Scenes from some of the nation’s best-loved stories have been stitched together to create the ultimate bedtime story quilt at the Museum of Childhood. The centrepiece of ‘Bedtime Stories’, a free new exhibition at the City of Edinburgh Council’s Museum of Childhood, is a huge quilt showcasing artworks by more than sixty creative children and adults from across the UK.
Inspired by the beloved books and memories of a good story before bed, it has been displayed alongside further colourful quilts, historic toys and magical projections in an exhibition celebrating the power of bedtime stories to inspire the imagination.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s Culture Convener, said: “Escape the dark days of autumn and winter with a trip to the Museum of Childhood’s cosy Bedtime Stories display. Young children will love discovering cuddly toys of years gone by while older ones will enjoy spotting scenes and characters of bedtime tales from their own childhoods.
“The centrepiece of the exhibition is a brand new item, created especially for the Museum to display. This is a first for the Museum and offers a true patchwork of the nation’s memories and favourite tales. Look closely and you can identify traditional nursery rhymes like Jack and the Beanstalk, Scots classics by Robert Louis Stevenson, and modern day favourites like the Very Hungry Caterpillar and even the Teletubbies.”
The display includes picture books and the chance for visitors to contribute their own favourite bedtime stories to a wall of memories, sponsored by the Centre for Literature and Writing at Edinburgh Napier University.
Toys from the Museum of Childhood collection bring to life poems by Robert Louis Stevenson, recalling his Edinburgh youth around 1860 and coloured magic lanterns illuminate the room, as they did in nurseries of the late 1800s.
Quilt contributor Fiona Johnston from Dunbar said: “The whole project is such a nice concept and my family had fun reminiscing about our childhood now that my brother and I have our own children, and we have continued the family traditions.”
Exhibition curator Alice Sage from the Council’s Museums service added: “The exhibition playfully combines past and present, showing the enduring power of reading to ignite creativity and the joy of sharing stories. The big Bedtime Stories Quilt was great fun to do, and it was wonderful to bring together so many people. I was surprised by the vibrancy of people’s memories, and how well they captured those magical moments between waking and sleep.”
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