Textile Inspiration in South Africa

Guess what greeted me in the bowels of the O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa? A color wall! Admittendly, it is not the color wall we quilters find in quilt shops, but it is inspiring, nonetheless. The tilework displays the colors in the South African flag.

South Africa boasts a conglomerate of quilt guilds, and they were hosting an exhibition in Bloemfontein. Since this city is several hours by car from our host city, I contented myself with viewing the gallery of traveling quilts online. Take a look at the interpretation of the theme, “A Stitch in Time.”

Our hosts awakened us early Saturday morning to attend the Boeremark, the iconic farmers’ market in Pretoria. (Arriving early assures a parking spot and shorter lines at the coffee booths.) I spotted a quilt that at first glance looks really complicated. Zoom in to scrutinize the ingenious fussy cutting.

Another textile related sighting at the farmers’ market was the rug making loom and a trailer load of plush throw rugs.

Our early morning foray for breakfast and souvenirs at the market concluded, we headed to the Vortrekker Monument atop a hill overlooking the city. It was built in thankfulness to God for sustaining the pioneers of Dutch descent who settled in the central and northern parts of South Africa.

All around the inside of the monument’s upper story sculptors created bas-relief vinettes to show the history of the pioneer movement.

In the basement of the monument an intricate needlepoint tapestry displays the story. Search online for more photographs of the tapestry scenes, “needlepoint tapestry in the vortrekker monument pretoria.”

I noticed a patchwork quilt hanging over the back of grandmother’s chair.

The shading of colored yarn used in the project is extensive and deliciously fantastic!

Check out the floor tiles in the lunch cafe’. It goes to show you Pinwheels are popular the world over!

I saw HSTs in a more abstract design on a restaurant’s menu and water bottle. Many South African businesses order water bottles with their own label as a way to advertise.

I’ll end today’s blog post with a quilt I made as a hostess gift for the family we stayed with for two weeks. Prior to our trip, I found out that our hostess decorates with dark red/wine and denim blue in her dining and living rooms. I made a small table runner with Civil War repro fabrics, and our hostess found the perfect spot for it in her living room.