MANNIN QUILTERS



HOW IT ALL BEGAN



Mannin Quilters' home is in the Isle of Man. We were the first quilting group on the island, starting when a group of ladies attended evening classes and decided they would like to carry on doing patchwork and quilting. Eight of them started meeting in their former tutor's house in 1990 . They made an inaugural quilt in 1991 adapting blocks to represent Island Life and 21 years later we made ourselves a birthday hanging, again depicting different aspects of island life.



THE MILLENNIUM



"The Suitcase Collection"

We wanted to mark the year 2000 in a special way. Because our members work on such a wide variety of traditional and modern projects, it was decided that a suitcase collection of small quilts would be an efficient and creative way of doing this. We researched traditional methods and observed what contemporary quilters are achieving and completed 12 different quilts which demonstrate both the traditional and modern aspects of this craft. Each quilt is complete in its own right and displays one or more techniques. It is easily transported to different venues and so is an ideal tool for educational and social exhibitions. The majority of our members have designed and worked on the quilts and the collection has been entirely funded by the group. The collection was on display at the 2011 Loch Lomond Quilt Show.


Suitcase Collection

SCBU Quilts

For our Millennium project in 2000, instead of making a big quilt, we started making tiny quilts for babies in the Neo Natal Unit (then SCBU - Special Care Baby Unit) at our local hospital. The parents choose a tiny quilt to brighten up the incubator and when the baby is big enough to go home, the quilt goes with them. We made between 100 and 120 every year for several years. We also made a cover for the travelling incubator which cuts out noise and light which can be stressful for the baby while in the helicopter flying to hospitals in the UK and then a couple of years ago we accepted the challenge of making new bright covers for the incubators in the Unit.



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UNESCO BIOSPHERE



Biosphere Wall Hangings

Mannin Quilters created wall hangings depicting life in the Isle of Man's six sheadings to celebrate the Isle of Man Biosphere. The group has spent more than a year researching and crafting the hangings, which were due to tour four venues but this was interrupted by the lockdown. Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK – chairman of UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man – launched the exhibition at Castletown Civic Centre on Monday 3rd February 2020. He said: 'Our UNESCO Biosphere status celebrates all that we hold dear in the Island: our green hills by the sea, our diverse nature and wildlife, our rich heritage, our abundant culture, which has shaped the way we live in the past and continues to do so today, and, not least, our strong sense of community and desire to work together to keep the Isle of Man special. This delightful project by Mannin Quilters brings together all the strands of our Biosphere. The quilters use traditional skills to create beautiful works of art such as these. They embody the community spirit that makes the Isle of Man so different from other places.' Chris Eastham, Chair of Mannin Quilters, said: 'This has been an enjoyable project that has got the whole group talking and exchanging ideas as well as showcasing the amazing and varied talents of our members.' The Isle of Man is the only entire nation UNESCO Biosphere, part of the United Nations's Man and the Biosphere Programme. The hangings are now in Tynwald.


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Mannin Quilters



Isle of Man