Handel blog 7*
From Katherine: I have several friends who are making surgical style facemasks for family, friends, health care workers, farm workers, or whoever needs them. There is information online about patterns and the best kind of material, and people have been innovative in finding ways to make the masks more effective, reusable, and more comfortable. Given the overwhelming need for masks as this coronavirus has spread worldwide, I think this response is wonderful. It reminds me of Lydia’s sewing project when she learned of the many poor or abandoned children on London’s streets. She wrote to Handel: “Along with a few other women here in our Upper Brook Street neighborhood, I have started a sewing circle. We call ourselves grands-mères sans petits-enfants. We make blankets and clothing for some of the same children your Fund supports.” (p. 346) I expect some of those blankets were actually domestic patchwork quilts of the sort that were just becoming popular in both Britain and the American colonies.
From Peter: I’ve seen some of the fancier quilted artifacts at the Victoria and Albert Museum, but I don’t remember seeing anything that looked homemade. I think the museum pieces were articles of clothing and probably fashioned by professional tailors. I’m surprised Lydia knew how to make a quilt.
From Rebecca: Patchwork quilts were fairly common throughout Britain, but they weren’t preserved in museums. Like so much handcraft, especially that produced by women, it was regarded as unworthy of display in collections. But, truthfully, the whole notion of collecting was still pretty new at that time. Even fine art collections were a new kind of investment for wealthy people.
From Katherine: I’m very lucky to have some quilts left to me by my grandmothers. These are mostly pieced quilts, but some are appliqué. I imagine they both would have been able to sew a bushel of facemasks in no time. Sadly, I never learned the sewing skill from either of them. I’ll attach a picture of some of the quilts I have so you can see why I am so delighted to have them. They really are beautiful.
Until next time, enjoy the photo.
*All posts listed as “Handel blog” are texts that use the fictional characters in my book The Handel Letters: A Biographical Conversation. As in that book, the posts will often reference things from Handel’s life or time period as starting points. And the post will cite a page or paragraph in the book when it seems relevant. Find The Handel Letters.