from knowing more about the extent of home-based weaving on the island.  Madeira, however is famously known for its lace work, the best quality produced by hand.  It is said to have been introduced to the island in 1854 by an Englishwoman, Elizabeth Phelps.  There was plenty of opportunity to purchase a piece in shops at the regular market or tourist souvenir shops.  Buyer beware however, and if you want an authentic piece made from Madeira linen, ask at Tourist Information booths for directions. 

I have to confess that I did not buy any lacework as I have tablecloths a-plenty from India (and you’ll appreciate the connection here) as we ordered from a Convent via a supplier in Goa, a former Portuguese colony (1510-1961). 

Here are some links to more (brief) information about Madeira textiles:  Madeira Live;  Visit Madeira;  &  KDD & Co

For visuals of Maderia Lace enjoy: Bordal  &  Madeira Sun

And, if you’re tempted by all the talk of markets and food and want to cook some delicious Portuguese food, then this blog, Easy Portuguese Recipes, looks interesting for those authentic recipes.  I particularly loved passionfruit juice, “O Maracujá da Madeira”, even the boxed supermarket variety was delicious.  So was the passionfruit poncha.  

Magic Fingers

Burano: Island of Lace Makers

14^th July 2015

Step 1: Take a Vaporetto to the Venetian Lagoon
Islands of Murano & Burano

Step 2. Don't forget to stop off in Murano to see
some real Glass magic too!.

Step 3: The Burano Lace Museum is located in the Piazza
  near the Catholic Church

Skilled craftsmanship. Murano
Glass Table Decorations

Travelling to the islands is such a lovely diversion from bustling Venice.  First, there’s the vaporetto ride across the muddy lagoon bypassing intriguing islands little visited.  

Next, it seems compulsory to undertake a diversionary circuit of Murano with its historic yet bespoke glassmaking furnaces and sparkling showrooms that collide on narrow streets with fellow day tripping visitors. Be amazed by the skilled craftsmanship and versatility of glass.  Little wonder palaces were adorned with it.

Finally, we arrived on Burano to be greeted by the sunshine of colour radiating from Murano’s terraced houses, spreading cheer over cobbled streets and narrow canals. 

Burano’s heyday for needle lace spanned the 16^th to 18^th century, crafts women having been introduced to the skill via links to Cyprus.  In 1872, a school to teach and revive the skill was opened but as with many handmade crafts, its production is time-consuming and therefore costly.  Much of the lace available in those rather too-plentiful souvenir stalls has been made by machine and not on the Island.  It is possible though, to nose about and purchase the real thing - La Perla, Merletti d’Arte Martina & Creazioni Monica have been suggested in my reading material.  What a wonderful way to support a traditional craft and what a treasure to own!

Embroidery & Lace

A well stocked Museum

The Burano Museum and School of Lacemaking is a delightful (and cool) repository of all things lace.  The Museum showcases local talents and a rich legacy that skilled Burano women have created.  It offers examples of the many varieties and uses for lace, explaining that women often specialized in a single stitch.  Apparently, there are seven specific stitches, so I am sure competition was fierce…  Burano’s reputation was so established as a centre for the finest quality lace that Leonardo da Vinci was drawn here in 1481 to purchase a cloth suitable for Milan Cathedral’s main altar. 

How to wear your Lace & Silk with Style

Inspiration Unlimited

I've been sitting on my photos from the Sydney Quilt Show since - when was it - in June 2107!  It was so good to have it back in Darling Harbour.  Our little group made a good day out of the show with some hard-liners going back for another day at least.  

Here are some quilts that I found particularly inspiring...I think I'm a big Jen Kingwell fan too!  Let me say though, the work of Carolyn Sullivan should be inspiration to us all.  

Starting with an Edna Ostrich

Sheep will never be the same!

Carolyn Sullivan

Detail of work involved in Carolyn Sullivan's art works

Who doesn't love a vibrant star?

Scrappy Jen Kingwell pattern

This year, I plan to take a better camera with than just my phone.  See you there...

A Rainbow on Every Corner

Venice, Italy

4-17^th July 2015

Bird's Eye View from the Campanile di San Marco

Riding the Grand Canal in a Vaporetto

Beguiling Venice!  It’s so easy to be overwhelmed in Venice, especially in July – the heat intensified by huge crowds, many in holiday mode.  It’s a frenetic pace, and an island repository of visually stunning beauty housing amazing art & history in every corner, not to mention wondrous structures, old and new.  So, I quite forgot my textile challenge and, as nothing especially reminded me until we stepped off the vaporetto on Burano, I felt quite chastened.

Of course, when I say few textiles, I’m not counting rows of Italian designer boutiques, mansions crammed with all things evocative of wealth and power, religious vestments or art festivals aplenty.  It’s just that it fits in, a hand and glove story if you will, becoming part of Venice’s bold statement about itself, and you don’t want to unravel the strands.

Luxurious Velvet & Textiles on Ceremonial Gondola_Naval Museum

Only the Best Furnishings_Querini Stampalia Museum & Gallery

Mansions are full of great tapestries, lush curtains, upholstery and bedding, complimented by the sheen of silk wallpapers.  Soaring cathedrals and modest basilicas alike are adorned with humble cloth transformed into resplendent precious pieces, heavy in embroidered gold and silver threads. Have I mentioned glass?  Famous Murano is just across the lagoon and its Glass Museum (Museo del Vetro) positively drips with crystalline decadence.  I think I’ve found the modern-day home of Odysseus’s Sirens!

 

Another take on a self-guided tour of traditional fabrics of Venice can be found on this VeneziaSi site.  Yet another site (link) has a brief summary of textile history that I really wish I had read when planning my trip.  This way I might have at least discovered Cà Mocenigo and the Museum of Textiles and Costume.  Grrrr!

Punting the Inner Canals in a Gondola

Remembering The Blue Pearl

Beautiful Sky Blue to remind me of Chefchaouen

Whilst on the subject of handloomed weaving, I wasn’t sure if I’d posted photos of the beautiful, traditional woollen blankets we found in Chefchaouen, Morocco (suitably measuring up to it's nickname, The Blue Pearl).  

Weavers, generally men, sit in bolt-hole shops along the narrow, picturesque streets of Chefchaouen producing blankets, cushions and rugs in the most wonderful colours.  Now, I do use the term ‘woollen’ lightly as I expect there is a scarcity of the real thing in my blanket given how inexpensive acrylic yarns are nowadays.  However, I am only guessing and have no evidence to support such a negative remark.  Further, the pillows I purchased the following year when visiting with friends are standing up well to quite some punishment on our equally well-used settee.  No sign of pilling, on the cushions or the blanket, so I may well have to eat my words. 

And I couldn't leave the cushions behind, right?

A summary of our finds on this tour through Morocco & subsequent stops in Chefchaouen are covered in earlier Textile Tourist posts which can be easily found via the Morocco 2012 link over in the sidebar.  Even more detail can be found on the Windjammer3 site (link here).  I would most happily fill my house with goodies that can be found in any of the souks we visited…but maybe, mostly the Aladdin’s cave that is Fez! 

I've just been re-reading a wonderful travel book by Eric Newby (a Brit), "On the Shores of the Mediterranean", a journey he took in the 1980's with his wife, Wanda.  The whole book is fascinating to read again, now that we've managed to visit some of the many places he's written about.  Without doubt, he captures the essence of Fez; Moroccan to the core and so culturally rich.  Visit if you can, you'll be all the better for doing so...if not a little poorer!!  

I found this photo of an embroidered Horse Cover
from Fez.  Its in Wiki along with other location facts.

By the by, even though it's Autumn here in the Med, it really is Spring (well, only just) at home.  Hence my need to tidy up & refresh the blog a little with a rather sweet, new look.  Even more links to follow when I find them again...