Lindsey Patchworkers Exhibition Preview

June 29th 2013

The Lindsey Patchworkers are a group of people who get together to create quilts, bags, and many other creative craft projects based on patchworking. This year their exhibition runs from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th of June, at the Cyril Turner Community Hall, Playing Field Lane, in Ludford. They are raising money for two charities, Rej's Dream and the Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance.

The group holds a show every other year, and the 2011 exhibition also took place at the same location. This year they will be showing off the Lincolnshire Wolds Hanging, a piece of work that won the first place in the Great Northern Quilt Show of 2012 in the Best Group Quilt category. This quilt is jointly owned by the group and the Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service.

The event will include items for sale, a tombola, refreshments, and a number of workshops. The group's chairman is Sheila Evans, but she's not in the picture on the left because that was taken the day before the event, when people were setting things up and not everyone was there.

I asked Sandra Goldsborough, a member who has been involved with quilting since the 1970s, about the appeal of patchworking. "It's something I found I could do quite well. People get addicted to it." She also emphasised the social aspect. "It's learning together, and we gain inspiration from each other."

Other members of the group told me the same sort of thing. They run workshops, and take a leaf out of all kinds of cultures, as you can see from the Japanese-style quilt on the right. A lot of the quilts are created as part of challenges that the members set each other each month. Then there are the cute and quirky objects like the watering can and chocolate truffle pincushions. There were tables full of similarly unique and decorative items, including cushion covers, bags, table runners, book covers, and much more. It's an exhibition of inspiring and beautiful creations, and it's in a good cause.