BY KLTV Newsdesk –
Kirklees Libraries are hosting an unusual pair of handmade quilts produced during lockdowns of the last year made by 36 local people, out of 120 across the country as part of the NHS campaign project #ThreadsOfSurvival.
‘Breathtaking’
Chrissie Parker, one of the makers, is really looking forward to seeing people’s reactions to the quilts.
She said: “I can’t wait to see them in the libraries. The photos in Dewsbury Town Centre during the summer of 2021 were beautiful and when you see the amount of work in them it’s quite breathtaking.
“We are so pleased to be able to display the real quilts in Lindley Library from 15th January 2022.”
National Project
Threads of Survival is a national creative textiles project that invited people to tell their stories and experiences of the pandemic and also express the importance of the NHS in their lives.
The call was open to anyone and features work from both artists and first-time stitchers.
Facilitated by national campaign organisation 999 Call for the NHS, the project has 22 quilts made by groups from East Anglia, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Lancashire, Somerset, County Durham, Surrey, London, Manchester and Birmingham.
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Local Contributions
A community quilt from Denby Dale is part of the exhibition.
Kate Tunstall from the Denby Dale craft group was intrigued by the call for quilters and mentioned it to their group and other members of the Denby Dale community who she met walking the dog, who all live in the Denby Dale area.
Kate said “When I heard about Threads of Survival I thought it would be something our craft group could get behind.
“Our quilt was an important way of giving people a sense of belonging and means of expression, during the awful lockdown period.
“We have seen our work added to that of others around the country in the Textile Biennial exhibition in Lancashire and I’m pleased local people can now see it at first hand.
“It’s a lovely project to support and be part of.”
‘Project about people’
Steven Carne, Chair of 999 Call for the NHS is pleased that Kirklees residents will have a chance to see the quilts made locally for the Threads of Survival collection.
He added: “We were delighted when Kirklees Libraries contacted us about hosting the Kirklees element of Threads of Survival.
“This is very much a project about people, which is what the spirit of a true public service NHS is all about, looking after people regardless of background or status.
“We want that to remain and not disappear with the current changes taking place. So we were thrilled and excited to have the Kirklees quits included in our exhibition.”
The Kirklees quilts, supported by TSL Kirklees, are coming to Lindley Library, after a successful exhibition at Gawthorpe Hall in Lancashire for the prestigious British Textile Biennial, and Ormskirk Parish Church.
 The project is still open. For more information visit the link: https://bit.ly/