A Get Well Gift

Bob came home on Monday with a gift - he had been in Wymondham, and popped in a Charity Shop - where he found a book he thought I would like. I have blogged about the Quaker Tapestry before. Check out the website here. The Centre in Kendal sells embroidery kits. This book is a guide to the stitching, with a particular emphasis on the Quaker Stitch.

One Sunday in 1981, a twelve year old boy called Jonathan Stocks asked why he had to just do colouring with the younger children on a Sunday at the Quaker Meeting, Wasn't there something more interesting?  From this, Ann Wynn-Wilson developed the idea of the Quaker Tapestry. A piece [similar in idea to the Bayeux Tapestry 900 years before] work as a collaborative project, to tell the story of the Quakers, their faith, their history, their deeds... It took 15 years to produce, with 77 panels, and around 4000 people involved. Now you can see in on display in Kendal. Cumbria. It is a wonderful piece in a beautiful location.

The fabric used is a woollen fabric with a random warp producing a low key stripe. The weave and stripe provided a guide to keep lettering and buildings vertical. It is backed with calico, which carries the design for the picture and wording on the front.



Quaker Stitch was developed especially for the tapestry and is now recognised by the Royal School of Needlework

Quakers have always promoted gender equality- and one kit features a bicycling woman! My book shows how to recreate this piece, and personalise it.

There is also information [and an alphabet guide] for stitching your own words!

I have had such fun reading through this book, and I suspect some of the ideas may make their way into Collaborative Project #3. 

I have learned too, that the word crewel comes from the ancient word describing the curl of the staple of the wool. Crewel wool has a long staple, which is fine and can be strongly twisted.

I love this book!

Thank you Bob! And thanks too to everyone else who has posted kind Get Well Comments - my sore throat is improving [but I am grateful not to have any preaching commitments this weekend!]

This book gets a *****rating from me! 

I think it is wonderful too that the Quakers refer to themselves as The Society Of Friends.