A quilt based on the story The Bantam and the Soldier included wool from Brown’s grandfather’s army blanket he used in World War II in Palestine and Egypt, and was bought by someone with a family connection to Palestine.
“Seeing quilts on a wall and not just in a bed has interested some people who understood that they are works of art just like a painting or a print,” Brown said.
Visiting quilt makers even said they were inspired by the exhibition, making them think about how they approach their own quilt-making.
Brown started making quilts as a hobby for the beds of her bed and breakfast, Browns Boutique BnB.
During the 2020 Covid lockdown, she began speaking to BnB guests about where they would be during that time if Covid were not a factor.
Most would be visiting children and grandchildren overseas.
She thought “what would I do if I was in this situation?”
“I would want to send them a quilt so that they could wrap themselves in it and a book to read over Zoom while snuggled in the blanket.
“It would be as close as you could get to having the physical touch of a family member without being there to touch them.”
So bringing children’s stories to life through quilts was born.
During the 2022 summer, Lesley Stead, owner of Lockett Gallery and Paige’s Book Gallery, was approached with the idea.
“She bravely said yes,” Brown said.
Brown and the gallery and bookstore team are already planning the next exhibition for the 2024 open studio.
“It will involve illustrated children’s books again but won’t be quilts. It will be something else.”
Brown said she chose stories she connected with and those with beautiful illustrations.
The Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois is a book Brown has a connection to.
It is about textiles and the relationship between a daughter and her mother, a similar parallel between the relationship between her and her mother Valerie Carson, who was the first textile conservator in New Zealand.
“Textiles is in my blood,” Brown said.
She knew the quilts would resonate with people in varying ways due to their uniqueness and the familiarity children’s books continue to have with adults.
They are made from material sourced primarily at second-hand stores, with a focus on natural fibres such as linen and cotton.
Brown’s commitment to creating a sustainable product stems from her textiles design degree and knowledge of the textiles industry.
“The most sustainable product you can get for yourself is one that is already made.”
During the Open Studios weekends, the team raffled off a quilt based on the book Something from Nothing to help families at a decile 1 school affected by the floods in Hawke’s Bay.
The raffle raised $2300 for Marewa Primary School to help set up a library for the children.
The exhibition is at Lockett Gallery until May 17 and the quilts will then be sent to their new homes.
