In 1944, a baby was snatched from a crib just moments before a bomb explosion shattered the window beside her. In the nearby refugee centre where the family fled because their home was no longer habitable, a quilt was given to the family. The tag on the quilt said ‘Gift of the Canadian Red Cross’. Listen here:
1944 Newspaper with article of the bombing that led the family to receive a Red Cross quilt
That quilt is long gone now, but the story of meaning of that label to that little baby as she grew up is told on the episode ‘Canada’s Forgotten Quilts’ at the podcast ‘Haptic and Hue (@hapticandhue). I have been pleased to share my research with the podcaster, Jo Andrews, as she investigates this massive quilt making from the point of view of a maker and of a recipient, a Canadian researcher and a British researcher, all working together to piece the ‘patchwork’ of the bigger story of Canadian WWII quilt-making in wartime.
Images Credit: J. Hassard