Update: The quilts will be displayed at St Peter Mancroft Church from Wednesday, 9 March to Sunday, 20 March 2022 as part of the Norfolk Makers' Festival
12 May 2020 saw the first meeting of a group of over 20 people living in Eaton. All of us were confined to our homes and many were feeling isolated during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We agreed we wanted to respond positively, to create a work of art and share companionship (through Zoom).
So it was decided we would make a quilt or cloth of kindness, showing the good things which we had experienced, even during these hard times – anything from enjoying a cup of tea, to the birds or butterflies in our gardens or on walks, to faith, friends and family.
People were asked to make an 8” square, decorated or plain, whatever their ability (or lack of it). These could be knitted or sewn, painted, sketched and printed onto fabric, creating a work of art for today and for future generations. We are delighted that people of all ages (including children and people outside the local area) have wanted to take part.
Our inspiration came from people of previous generations who had been confined or suffered great hardship but responded positively, using whatever they had available, with wonderful results – people like the women interned in Singapore in 1942 who made the famous Changi Quilt to relieve their boredom and low spirits and boost morale.
These women and their children were held at a Prisoner of War camp, in desperate conditions. Their only possessions were what they carried or were wearing when captured. Despite great difficulties the women were able to cut six inch squares from rice sacks and embroidered something which ‘represented themselves’. The sixty-six squares were made into three quilts.
Another example of hope in adversity which inspired us are the “letters” produced by Lorina Bulwer, committed to the Great Yarmouth Workhouse in the early 20th century. She was given access to needles and materials and stitched her frustration into long scrolls which helped keep her calm and cope with her loss of freedom.
Over the past eighteen months we have made one textile and one knitted quilt during the three lockdowns, with the project continuing into 2021.
These words are stitched around our textile Quilt:
The process of creating this Quilt was begun with kindness, providing a supportive, safe and uplifting space for those of us who might be living alone or struggling with life under ‘lockdown’ in various ways, including the impact on our mental health and wellbeing…….we have met with love, joy, peace, patience, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control to stitch, knit and paint our contributions safely in our own homes.
The CoronaQuilt Team
Please click on the images below for more images and information about each quilt
The Completed Textile Quilt
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The Completed Knitted Quilt
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Further Information and Links
- Introduction to the Quilt of Kindness book by Jane Hattrick
- The Quilt Makers
- Costume and Textile Association Corona Quilt
- The Changi Quilt