In Honour of Hugo by Pauline Burbidge

-

Our most creative moments can be born of difficult times. "In Honour of Hugo" is a quilt by Handi Quilter Ambassador Pauline Burbidge that demonstrates how arts and quilting can be therapeutic for the maker and for those who view it.



The making of a quilt called “In Honour of Hugo”,

made by Pauline Burbidge in 2023/2024.

I made this quilt in honour of the late, great, Hugo Burge who lived at Marchmont House. He set up a foundation to help support “Makers and Creators”. The quilt celebrates Hugo’s life, energy, and generous spirit. His vision has transformed the Arts & Crafts in the Scottish Borders and beyond. 

The landscape of the Marchmont estate has changed and we begin to adjust to life without Hugo. This piece is no longer the same as its original commission, it has grown and emerged from what was in my mind. The image of the Oak Tree, Hugo’s favourite, has grown from collecting many leaves from around Marchmont, printing, drawing and making rubbings of them, and collaging layers of cloth together with stitch.

There is both Art & Craft in my work, large textile wall-hangings from fabric that I print using ‘‘Cyanotype’, an early photographic technique, stitch and collage, I think of them as Textile Landscapes. The quilt has a front and back, which are very different in character, the front is made up of the printed, collaged and stitched fabrics; the back shows the unconsciously made stitches on a black ground – only revealed when finished. 

Pauline’s quilt echoes Hugo’s sentiment, “I love the design and technology which are shaping the future, but the grounding values of the arts and crafts are as important as the iPhone. We need balance.”

Two photos by Colin Hattersley = 1A, Portrait of Pauline Burbidge, with the quilt behind, 2024. And 2A, the quilt “In Honour of Hugo” 197x198 cm, 2024.

Here are some selected photos of my processes when making the quilt:



  1. Cyanotype printing process: 

Light sensitive chemicals on fabric. 

  1. Preparing for print: 

Within subdued light my collection of oak leaves were placed 

  1. Rinsing:

Cold water removes the chemicals and makes the fabric fast.

  1. Drying the cloth on the washing line.

  2. Gathering:

Preparing for gather stitching, shrinking the cloth into the centre.

  1. Collage in process:

My printed fabric – a ‘Tree of Life’ emerged. 

  1. Pauline Burbidge’s studio – November 2023.

  2. Machine stitching:

The quilt on my ‘Handi Quilter’ longarm machine. I draw with my stitching line.

  1. Hand stitching:

     Stitching balances my mind! 











Find out more:

www.paulineburbidge-quilts.com

www.hugoburgefoundation.org


"In Honour of Hugo" will be on display from mid August 2024 to mid March 2025 at Marchmont House (Marchmont House website) in the Scottish Borders for visitors who book house tours or who visit for music events. It will then be on display at the Pittenweem Arts Festival from 3rd to 10th August 2024. Visit the Pittenweem Arts Festival website.

Having seen the quilt in real life, I highly recommend seeing it if you can.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Glide Thread 40wt and 60wt - It's our Favourite! Find out why.

-
Image
Abigail Sheridan de Graaff is a Handi Quilter Educator and Professional Longarm Quilter. From her quilting studio in Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire Abigail uses a Handi Quilter Amara 20" longarm machine with the computerised Pro-Stitcher system to complete her own as well as customer quilts through her business Cut&Alter.   In this blog feature Abigail explores Glide 40wt and 60wt thread, the quilter's palette. But as you'll discover, Glide thread is not just for quilting. Our Glide Thread Club launched in 2020 - you can build the entire Glide 40wt thread collection with the 27 sets of 9 1000m cones. No threads are repeated so you can confidently purchase knowing you won't have two the same!  For more details visit the Thread Club pages on our website - Glide Thread Club. Before I bought my longarm machine I have to admit I knew nothing about thread, although I was not aware of this shortcoming!  Basically I bought whatever was in the local shop if it was
Read more

How a stitch is formed. Understand skipping stitches and shredding on a longarm machine.

-
Image
Shredding Thread, Skipped Stitches and Stitch Formation - Explained by Liz Holpin, Pinhole Quilting There is nothing more frustrating than when you're quilting along and you find your thread is skipping stitches, the thread is shredding or breaking. It can really affect your quilting mojo!  You check you thread and your needle and can't find out what is wrong. So, let's look at what the components are of skipping, shredding and the longarm needle. We'll also consider some aspects of the thread and what might be happening there.  We'll also cover Timing, Needles and in particular the High Speed or MR Needles. We hope that with this knowledge you will be able to analyse what is happening with your machine and fix your skipped stitches with less frustration so that you can get on and quilt! This information is for Handi Quilter machines. Much of this content is taken from the Technical Guidance notes written by Glen Salter at Handi Quilter Technical Support and is copy
Read more

Facebook Live - 20th March 2021 - Words of Encouragement and Quilt Inspiration Part 2

-
Image
 I was struck this week by the importance of words of encouragement.  I know plenty of parents who have spent the early part of 2021 encouraging and cajoling their children to do their school work at home. Sometimes the roles are reversed and children are persuading their elderly parents to keep exercising despite the difficulties of lockdown. We all know how important words of encouragement can be, particularly if we are feeling isolated. Motivation becomes more difficult. It's one of the reasons why we have Facebook Groups like Longarm Learning Curve for Handi Quilter owners. You may not know it exists but within the group are all the previous HQ Owners in the UK (and worldwide HQ Owners can also join). The admins in the group are me (Liz), Lynda Jackson, Handi Quilter Ambassador and Educator and Nel Eyre a Handi Quilter Owner. We ensure the advice and guidance is on point and relevant to the group but otherwise no question is silly, stupid or unimportant. There is also a brand n
Read more