Wrexham County Borough 123 - Quilty Hugs, jackets, bags and brooches/ It is exhibition time in the church

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As I stood in the church aisle I was astounded at where the last year has gone to. It was this time last year that I stood in the same place and admired the quilts and the artwork that adorned the walls and the aisle . I had called in a few days earlier hoping to meet a friend . A work colleague I used to work with. Too long ago to remember . Sadly he was not around although I was told he would be in later hanging his paintings up for the exhibition .

The ladies were extremely busy bring in wooden structures on which to hand their paintings . The put up a sign outside to advertise that the Wrexham Art Group and the local Quilters Association were using the church for the next week to show their achievements of the last year . There was no entry fee . It was free to walk in and browse . Paintings were for sale at various prices as were some of the items made by the quilters .

Another lady was folding church magazines . The church was bustling with the sound of chatting and laughter . So where had the last year gone to ? I had forgotten what Autumn felt like last year. I remembered the painting "The Girl with the Pearl Earing " and wondered if anyone had purchased it . How many paintings are sold in the week of the exhibition ? How much does it cost to put on? The church gets a donation for the use of the electricity . It proves successful each year so no doubt it will be held here again next Autumn and maybe just maybe I will bump into my old friend .

Rememberence Sunday had arrived with the churches full of poppy displays . I miss making my poppy wreaths for work . Would it be a nice gesture to ask if the church might like a a full poppy altar covering ? I was not sure . I don't how long it would take but perhaps if I started now I might finish it by 2024. Or what about a fall off poppies which could drape from the top of the church tower to the bottom ? Now that would be a project and a half for just one person .

Christmas had been and gone . Christmas dinners had been made and eaten . The lantern parade had started at the school and ended with the lighting of the Christmas Tree . Brians Tractor Ride had graced our streets .

Spring had come and gone . The daffodils had gone over . The snowdrops gone too. We had been down to the south of France for a holiday . We had visited the snowdrop celebration for Nightingale House .

. Summer had arrived . No floods this year . We had been either extremely lucky or the new surface drains had worked . The Sunbeam motor cycle club had started and ended their tour of North Wales here in the village .

We had visited a couple of churches , a couple of stately homes , a few gardens and ate a few lunches out . We had watched the Tour of Britain as the cyclists rushed by . Police escorts making sure the road was closed and clear for the competitors . It had not been the usual filled year . Must do better I thought .

The quilts were stunning . As I stood in front of them I felt in awe of the people who made them . They cut squares, oblongs or circles . They cut out the same material . Did it become boring I wondered? They sewed them all together to make the most intricate of patterns . I felt envious of the skill involved . They met regularly to probably quilt a little, drink tea a little and socialise . By the time the quilt had grown it would have been too heavy to lug around to meetings .

I guessed it was the same with the art group. They met , they drew , they painted and they chatted . The quilts though were the things that caught my eye . Different fabrics .The designs. All unique . Did they reflect the quilters taste ?

A few visitors popped in . They looked around the old church . They stopped awhile to admire the paintings . Some landscapes , still life , portraits and abstract . The quilts were colourful and drapped over pews and over large display boards . The paintings were for sale . I was not so sure about the large quilts .

I think the quilters all belonged to the local Malpas Arts and Crafts group . I read that the word quilt came from the latin and later from a french word . The quilt should have three layers . A top layer - the fancy bit , a wadding middle to give it shape and strength and a bottom layer . I remembered cutting fabric out at school in the shape of a hexagon. The hexagon was sew together with a cardboard inside which was made from cut out hexagons from a Kelloggs breakfast cereal packet . Each hexagon was hand sewn and it grew until it became a cover . Handsewing seemed to have gone on these quilts . It appeared all quilting was done by a machine these days . Quicker I guess to produce a full sized quilt and less tiresome.

There were bags made of quilted shapes . Some of these were for sale . As were the range of brooches made from tweed . Dogs, Cats, fish and rabbits . All pretty and all for sale . They seemed relatively cheap considering the amount of work involved in making them . A beautiful childs jacket inspired by the Great British Sewing Bee was hanging on a coat hanger . Not for sale .

And then the Quilty hugs . I had never heard of a Quilty Hug. These quilts had all been made to be given to care leavers aged 16 to 25. Many had been in care for years and were leaving the care system to begin an independent life now that their time in care had ended . The number of care leavers was high with many homeless or spending time in prison . They would after leaving care be left on their own with limited resources . Volunteers every year would host Christmas dinner events for the careleavers who otherwise might spend Christmas on their own . From this the Quilted Hug project evolved . Each careleaver is giving one of these beautiful quilts to keep . They take time to make and rely on the generosity of the Art and Crafts Groups and the quilters who join them . .I read on and learned more about the organisation . An organisation I had never heard of . It was back in 2013 that the poet Lemn Sissay founded the Christmas dinner project . By 2017 he had established Gold from the Stone Foundation which worked with agencies and individuals to address the disadvantages faced by young adults in care and care leavers . Quilts for Care Leavers was set up a year later in 2018 and offered quilts to guests at the Christmas dinner events . The quilts are a special size .Something I had not noticed as they were draped over a pew . Lemn had been in care and he said he missed a hug when he was in care at the age of twelve and these quilts provided the hug . I wondered how many like me had walked past the quilts and never imagined that they had any significance . Perhaps we look often but fail to see what is in front of us . I left the ladies chatting . I left the visitors to the church . The exhibition took on another meaning for me when I knew why the quilts were made that size and I wondered if the quiltmakers ever got to know the recipient of the quilt .

It was a short walk from home but one that made me smile . I knew more going home than I did when I left the house . I was to read a quote when I got home from Naval Ravikant " I don't have the preconception of a perfect day because if I did then it would ruin the one I was living " How true .

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