When the subject of libraries was chosen as
the next challenge, I thought that I would like to do something based on one of
the libraries in which I have worked. In the late 1980’s I was a newly
qualified librarian who had been unemployed for a year, when I found a place on
an MSC Scheme at Chetham’s library in Manchester, where I was involved in
cataloguing books and tracts until I managed to find a permanent post eight
months later. Chetham’s library was founded in 1653 by Humphrey Chetham and is
the oldest library open to the public in the English speaking world. It is in a
beautiful medieval building from the 1420’s, which you can see in this selection
of photos: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Chetham%27s_Library I was really lucky to work in
such a place and have fond memories of my months there. You can find out more
about the library on their site: https://library.chethams.com/
and there are a couple of short videos about the library and its history:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ibnx-kabOw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDJeVNhogn8&t=17s
I did some sketches from the photos that I
found on line, and decided to make a lino print from them. I was quite pleased
with my prints, despite the errors in the drawing, which resulted in a wonky
door, and which I only noticed when I had almost finished cutting the block. I
think I made the error when I was straightening out some lines after I had
transferred the drawing to the block, and decided to alter some of the other lines.
I had originally intended to transfer print the pattern of the leaded windows
onto a sheer fabric and place that over the print, as if you were looking
through the window to the other part of the building. Unfortunately it didn’t
work: the sheer wasn’t sheer enough, the print of the building wasn’t dark
enough and it just looked as though it was a very foggy day. The print on its
own was too small for the size of the quilt, and I really wasn’t sure what to
do with it after that. Quilter’s block set in, and it took me a long time to
come up with any way in which I could use my print for this project. I finally
came up with the idea of joining two of the prints together, but it was still
too small, so in the end I gave up and made two small quilts, which are
practically the same and put them side by side to make the correct size!
