CORONA QUILT...
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Picturing the Pandemic - C&TA Members' Corona Quilt
This magnificent quilt produced by our members during Lockdown has been displayed at The Forum in Norwich and will feature in the Textile Treasures Exhibition at Norwich Castle in late 2021 Roll your mouse over a square for a caption or click on a square for a larger image. See below for a gallery of images from the Forum Roll your mouse over a square for a caption or click on a square
for a larger image and caption Below - images from the Makers Festival display in June |
Norfolk museums want your help
Norfolk museums are appealing to the public to help them record experiences of living through the COVID-19 crisis. Curators from The Museum of Norwich at The Bridewell, Strangers' Hall and The Norwich Castle Study Centre have already begun collecting items to be preserved for future generations. Items offered so far include PPE visors created by Colin Breckons and his 70-strong volunteer team at Frontline Face Shields, I LOVE THE NHS car bumper stickers created by Unique Signs & Graphics, a 'Gift Box for Local Heroes' supplied by Kettle Foods, face masks raising money for the Puppet Theatre and artwork. But museum staff want to collect more personal items from the community, backed up by individual stories. This could be notes from neighbours, rainbow window displays, or even pyjamas worn for a working day! Norfolk county councillor Margaret Dewsbury said: "The impacts of the pandemic will be felt for a long time and it's important that we begin the task of preserving the story of the past few months while memories are still fresh in our minds and before key objects disappear." Take a look on the Museum of Norwich Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MuseumofNorwich/ Their call for action includes: - Photographing one item that sums up your experience of the pandemic and explain why. - Sending in a lockdown selfie with a caption or record your experience on film or audio. - Striking a pose in your lockdown wardrobe. Anyone interested in getting involved in the project or who has an item to suggest can also get in touch via email at collections.management@norfolk.gov.uk 
Nurses hold up their bags made by C&TA members to say 'thank-you' Our C&TA members stitch and deliver A 'thank-you' message from Jenny Daniels When my daughter alerted me to the need for drawstring laundry bags for NHS staff I realised that making those was something useful which I could do to help out during the Coronavirus lockdown. I was well-placed with a sewing-machine, fabric, threads and a lot of spare time. After a quick search online, I made a test sample and then a batch of six bags out of spare bed-sheets. They were snapped up immediately by NHS contacts and requests came in for more, lots more. I mentioned this at our first C&TA committee meeting on Zoom and it was agreed to use the website and newsletter to ask members if they would like to help. Bags could be delivered to my doorstep and after a period of quarantine passed on to the NHS. What followed was truly heart-warming and a wonderful demonstration of the generosity of our members in helping out in this crisis. For some of us, it may have been a great opportunity to use up our accumulated fabric stash in a really good cause and this definitely applied to me. The only thing in short supply was the tape for the drawstrings so when it ran out, we made substitutes. It was a real joy to be sent a photo of a group of nurses at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital holding up their bags to say 'Thank You'. (See top of page) After four weeks I was able to pass on about 120 bags and these went to the NHS and also latterly to local care homes which needed them for their staff. Other members made their own direct contributions and I guess that well over 200 bags were made by C&TA members. You may have seen a picture in the Evening News of Mandy Jackson hard at work at her sewing machine making her bags. My 'organisation' was spontaneous and informal. to say the least, so with Norfolk Scrubs up and running we decided it was time to wind down and direct enquiries to them and let them carry on the good work. My warmest thanks to everyone who supported this initiative, especially those kind members who left their bags with me anonymously and whom I couldn't thank personally. I really think that the C&TA made a difference. 
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