Today’s meeting was a packed afternoon at Harrogate Creative Stitchers. We kicked off with our AGM, reflecting on the first year under our new identity having previously been part of the Embroiderer’s Guild. Many of our first meetings and events in 2021 took place during covid over zoom but as restrictions relaxed we were able to meet in person at our fantastic new location at the ‘Friends Meeting House’ on Queen Parade in Harrogate.
For the second part of our afternoon we were delighted to welcome Textile Artist and Tutor Helen Barnes for her talk entitled ‘From India to North Country Quilts’. Helen grew up in Yorkshire where her home was filled with many quilts which belonged to her mother but at the time she didn’t know a lot about them. After studying fine art, she eventually became interested in textiles and began travelling to Asia and South America to see their traditional quilt work. Helen explained how her fascination with these quilts brought her full circle back to Yorkshire, wanting to find out more about the origins of the quilts that she grew up with. These enormous whole quilts are known as ‘Northern Country Quilts’ or sometimes referred to as ‘Durham Quilts’.
Helen showed us some beautiful examples of brightly coloured quilt work from India, Vietnam and Peru. These textiles are intricately stitched with kantha, mirror and figurative work. Often she would make paintings of the textiles she had seen on her trips and use their patterns to inspire pieces of her own. In one example, she used a central lotus flower pattern from a India to inspire her own design.
On speaking about North Country Quilts, she explained how they are traditionally hand stitched with cotton wadding and have pattern designs such as flowers, ferns, feathers, diamonds and shells which can often be traced back to specific regions in the North such as Allendale and Weardale. The quilts originate from the 1800s in the traditional lead mining areas. George Gardiner of Allendale took to designing quilt tops in the late 1800s after the demise of the lead mining industry which meant the quilts continued to be a source of extra income for the miner’s families and why so many of them still are still around today, examples of which can be found at the Beamish and Bowes museums.
More for everyday use, ‘strippy quilts’ were another popular design. Instead of huge whole tops, strips of 10” wide fabrics often in powder blue or pale pink would be hand stitched together and have hand stitched designs such as feathers, flowers or hearts. Cable and plait shapes are also a common theme. They became especially popular in the 1930s when Liberty began to sell the quilt patterns. During lockdown, Helen studied strippy quilts in more detail and made 60 or so samples of different patterns, some of which were circulated around the group. She used some of these designs as templates to make her own interpretation with two beautiful contemporary quilts.
Helen reflected on how North Country, kantha and other quilts from around the world show similarities in some of the stitch work and edging for example. At the end of Helen’s talk we were able to ask questions and had the opportunity to look at some of her collection of textiles from around the world as well as her own beautiful designs and quilts. A very enjoyable and informative afternoon!
More information about Helen's work can be found on her website at www.helenbarnestextiles.co.uk or you can follow her on Instagram @helenbarnestextileartist
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