Where do I begin. There has been a lot of development.

Through the lockdown we were slowly able to continue as people had more time to create at home. People sent in their contributions from as far away as Brazil.

Pre- lockdown GMQ Hanging community project were invited to hold our sewing bee pop-ups in community groups in and around the local area.

More recently we were invited to a drop-in to join some of the bereaved & survivors. The gathering was organised by the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission to discuss ideas for the long term lasting memorial. Here we started painting hearts with fabric pens & paint with the names of the deceased to make it easier for the children, they will be outlined with hand stitch & embroidery.

Hanan Wahabi was accompanied whilst she sadly went and visited the Grenfell Site for the first time since surviving that fateful night. With copious amounts of dignity & grace like no other, Hanan also wrote down the names of her 5 family members who died in the fire. We have fabric painted & embroidered her family names on the hearts ready to be sewn onto the quilt.

Lisa brought in the name piece she made for 12 year old Biruk Haftom who died with his Mother Birkti Haftom who was only 29 years old. The fabric hangs waiting for the children to paint pictures on.

GMQ has been put forward by Susan Al-Safadi as an idea to become a lasting memorial piece. The idea Susan has for the quilt is remarkable.

~New Space~

North Kensington Library is now the new space for GMQH Sewing Bee.

“24 Hearts , a community organisation birthed out of the Grenfell Fire, annually leads the community in creating art pieces to reflect the unity of the West London community. Sophie Lodge

February 9/2022 Eddie Nestor MBE invited me onto his new radio show on BBC Radio London to make a call out to Londoners asking for space to hold our Sewing bee. Eddie called, was heard & London answered. As a direct result of being on the radio Laura Henry-Allain MBE directed us to RBKC Libraries.

GMQ Sewing Bee now has a permanent home in North Kensington Library. Every Tuesdays from 10.30am-1.30pm. We are right in the heart of the community, on a corner of a cross road literally in the same street as the Lancaster West Estate where Grenfell Tower is.

GMQH Community Project is also waiting to hear about storage space from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities. Then we can organise and process the donated fabric. sort,select clean &store more efficiently.

~Publications~

October 2019 Quilt Folk Online Magazine Featured GMQH. Published aside the Greats!.Page 41. Sewing Stardust

“The most beautiful sight in London is not Buckingham Palace. It’s not the spire of Big Ben or ships bobbing on the Thames. The most beautiful sight in London can be found once a month, in a working class neighborhood, under a highway overpass. There you’ll find a gathering of people who, despite the unspeakable sorrow they feel in the wake of a neighborhood tragedy, insist on making space for joy, faith, and mutual support”.

Mary Fons. Quilt Folk. 

~UK QUILTERS UNITED~

Many of you will recall the incredible events at Grenfell, and the quilts that were created in such a short time to help those who suffered. But life and events continue and Tuesday and the community group she is working with are continuing the crafting .. with a purpose.

Slyvia Priest

~Publicity Events~

November 2019 My Daughter & I were invited for the first time to talk about GMQ Hanging on Eddie Nestor’s previous show BBC Radio Drivetime to bring awareness to ask for fabric donations, along with asking the listeners to sew condolence or celebratory messages for the community quilt project.

“The final part of #goodnewsweek on drive time features this beautiful piece of work #GrenfellMemorialQuilt @EddieNestorMBE will be speaking to Tuesday and Charlie who help put it together”. Tune in BBC Radio London Interview.

~BBC Good News Film~

Community sewing gigantic quilt for justice for Grenfell Tower:

“The Grenfell community are sewing a quilt the dimensions of Grenfell Tower for justice.Tuesday Greenidge started the Textile art project to bring the Grenfell community together to heal after the devastating tragedy of the fire at Grenfell Tower. But now the group hope that the quilt will symbolise justice and are calling on whoever the next government is to action change and remove cladding across buildings throughout the country”.

Video by Gem O’Reilly and Cristian Mantio.

~The Festival of Quilts~

August 2019 GMQH project were invited to exhibit at The Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, as you’ll be aware that it was cancelled. This year having been invited again we will be exhibiting and will also be holding a pop-up sewing bee. All are welcome to contribute a completed piece that you bring with you to the Festival or come & join in & sew with us. Festival of quilts highlights

~Book Reading~

May 11th. The North Kensington Library has invited us to accompany an Author who will be doing a reading for children about a magic quilt whilst we sew the quilt.

~GMQ Talk~

May 17/2022. As the founder of GMQ Community project one will be giving a talk about the GMQ Hanging in NK Library from 11am – 12pm.

~5th Anniversary~

For the 5th yr anniversary the GMQ Hanging will be exhibiting individual block panels. A quilted block will be on view & a sewing bee will be held at each of the 6 Royal Kensington & Chelsea Libraries.

This Summer GMQ Community project are hoping to move ahead with printing The Grenfell 2017 Cloth. If anyone has any ideas on how to go about this please advise. Any input is gladly appreciated. 

~Exhibition Events~ 

April 11th Book launch for Dr. Lisa McKenzie ‘Lockdown Diaries Of The Working Class’

May 11th. The NK Library event GMQ project will accompany an Author who will be doing a reading for children about a magic quilt whilst we sew the quilt.

 May 17th 2022 One will be giving a talk about the GMQ Hanging in NK Library from 11am –   12pm.

~Self Funded~

Fabrics, materials, yarns, threads & sewing supply donations are still being given generously. All is self funded as well as donation gifts from family in United States & local friends. Form filling & ticking boxes is too time consuming & restricting for myself regarding this sensitive Memorial. Up to now we have only accepted donations of fabric & sewing supplies and of course the amazing beautiful fabric/fibre/textile/quilt art pieces that adorn the quilt. All are lovingly well created donated contributions.However GMQ project will be accepting monetary donations in the future to be able to sustain the completion of GMQ Hanging as our aim is to grow the quilt to the height of Grenfell Tower 220 ft. So far 6 quilt blocks of 12 sq ft, 3 are completed & 3 works in progress. Amounting to the width of the building.Which incidentally is 72 ft.

Fundamentally the GMQ Hanging is a Fabric/Fibre/Textile Quilt Art Community Project. The descriptions used are synonymous. Key words that also help to describe the multi faceted all inclusive variety of different techniques involved in the making of the quilt hanging.

Textile arts are a fundamental human activity, expressing symbolically much of what is valuable in any culture. GMQ  is symbolic and has no practical use to sleep under but it is a decorative hanging to   view. When completed in its full glory it will have become a mighty monumental example of High Art.

~More Hands Make Light Work~

June 14/2022 The 5th year anniversary is coming up in 2 months.

We would like more hands to help us reach our goals.

Please join us at:

~

GMQ Sewing bee

Tuesdays at 10.30am – 1.30pm

NorthKensingtonLibrary

Or

~GMQ Sew-in & Send-in~

*Please message for postal details.

Finally: Fabric & equipment donations are still being given generously. We are self funding.

Form filling & ticking boxes is too restricting for this sensitive Memorial. GMQ Hanging is a fabric art, community project. Creating a quilted Hanging. Up to now we have only accepted fabric & sewing supplies.

However we will be accepting monetary donations in the future to be able to sustain the completion of GMQ Hanging as it will grow to the height of Grenfell Tower 220 ft.

We have 6 quilt blocks of 12 sq ft. 3 have been completed & 3 are works in progress, amounting to the width of the building, which incidentally is 72 ft.

~Last but not least~

The 5th year anniversary

is coming up in 2 months.

We are asking for more hands to help us reach our GOALS:

Please join us at~ GMQ Sewing bee. Tuesdays at 10.30am – 1.30pm, North Kensington Library – Or GMQ Sew-in & Send-in

*Please message for postal details.

~TO DO~

♡1.Create Individual Name pieces.

If you would like to please message for details.

♡2. Individual sewn/embroidered messages/images to be appliqued onto the quilt.

♡3.Create Hearts any size & colour.

♡4.We always need to cut, iron, steam & organise material.

♡5.Sewing individual pieces that people have made onto the quilt.

♡6.Jelly roll blocks.

♡7.Share Share Share please!

~THE PROCESS~

The Grenfell Memorial Quilt will be made up of sections of 12’ x 12’ quilted block panels, that can be laced together.

Sections can be separated and displayed at local commemorative events.

Using a quilting technique called Jelly Roll Donated fabric is pre-cut into 2.5” strips. Named after US sponge Jellyroll literally, Jamroll if you’re in UK as the coloured strips of fabric look like the rolls when rolled up to store.

♡

The strips are then sewn end to end to create yards of kaleidoscopic Cloth of many colours, patterns and textures.

It is called The Grenfell Cloth 2017.

In memory of the tragedy and to represent the essence of the people which make up the rich fabric of our North Kensington community. Incidentally there is a Grenfell Cloth 1923.

♡

Each 12’ x12’ quilted block panel is then embellished with hand/machine sewn tributes, condolence & celebratory messages of love.

Then each piece will be hand/machine sewn like appliqué onto the 12’ x 12’ panels.

So far the individual fabric pieces are distinctive, ornate pieces, that have been stitched, painted or written on with fabric pens or fabric paint. Some have been crocheted, embroidered & knitted.

♡

The Quilt is a fabric patchwork wall Hanging -inspired by the memorial walls that appeared around the community after the inferno.

♡

Organically decorated, covered and adorned these typically nondescript walls were transformed into resplendent shrines, covered with outpourings of love, sorrow and defiance: humane responses expressed through flowers, plants, sacred objects, prayers, poems, rhymes and messages.

♡

The walls became vigil sites: beautiful, melancholic and sacred spaces, a place for mourners to read, pray, sing and contemplate.

Tides of people from all faiths, creeds, cultures, communities and cities came with handcrafted, heartfelt tributes.

♡

The quilt is a way of not only protecting and safeguarding the celebratory commemorative tributes, it has also made it possible for all those in wider communities & from those living in different countries to contribute.