So I got to know the ACS headmaster and his wife. Through her I started making my patchwork quilts; she taught handwork to the girls at Methodist Girls\u2019 School, and I learned from her.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Emily sits in her big chair and again turns to her sewing things.<\/em><\/p>\n I never like to sit idle: even when I\u2019m directing the household, I like to keep my hands busy with something.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 On the table beside her she sets a series of plaited-leaf boxes in which are kept her patches, paper patterns, etc and she explains the work.<\/em><\/p>\n First you draw these six-sided shapes on paper and cut them out. Then you take the pieces of cloth and tack them to the paper pattern\u2013fold the edges nicely\u2013and when you have made a lot of the shapes, then start joining them together to form the quilt. You sew with very small neat stitches\u2013and of course you can choose the colours and arrange them to make a nice pattern.<\/p>\n This piece came from a brocade gown that I wore the time that the Governor came to dinner. This is a remnant from my dress for Mabel\u2019s wedding. This piece was from one of mother-in-law\u2019s old cheong sams. There were a lot of her old clothes left behind when she died. Susie said, \u2018Nobody wants them lah, I\u2019ll take them away to throw.\u2019 She wanted to make use of them, of course. \u2018Oh needn\u2019t waste them,\u2019 I said, \u2018they can be given to the poor\u2019. I kept them and sorted them out. Some of them I did give to the Salvation Army.<\/p>\n By now after so many years, I\u2019ve made quilts for all the family. Every night, each one of them sleeps all wrapped up in my patch-work quilt.<\/p>\n