IN THE absence of the President, Jean Davies welcomed members and visitors to the April meeting of Storridge WI.

Members were invited to explore the historic town of Bewdley on July 19 at 7pm. The cost will be £10 which includes a light supper.

Information regarding Resolutions (which will be voted on at our next meeting) were made available. Members were asked, if possible, to read through the proposed resolutions before next meeting.

Members were also asked to consider if they felt able to join the committee, or if any experienced committee members could take on the role of an officer. All of our current officers have been in post for a considerable period and feel that the time is approaching for them to stand down and pass on their current duties.

The details of the creative competitions for the WFWI Annual Council Meeting were made available to members. Entries must be submitted by June 23.

The speaker for the evening was Yvonne Jenkins, the President of Malvern Quilters, who spoke of the History of Quilting and Patchwork. The earliest known samples of quilting are padded jackets, used by soldiers, to be worn underneath their armour for warmth and comfort. Later quilting developed into a beautiful art form to adorn both clothes and household linen.

Patchwork was born out of necessity to ensure that every last bit of wear could be got from a piece of fabric. Patchwork and quilting was exported to America by the early European settlers. There were two main centres in the UK for this art form, in the north of England near Durham and in Wales and early example of these quilts do still exist.

Yvonne, together with our visitors, were kind enough to bring with them samples of their own work which they enjoyed showing to members. Yvonne did however say that quilting and patchwork should come with the warnings that it is addictive and that walking past a fabric shop without going in and purchasing yet more material becomes almost impossible!

Our next meeting will be held on May 12 and will be our Resolutions and AGM.