A Big Blanket for Crisis

Gina Pierce, from London Metropolitan University, is leading a community art project which aims to raise awareness of the rising levels of homelessness in London. Volunteers have created 50 blankets that will be given to Crisis to be used in their centers that are open for Christmas week, providing meals, advice, healthcare and company to thousands of homeless Londoners.

Before going to Crisis, the blankets will be exhibited at Conway Hall where they will be laid out together to form one big blanket measuring 10m x 7.5m. Each of the blankets is made up of 24 squares of knitted, crocheted, woven or stitched fabric, all of which are sewn together. The colours used in each of the squares are carefully designed to make up the overall image.

Over 200 people including school children, designers, keen amateur crafters, a group of civil servants, academics, students and Women’s Institute groups have been involved in the blanket making.

Gina Pierce commented: “The starting point for the design came from a piece of fabric in the Frederick Parker Collection Archive, housed at London Metropolitan University, which I am currently researching for my PhD. Transformed into ‘pixel art’ and with enhanced colours, the floral design will be enlarged many times over to become the huge 10m x 7.5m image.”

Crisis is the national charity for homeless people. It helps people directly out of homelessness, and campaigns for the social changes needed to solve it altogether.

Please come along to the finale of the Big Blanket Project where all of the 50 blankets will be assembled to create a 10 x 7.5m image.