Averil Colby - (1900 -1983)

Strange things happen!  One morning  last week I was vaguely thinking that I would write something about Averil Colby because I own some little bits of her patchwork and thought that you might be interested in seeing them.  When the post came later in the morning there was an invitation from The Quilters' Guild to attend the Private View of  "The Averil Colby Legacy" at the Quilt Museum on 5th February next.  Quite a coincidence as I had no idea that it was scheduled - obviously did not read my Guild magazine thoroughly enough!

This is a close-up of the picture on the press release of some of Miss Colby's work which the Quilters' Guild have given me permission to use -

Here in the UK Averil Colby was probably the most influential patchworker of her time.  She was Chairman of the Handicraft Committee of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (to give it it's full title but it's usually known just as the W.I.) and was instrumental in organizing courses, classes, and exhibitions of handicrafts that helped keep the flame of patchwork alive through the years when it wasn't at all fashionable here. In 1980 she was recognised in the States and was the first person from the UK to be inducted into The Quilters' Hall of Fame.

Gardener, patchworker, designer and author, this formidable lady was particularly known for ‘foraging’ fabrics and her use of the traditional English hexagon shape and she used to say that her fabric collection spanned 200 years. She did not believe in using a sewing machine and thought patchwork was an excellent way of teaching plain sewing.  Can you imagine what she would think of how things have developed and changed?  What would she think of the rotary cutter?

Her books are well worth reading and I refer to them very often as they are really the only ones that deal with historical British patchwork. Not quilting, because Dorothy Osler and Mavis Fitzrandolph did wonderful books on that -

When she died, some of the items from her workroom were left to The Quilters’ Guild and I remember being present at a Regional Reps. meeting at Margaret Petit's house in Pewsey and hearing how two Guild members ( I think one was Jean Amsden) had visited Averil Colby's house in Somerset and had been quite overwhelmed by the amount of fabric and unfinished work from which they had to choose. They brought quite a selection to the meeting and though the larger pieces were kept for the Guild Collection, we Regional Reps. were invited to take some bits as a keepsake.  These are mine -

If you click the picture and zoom in you will see that some pieces are very tiny indeed and the fabric (you will see a little roll of it in the foreground of the picture) is like paper, being very thin and stiff.

Just afterwards I was attending an Embroiderers' Guild Regional Day where some ladies were selling odds and ends and I bought these two pieces of fabric which are similar  - 

I don't think the sellers realised what they were and if I hadn't had my Averil Colby bits, I wouldn't have either.  I wasn't sure of their age then, now I think they are pre 1800, but this has not been confirmed. Eventually they will all go to the Guild but I will enjoy owning them for a bit longer I hope?

A selection of the Averil Colby fabric samples will be included in the exhibition being staged in the Bailey Gallery. Do go and see it if you can - we all need a treat in February.

For more information,  this is the link
 http://www.quiltmuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/forthcoming/the-averil-colby-legacy.html