I now have a Museum Association pass, and wishing to exploit it, I found myself paying a speedy visit to the Quilts exhibition at the V&A. This was coincidently the same week that I had a go at quilting myself, using the cut off ends of brown trousers and a Singer sewing machine from Lidl.

There are 65 quilts hanging, billowing and lying in the exhibition and they date form 1700 to the present day. Looking at beautiful objects on display, and deciding which one I like and don’t like, reminds me of the shopping experience. Once in the mood, it’s okay as the shop is not far away.

The patchwork quilts are made up from many pieces of fabric, often small pieces fitted together as a means to make a big covering. This process is very efficient in use of material and as time consuming as it is efficient. Some say it is a way of creating social bonds, as many people work collectively on one piece. A great deal of thought, planning and care is involved. In fact the skill is quite astonishing; one clever seamstress turned out to be 10 year old girl and other precise workers were wounded soldiers.

The quilts give the feeling only hand made objects can, a mysterious quality shared with home made food. Sometimes old fabrics, which had a nostalgic value, were reused and given a new life as part of a quilt, like a fabric photo album or scrap book.

It is the opposite of throw away mass production. Quilts were major gifts or commisions and so valued they were likely to be kept as an heir loom; unlike the quilts, high street and Ikea products are made to be with us for a short time and then replaced. They come in high quantities. There is no connection with the far away maker, the products are quick to manufacture and without the value that is added by craftsmanship. I do not know if the people in the factories are rewarded with a an increased social bond.

So will I be making a quilt or paying a trip to Ikea? It just depends if there is time….

Image generated by the V&A Patchwork pattern maker

Took a day trip with friends to look in charity shops in Hastings on the South Coast, known for second hand bargains. We found ourselves in the Lib Dem Charity Shop, appropriate as at that moment Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg was in discussions with Conservatives and Britain was awaiting an answer as to who would rule the country.

The man who ran the shop was in the firing line. He said that he had had a phone call that morning from an furious Conservative who was appauled that the Lib Dems were even speaking to David Cameron. He then showed us a Lib Dem campaign flyer that had been posted through the door. Scrawled angrily across it in thick black marker were the words, Vote Lib Dem, get Tory! He couldn’t give us an update on the negotiations, but was waiting for the phone to ring.

Britain’s polling stations. A school hall, a church hall, a sign outside in black text on cheap white paper. The booths are tacked together flimsey hardboard and unfinished 2  by 1. The voters mark the papers using pencils tied to the booth with string; a vote is a simple big cross, that you may see a character in a film make if they can’t write their name. The only branding to be seen is the red, blue and yellow-orange rosettes of those holding clip boards outside the door. The paper, pencils and undesigned environment  give a the feeling of democracy and process that has been around for many years.

Yesterday,  many angry  citizens (subjects?)  missed out on their right to vote as the stations were overloaded and time ran out.  Now the Electoral Commisson, a not very watchful watchdog, is looking for reform. We told you so! they say, as they pass the buck to the returning officers. The system is out of date!

I am not sure why the organisers didn’t lay on a few more workers and tables and have a reserve of ballot papers. But I hope the low tech system of voting won’t be blamed and moved aside. Will a management consultancy change paper and pencil for electronic and digital interface? Will a branding agency change the ‘look and feel’ of the voting experience to reflect the new era of electoral reform? Just because it isn’t digital, it doesn’t not mean it is wrong.

It seems that there will be a big turn out at the General Election tomorrow. We have seen the candidates debate the key issues live on TV. Its the first time for party leaders, but  we are already comfortable with this format.  We have  become hooked on casting our votes for contestants on reality TV shows, for Strictly Come Dancing, X Factor and old Big Brother and more. As a result of this habit, we are ready to participate in the election, deciding which face to vote for and  eager see which one wins.

I went to two exhibtions at the Tate Modern, Arshile Gorky and Theo Van Doesburg and noticed one thing in common with their paintings. Rather than leaving the neutral colour of the paper or canvas visible, they painted it in. If they wanted white they painted white, in oil or gouache.