A story in a quilt

We were so pleased to have Deacon Sue Culver with us this morning. She explained how her quilt, which was based upon people’s stories from the pandemic. The quilt that she is making can really tell the story of the pandemic. Using personal stories of contributors it can link our story together. Many a time people have produced such items which reflect moments of history. I wonder if Joseph’s coat enabled the re-telling of many stories?

“Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age and he made him a coat of many colors.”    

Genesis 37:3

Sue Culver’s Talk (whilst in Tesco’s)

This work was to record a ‘A Moment in time’. It was based upon a Quilt Block entitled ‘Trip Around the World‘, coming from the Amish tradition. They had an initiative called ‘Sunshine and Shadows‘ depicting the variety of images seen as the sun moves across the sky. Sue’s colour palette was the rainbow. We may think that this was down to the use of the NHS within the pandemic, but there are other reasons for this choice.

The Rainbow Colour Palette

The rainbow has Scriptural links although the imagery and significance was recorded in older texts than the Bible. The rainbow was chosen by South Africa, the Rainbow nation, to signify inclusivity and openness. We have also seen the Rainbow adopted, not pinched, by the LGBTQIA community. In fact the Rainbow flag used by the LGBTQIA community has extra colours to include the transgender and agender folks. However, many people will resonate with the rainbow reflecting our thanks to those essential workers we have recognised throughput the Pandemic.

Sue and her team of helpers have been hard at work adorning the church in poppies – yes it was that large – and more recently making over 5000+ scrubs and disposable surgical gowns for the NHS. Turning their hands to the obligatory face masks, including ones we have been using (Thanks Sue!)

The left over materials from all this work are known as ‘crumbs‘. There’s a passage in Mark’s Gospel about a Syro-Phoenician woman who says to Jesus “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs” (Mark 7:28). It speaks so loudly of inclusivity, of welcoming all.

It may well be a pivotal moment in the Gospel as Jesus returns from the furthest point of his travels back towards Jerusalem from there on in. Perhaps telling a story of the pandemic is a pivotal point for many as others can listen.

The finished Quilt

So this lockdown story is made up from individual stories from across the world. It contains parts of wedding dresses, fragments from a funeral shroud, quilts from people who have been in hospital. There’s embroidered quotes and poetry, even elements from the Queen’s speech speaking of communities coming together to help each other.

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This is a King Size quilt requiring substantial efforts to knit it all together. The Quilt Sanctuary possessed a long arm quilting machine, so Sue travelled to Wales to ask them to pull all of this work together.

It will be seen at the forthcoming Methodist Conference, on the Communion Table as they celebrate a Love Feast, poignantly just before the God in Love Unites Us vote.

Conclusion

It is not a quilt to mark despair but one that tells a story ‘a moment in time’. It captures beautifully a year from initial lockdown until the first vestiges of release. It also marks the death of her father, so her story is also entwined so personally within the threads.

We so thank you Sue to explaining all of your hard work and endeavours, signalling to us all, a deep message of inclusiveness.

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There’s a website here which provides links to different techniques for constructing quilts with Biblical themes.