Small-print fabrics

Press, 3 February 1982, Page 13

Small-print fabrics

The art of patchwork has gone the full circle.

Interest in the craft has slowly been revived in the last few years and in recent months a definite resurgence has emerged. One of the people to have an early appreciation of the potential for patchwork is Prue Downes.

As a previous owner of the Artists Quarter Shop in Oxford Terrace, she came into contact with patchworkers a great deal. She discovered one of the greatest problems patchworkers had was the limited range of small-print fabrics available. For the' last 12 months Prue has operated a fabric shop in Merivale under the name of Prunella’s. During this time she has gradually increased the range of materials specifically suitable for patchworkers. Since she became aware of the difficulty of obtaining suitable fabric, Prue has succeeded in obtaining imported lines. Now she is established as the main buyer in New Zealand for small-print fabrics, most of which are pure cotton. Patchworkers prefer

small-print materials because they have a greater variety of use, Prue says. For instance, in a quilt the same material could be used several times but the shape and size of that material could alter the entire look of the pattern. • “Sewing teachers are now beginning to teach patchwork in their classes,” Prue said. The craft is certainly “catching-on" and enough interest has been shown in the patchwork display at Prunella's for weekly demonstrations to be held in the

shop during the winter. Inquiries relating to patchwork classes can also be made through Prunella’s. Lavender balls, clothing, soft furnishings, and potholders can all be made from patchwork. Quilts are probably the first thing associated with the art of patchwork. Quilt-making was once a necessary function. For the pioneers, the quilts were essential provisions and far more than a leisure-time activity. But quilting did allow women a means of self-

expression. Sometimes an entire community would set to work on one quilt; but more often the quilts would be undertaken by individual families.

The designs adopted for the quilts symbolised their lives. In America, for example, in the early years of colonisation it was illegal to buy textiles from England or for the immigrants to manufacture textile themselves. As a result, crazy quilts were developed. This pattern simply used scraps of material, regardless of size or shape.