The last week has seen a hive of activity from each artist, with finishing touches being added, facings and hanging sleeves applied, labels prepared and each of us asking “Have I got time to make some more cards, just one more piece of artwork, to add another stitch or two …?”  At some point, we have to say “it’s finished”.

The exhibition catalogue is ready, describing each piece and explaining the artists’ inspirations. Labels are ready to go.  Cards have been packaged and priced.  All the final preparations are being completed, up to the last minute – and it all takes more time than you think!  

We’ve been delighted and grateful for the support shown to us by the wider textile world, with lots of great marketing and lovely articles in The Quilter and Contemporary Quilt Newsletter. Posters and fliers have been distributed and we even needed a reprint, which is fantastic.  We’ve been busy keeping Instagram up to date with images of our artwork and inspirational photos.  It’s wonderful to be getting our name known both locally and further afield.

Final lists have been drawn up so that we can hang the exhibition on Tuesday and Wednesday this week:  ladders, scissors, blue tack, thread, fishing line, string, labels – one of the artist’s tall husbands.  This list goes on and on, but it’s great fun and we can’t wait to see it all in place.

Apart from the fun of creating, personally it’s been a real honour to be part of this group of talented artists and, more than that, such a warm and friendly group of people.  Inevitably we’ve faced life’s ups and downs in the weeks coming up to the exhibition and the power of the group in supporting each other has been truly wonderful.

May has seen torrential downpours but it looks as though June may be bringing some sunshine – we hope so, so that visitors can make best use of the delightful courtyard café at the barn.

Liz Maddock

The group is in the grip of preparing for our forthcoming exhibition, Spirit of Place, thinking of both the small details and the big picture.

We have never exhibited before in Sullington Manor Farm, and the barn where exhibitions take place is beautiful, airy and with very high ceilings! This latter characteristic makes it more difficult to hang work than in a “normal” gallery, with its tracks and hooks which make hanging easier.

Of course, in most galleries you cannot put nails on the wall, but if they allow it, you have to make good the wall before leaving, so the next exhibitors don’t have a wall full of holes.

In the case of the barn, there is no gallery hanging system and it’s not possible to make holes in the beautiful timbers. So, it has been necessary to put our thinking caps to consider how to hang. The farm has willow screens which can be used for hanging and one of our members has several quilt frames which we could use. However, this leaves us with the problem of hanging our long pieces, some up to about 8 ft long.

Some of the work can go on tables, and the farm has plenty of those. However, it is necessary to consider how to present the work. Some will go in baskets, other will go in drawers, maybe we will use clothes rails or old suitcases.

Another slight problem is that we cannot have small signs attached to the wall to tell people the name of the artist and that of the piece. And, it will be difficult to attach them to the willow screens. So, we have come up with the idea of creating a list of all the works and add a key number, then on the screens will simply put be a series of numbers. This means that the list with the numbers will have to be done last minute, once the hanging team finishes the hanging. And the list will have to be delivered first thing in the morning, so it is there when the visitors start arriving.

All small details, which although are not as important as the work itself, if not sorted out properly will be detrimental to the enjoyment of the work.

And, then, the most pleasurable part of the process begins… It is so lovely to receive visitors, talk to them about our art, our thinking behind it, how the challenges were decided, etc.

Amelia Leigh