I have been judged and found wanting – all over the country quilted effigies of Sue Prichard are being stabbed with pins. To be honest I didn’t realise that the offending article ‘Quilts come in from the cold’ had created such a flurry of responses. It’s a very odd thing being thrust into the public sphere – you certainly don’t enter into the profession with the express wish of becoming public property. It wasn’t until I started to receive the emails addressed to ‘Dear Ms Pritchard’ that I realised anything was amiss (where did that ‘t’ come from?).
Of course you should never, ever google yourself – what I found was a bit of a surprise – not least the assumption that I obviously hadn’t done my research and that quilting did not need the V&A to inspire a revival. I had to decide whether to enter the fray and defend my honour or sit back and accept that all publicity is good publicity – after all since when had the national press taken such a lively interest in what I had been told was a ‘niche’ exhibition?
So just to reassure everyone that I do indeed leave the ‘environs of South Kensington’ to discover that quilting is alive and well. I recently popped into the Dragonfly Quilters Quilt Show in Deal held over the August Bank Holiday weekend (actually I went twice – the husband said the cakes were excellent) and last weekend managed to get up to Norwich to see the Sewell Park Quilters and Patchworkers 20th Anniversary Quilt Show. Special congratulations to Primrose Cross – I loved your cat quilt!
So whilst I’m always happy to receive your emails, please, please, please enough with the Ms Pritchard – it is and always has been Sue Prichard …. Without the ‘t’!