For the January issue Web Extras I have been working to a time-table of the date when this issue is available in the news-agents, forgetting that our subscribers receive their issues almost a week earlier!

So please log on to our website again in a few days when I have caught up with myself and guess what one of my New Year’s Resolutions will be?

I have already had - and made use of - my Christmas present from my children. They have given me an annual membership to the V&A. Courtesy of a very efficient daughter, they applied for it in November, so in effect I have 13 months membership. The benefits are:

• Unlimited free entry to all V&A exhibitions including Quilts 1700 – 2010 (20 March – 3 July)
• Previews of new galleries and major exhibitions
• V& A magazine
• Use of an exclusive Members’ Room
• Programme fo varied events.

I think I may be visiting London more this year than I have done in the past 10.

Part of the membership is to have an hour’s Welcome Tour of the V&A. When one of these tours was scheduled for the Friday evening before a talk and demonstration about the making of a copy of the Tristan and Isolde quilt, it seemed that this would be a golden opportunity to make my first visit.  The original quilt was made in the Middle Ages and told their story in text and pictures stitched Boutis style. Mme. Francine Nicolle had organised a group of ladies in France to make the copy which had taken them over 6,000 hours. As my guest Sheilah Daughtree will be writing about this in a forthcoming magazine, I will stop there, but it was an amazing piece of work and it was good to meet up with long standing quilting friends also attending the talk.

I had another reason for visiting the V&A. One of our contributors, Joanna O’Neill has written a first novel, set in the V&A. I would describe ‘A World Invisible’ as a mystic mystery and as a result of reading it, just had to visit some of the non-textile galleries including the Ironworks in the British Galleries. What a source of inspiration as can be seen by the 17th century Italian Aumby Door – great for appliqué, or the 16th century Italian window grille I can see as a quilting design.

As I write, I have decided that Christmas is 54 weeks away. That way I do not get too flustered thinking how much I have still to do! However rest assured, the family have not missed out a year on Christmas festivities – YET!!

Wishing you all a happy Christmas and a good New Year and may all your resolutions be positive and achievable.

Dianne

www.vam.ac.uk/membership
www.joanna-oneill.com