A celebration of local people in stitch goes on display at Touchstones Rochdale

Lynn Setterington working on Please Sign Here during the summer of 2013

3 More Image(s) In Gallery

Two quilts - one from 1895 embroidered with almost two hundred names from citizens of Rochdale, the other a new signature quilt created during summer 2013 with over 300 local people to represent Rochdale borough today, are set to go on show at Touchstones Rochdale from 14 December 2013 – 8 March 2014.

'Please Sign Here' took its starting point from a quilt in Rochdale borough’s museum collection, which records the sewn names of over two hundred Rochdale citizens in 1895.

When artist Lynn Setterington found out about the quilt as part of her ongoing research into signature quilts, it was the start of a project which would find out more about the historic quilt and create a contemporary version with the people of Rochdale borough today.

Lynn spent summer 2013 working with members of the local community at locations across the borough including Milnrow Library, Middleton Library, Falinge, Heywood Sports Village, Ebor Studio in Littleborough, Darnhill, Deeplish and Number One Riverside.

Over 300 people embroidered their signature on to rectangles of cloth from pillowcases Lynn found at charity shops in the borough.

Lynn also had some local help in the huge task of sewing up the cloths to begin to form the final piece. Many hours of quilting later, it is complete and provides a snapshot of who lives in the borough today.

Whilst Lynn was working on the new quilt, historian Dr Alison Slater was busy researching the historic quilt to try and identify the individuals behind the signatures. Using records held in the Local Studies Centre at Touchstones, Alison has identified 148 of the signatures from a total of 199. All this detailed research will be added to our information archive so it is permanently recorded with the quilt itself.

Speaking about the project, Lynn said, “The ‘discovery’ of a quilt made in 1895 in Rochdale’s museum collection fired my imagination and instigated this ongoing collaboration.

"The project itself has taken me to new places and people across the borough and I am pleased to say the response has been extremely positive.”

Yvonne Hardman, Art Gallery Officer, added: “For Link4Life’s Arts & Heritage Service, this project has involved all three of its curatorial sections: the museum team has been involved through the historic quilt, arranging viewings for Lynn and Alison and arranging preparatory conservation to enable it to be shown in the exhibition; the art gallery team has run the project with Lynn and Alison culminating in this exhibition and local studies staff have assisted Alison with her research to uncover more about the historic quilt.

"We are grateful to both Lynn and Alison for their endless enthusiasm for the project and the extensive time they have both put into it.

"We would also like to thank everyone across the borough who gave their time to write or sew their signature for the quilt and who helped Lynn to sew it up.”

The exhibition includes both the historic and contemporary quilts along with other examples of signature quilts Lynn has created. You can also see images of the community workshops which took place around the borough to gather signatures, examples of Lynn’s working processes and find out more about Alison’s research.

Lynn and Alison will be talking about 'Please Sign Here' at Touchstones on Tuesday 14 January 2014 from 12.30pm -1.45pm as part of the Friends of Rochdale Art Gallery’s programme of talks. No booking required. £3 non-members, £2 members.