Outreach: Anglo Boer War Museum

The Oranje Quilters Guild have made use of the exhibition facilities of the Anglo Boer War Museum over a number of years.  The excellent security of the museum is of utmost importance to the Guild especially when housing and exhibiting the Travelling Exhibition's unique and valuable quilts.

 

The museum furnished a space specifically dedicated for this purpose in 2023 with adequate lighting.  By marketing the event widely, they have established themselves as excellent partners of the Guild.

In 2015, Iessie Steenberg of the OQG initiate the offer to help the museum with any needlework they might need from time to time.  A few ladies turned up at an arranged date to help stitch protective covers for the various hoods the museum have in storage to protect the precious items from rubbing against each other and thus damaging the fragile fabric.  It was part of the standard clothing for women to protect them against the harsh South African sun.

This year the museum again made available some fabric and a few ladies of the Guild got to stitching under the direction of Gerda Cronjé, the committee member tasked with organizing the Travelling Exhibition.

The invitation send out to the members of the OQG

This time protective covers were made for various clothing items owned by the museum like children's clothes, dresses, etc.  When items are removed from storage, they rub against each other creating degeneration of the textiles.  The OQG ladies thus provide a priceless contribution towards the conservation of the precious collection of clothes dating from the Anglo Boer War and the concentration camps dating back to the 1890's.

Dané Swanepoel in charge of Publications, Marketing and Public Relations
for the museum, welcomed the ladies.

Christa Gouws (chairperson of the OQG) left and Gerda Cronjé
the convenor for the day.

The teatime goodies.

The ladies who stitched up a storm from left to right:
Gerda Cronjé, Mara Swanepoel, Michelle Lorandi (seated in front), Helene von Maltitz,
Ritha Swanepoel, Rina Venter, Sonja Mostert and Margaret Strydom with Christa Gouws
behind the camera.  Magda du Plessis left earlier.