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Large patchwork bedcover or wall hanging. Made by members of the Cwmbran Sewing Group during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020.

Cwmbran Sewing Group was formed by Tricia Edwards on the social media platform Facebook on 7 April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of the group was to occupy the minds of people struggling with self-isolation and also to give members some physical activity they could engage in at home that would benefit others. The members of the group created scrubs, laundry bags and ear mask extenders out of donated fabric, wool and bedding in their individual homes, to donate to NHS staff. Volunteer drivers then collected and dropped off donations several times a day.

Two months later the demand had lessened and the group had almost stopped when Meg Gurney, a group member from Sebastopol, put forward the suggestion to make a commemorative quilt out of squares made by the group members from scraps of fabric and other items that they had left over. All the squares were handed over to Meg who then spent many days putting them all together, with Tricia finishing off by embroidering the top.

Patches contributed by: Sophie Addyman, Christine Bartholomew, Gwyneth Beard, Paul Bellew, Sue Clayton Wendy Cozens, Nicky Deacon, Helen Dowey, Marlene Driscoll, Tricia Edwards, Julie Emment, Olwen Floyd, Jo Forward, Dianne Ford, Fiona Gallear, Sarah Gardner, Cariad Gingell, Anne Gingell, Margaret Gurney, Claire Hillier, Dale Howells, Carol Jackson, Jane Jeffries, Ruth Jenkins, Cath Johnson, Michelle Johnson, Margaret Lewis, Maggie Liggins, Kyle Matthews, Christine McFarlane, Leanne McMillan, Abi Morgan, Catherine Morgan, Rhys Morgan, Olwen Price, Emma Probert, Sue Reeves, Rosemarie Seabourne, Kayleigh Shaw, Jennie Simons, Sian Spiers, Rosemary Stephens, Jan Swain, Sandra Taylor, Sharon Thomas, Mary Tucker, Claire Turner, Jane Veale, Sarah Walters, Adrienne Ward-Davies, and Ruth Woodland.

Patchwork quilt made from 53 individually designed squares which have been stitched together with plain blue bands dividing them. There are seven rows of seven squares which roughly form a square. Along the bottom edge another, shorter row of 4 squares has been attached centrally. These don't match up with the columns formed by the first set of 49 squares. The quilt has a white backing and a pole sleeve has been fitted along the top edge. The top has a machine-embroidered inscription reading MAY 2020 CWMBRAN SEWING GROUP Assembled by Meg Gurney & Tricia Edwards.

There is also a separate blue-printed fabric bag with orange draw string which contained the quilt when it arrived at the museum.

The squares are all made from a multitude of materials using many different techniques.

The following is a description of each panel left to right/top to bottom.

Row 1: 1 The first square has a white background with applied glitter of blue hearts and corners and a plastic mesh of reflective elements. It has a knitted inscription of the embroiderer and NHS KEY WORKERS

2 Knitted mask extenders: oblong strips with different style and colour buttons are stitched to a purple knitted backing using orange thread. This, in turn, has been applied to a white fabric with a fine floral print.

3 Square made up of 9 printed fabrics (joined together in 3 x 3 rows). Across two of them is the inscription C19 2020 in white.

4 Made ups of 2 types of printed fabric separated by a horizontal strip of brown which is inscribed '2020' spelled out in sewn-on buttons. Upper fabric has sewing related design on a pink background and lower fabric has medical related design on a pink background.

5 Letters NHS in multi-coloured printed fabric applied onto grey fabric heart. 2 pink buttons stitched to upper heart and green heart-shaped button on the lower heart. Heart itself is applied to white fabric with a geometric print in blue. Initials of maker on small grey square to proper right of heart.

6 Crochet square in shades of brown and grey applied onto brown fabric ground.

7 Letters NHS knitted in blue applied onto white ground printed with red, blue, green and red stars.

Row 2: 8 Made of printed fabric: bears that are painting against a green check background.

9 4 blue flowers applied to a yellow ground; small rainbow in upper proper right corner.

10 NHS picked out in a crochet pattern against a plain crochet ground.

11 shaking hands - against a background of red and blue hearts. 'Sew for Heroes' and NHS hand-written onto this square several times. Some elements of the design are stitched.

12 a red and a blue heart, a green bag (probably to contain scrubs) and a mask extender with two pearlescent buttons, appliquéed onto dark blue ground

13 clapping yellow hands stitched onto blue ground against a crea fabric printed with fine floral design. Also three blue hearts with the embroidered inscription: THANK YOU NHS

14 small patchwork of superhero print fabric, a pirate print fabric, a skull and crossbones print and a unicorn print fabric; 2 green sequins stitched on as eyes for the skull. The stitches used to join the patches are feather stitch, herringbone and blanket stitch. The stitches surrounding the unicorn are embellished with green 'leaves' and french knot buds.

Row 3: 15 Cwmbran 2020 machine-embroidered in blue onto white felt clouds with a felt rainbow above. Both applied to printed fabric of fine, pale green vertical lines.

16 White fabric ground; knitted red heart in centre, applied smaller red hearts on either side, applied heat-shaped sections of silver-coloured pastic mesh material in all four corners. Rainbow coloured gimp braid stitched to edges of square.

17 Log cabin patchwork quilt square of different printed fabrics

18 Blue angular heart on white fabric with multi-coloured stripes. This, in turn, is applied to a sage green backing fabric. Interior of heart is made from white fabric with a rainbow print.

19 different colour/print fabrics cut with pinking shears, and applied to backing of brown fabric with white dots. A mask extender, a set of scrubs, a scrub-bag, a blue heart and a crescent shape.

20 A sewing machine joined together from various different fabrics and stitched to a plain brown ground.

21 Pink hand applied to a quilted ground printed with a pale yellow pattern. Hand is hand-embroidered in red with letters C.S.G.

Row 4: 22 6 sets of scrubs arranged in a circle, cut out from different coloured fabric and applied to a white backing using machine made zig-zag stitches. Framed by strips of cream fabric with a floral print.

23 central heart within a square with lettering reading CUMBRAN SEWING GROUP SEW FOR HEROES. Applied to a printed fabric with haberdashery design; surrounded by blue printed fabric with a geometric design.

24 Red heart, cross shape and letters NHS applied to backing (red print on white ground) 3 heart-shaped decorative studs made from red plastic adhered to ground fabric. Red ribbon with white edge stitched along proper left edge of square.

25 Butterfly, dark green heart and pink and purple circles applied onto pink check ground.

26 Rectangle of orange check fabric and a collection of buttons stitched to plain blue ground.

27 7 rainbow hearts embroidered with THANK YOU, DOCTORS, CARERS, NURSES, NHS, KEY WORKERS, HEROES stitched to white ground fabric, forming a circle; further in, there are 7 red plastic, heart-shaped buttons and a silver sewing machine in the centre.

28 NHS stitched to a red heart which has been applied to a white fabric with red print and multiple red and silver plastic adhered gems; edges framed by red tape which has a white edge

Row 5: 29 'Stay Home Stay Safe' hand written onto a Calico background. 3 stitched on wooden tabs with printed letters 'N' 'H' and 'S'. 3 different coloured wooden heart buttons. Below is a depiction of a row of 4 terraced houses which apear to be hand painted. separating the two is an applied ribbon printed with 'crafted with [heart]'.

30 blue car and yellow ambulance with grey and red plastic buttons for wheels applied onto plain green ground.

31 7-colour rainbow machine-quilted and applied onto white ground. White ribbon edging.

32 4 printed panels depicting superheroes machine stitched onto plain green ground.

33 3 scrub bags (one made from button-print fabric, the other two plain maroon), crocheted purple heart and white strip with 1 white button machine-applied onto red herringbone twill ground. Below is a narrow strip of plain white fabric.

34 Unicorn print fabric.

35 Red letters 'NHS' as well as patches of printed fabric featuring an embroidery frame, a heart, a sewing machine and a sewing basket machine-stitched to white ground. 3 butterfly buttons.

Description cont.

Row 6: 36 Scrub bag machine stitched to plain green ground. Fabric of bag is pink with a fine check, with a yellow, pink and black heart in the middle.

37 SEW FOR HEROES NHS CSG applied and stitched to three different colour hearts, which have then been applied to a plain grey ground fabric. Also featuring three buttons, a small applied scrub bag and two small felted hearts.

38 Knitted panel: central motif of a white flower, surrounded by 4 mask extenders in the corners, stitched to knitted green ground.

39 Woven badge of a red Welsh dragon in the centre, as well as two white lace butterflies attached to a blue heart, which, in turn has been stitched to a plain pale brown ground fabric.

40 Strip of pink plastic mesh material with reflective elements applied diagonally onto black ground fabric. To the upper left are 7 fowers made from different colour felt and buttons; to the lower right is a further flower (in yellow) and 5 rows of synthetic silk roses of different colours.

41 Letters NHS and a large and three small heart shapes cut out from different pinted fabric and machine stitched to plain blue ground.

42 36 different buttons stitched to a yellow printed fabric

Row 7: 43 NHS in blue felt letters, 7-colour rainbow with two adhered blue heart buttons, 4 blue and grey buttons, CSG in felt letters, scrub shirt and bottoms, a mask, scrub bag and mask extender all adhered onto plain red ground. Wooden heart with jigsaw print also adhered to red ground; jigsaw pieces have been hand inscribed with Pharmacy, Ambulance, Charity, Neighbours, Retail, Fire Service, Truckers, Family Love, Police, News, Doctors & Nurses, Carers, Binmen, NHS.

44 7 triangles in rainbow colours have been arranged to overlap and have been stitched in place onto white ground. A printed red heart has been stitched to the bottom.

45 A white pocket has been stitched to a ground fabric printed with red, green pink and purple chevrons. A strip of white fabric has been stitched diagonally across one of the upper corners.

46 Patchwork star made from plain blue, plain grey and two types of printed fabric. Yellow fabric edging.

47 'Cwmbran Sewing bee keeping us busy' hand inscribed to look like running stitches. Two applied bees with wings made from netting, a large applied flower below. [heart] NHS

48 'All you need is love! XXX' hand inscribed in upper corner. Green felt heart on white ground in the centre embellished with stitched on plastic buttons. Heart is surrounded by circle formed of 13 small applied triangles of different printed fabrics.

49 Masks, mask extenders, 2 sets of scrubs, 2 scrub bags hand stitched onto pale green fabric which has a print of white flowers (daisies?)

Final/bottom row of 4 Squares:

50 SEW FOR HEROES NHS embroidered in red and blue. Heart, key applied to white ground. Blue scrub top and bottom, mask mask extender, doctor's head covering, green scrub bag and house appliquéed onto metallic background (representing a bag?) Green roundel bearing a 'T' and 'Volunteer' and roundel bearing the facebook emblem applied to upper corners.

51 CWMBRAN SEWING GROUP machine embroidered in white onto blue strip. Below: SEW FOR HEROES machine embroidered in white onto a red heart. Heart has been applied onto white ground.

52 STAY HOME STAY SAFE SAVE LIVES COVID-19 2020 printed onto yellow paper which has been covered by transparent plastic and held in place by 2 vertical strips of black fabric.

53 Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, HEROES THANKSAMILLIONNHS.CO.UK, CWMBRAN SEWING GROUP SEW FOR HEROES, MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT, JEN'S FRIENDS free Mastectomy Pillows, tenovus cancer care gofal canser. all logos are applied to a white ground via iron-on transfer. Above is a length of synthetic lace and a small green and red ribbon bow and a metal heart. Edging made from green ribbon with a white 'Macmillan' print.