Quilt and Flower Exhibition

10th – 19th September 2020 10.00 to 16.00 weekdays
At The Minster Church of St Andrew

(Saturday and Sunday by appointment only for groups.)

The exhibition includes quilts designed and created by individuals, groups and schools from across the South West and from America on one of the four themes of the Mayflower 400: Leaving Home, Life at Sea, Journey’s End and Life in the New Land.

Entry to the exhibition is free but donations for UNICEF will be welcomed. Teas and Coffees will be available.

Due to social distancing it will be necessary to limit the number of people in the church at any one time, so there may be a short time to wait. Please wear a face covering.

2020 marks the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower from Plymouth UK to Plymouth Massachusetts. This is a unique opportunity to commemorate the legacy of the passengers and crew who undertook the journey and to highlight their stories and their heritage, which is embedded in communities across the UK, US and Netherlands.

As part of the commemoration ceremonies the Minster Church of St Andrew is planning to stage an exhibition of Quilts and Flowers in the Church and the Prysten House. The exhibition will be led by community groups from across the South West of England and will consider the themes of freedom, faith and personal liberty that informed the original journey and address themes of migration both in 1620 and today.

There will be quilts, quilted banners and embroideries made by quilting groups and local craft groups that will express four themes of the Mayflower 400 commemoration Leaving Home, Life at sea, Journey’s end, Life in a new land.

Storm At Sea

By Caradon Quilt Group

This quilt reflects the time that the Pilgrims spent at sea on their momentous journey to the New World.

Caradon Quilt Group of Liskeard. The colours used represent the sun, sea and sky. The outer border is made up of “Storm at Sea” blocks

The New Land

By Angela Crooks

Corn was one of the early foods grown by the settlers. The colours in the quilt signify a new beginning. Machine pieced and quilted with appliqué and fabric paints.

Journey to a New Life

By Pillaton Patchwork Group

A mixture of techniques using quilt as you go using both hand and machine quilting. Both hand and machine applique, embellishment and printing were used depicting: The Mayflower under sail, a list of the people taking the journey. Pictures of some of the pilgrims themselves together with some of the things needed for the journey and finally their arrival.

A Port in a Storm

By Hartley WI Needlework Group

Plymouth offered shelter and repair to the Mayflower and Speedwell, Some of the buildings still remain. The Mayflower Steps are a positive focus for celebrating the fantastic achievement of the voyage. The final planning for the journey was done in Plymouth. We felt the people were important, so included the names of the contractors and the two “Puritans”.

Setting Sail

By Sound Stitchers

Each member of the group was invited to contribute a block illustrating something the pilgrims would need in the new land. The turkey is a nod to the future and the modern block with yachts a reminder that Plymouth is still a safe harbour from which to set sail.

Mariners Compass

By Hartley WI Craft Group

The quilt was started 3 years ago and through researching written material and local landmarks the group combined well known quilting blocks to represent stars, ships, fish and the lighthouse to pay tribute to the brave passengers and crew of the Mayflower.

New Life

By Plymstock U3A

The quilt is made up of seven panels. Each panel represents a scene depicting the journey and early settlement of the Pilgrims. The story unfolds and links together with the use of similar materials and features within each panel including fabric painting and hand appliqué. Inspiration came from natural surroundings; land and sea including spruce and bayberry, native to Cape Cod.

Full Circle

By Lyn Fry

Mary left Ireland in 1883, following religious persecution and economic hardship to make a new life with her family in New Zealand. A hundred years later, her granddaughter, Lyn made the return journey to settle in Britain in 1978. The photos of Mary on the left show her as a girl leaving Ireland and as an older lady, while the lower right shows Lyn leaving home and top right as she is now.

Plymouth to Plymouth

By Deb Fewster, Patricia Holroyd and Terry Paterson

The original inspiration was the ships in full sail and the link between the start and the end of the journey.

It naturally led to the three quilters being able to do a third each, although agreeing on the common factor of the sea.

66 Days

By Sallie Waring

Having learned that the duration of the journey between the old and the new worlds was as much as 66 days I was reminded of a journey I took on a sailing cruiser many years ago. The trip only lasted about 5 or 6 hours and it introduced me to the misery of seasickness. One feels that the ‘Mayflower’ must have been a magnificent sight as it ploughed it’s way through the waves but the reality was that it was a tiny cork at the mercy of wind and weather. It was full of people with little or no experience of sea travel. It must have been a terrifying experience with nothing but hope and a dream of a better life at the end of it. My quilt suggests the joy of the good days and also the menace of the huge ocean that constantly threatened them.

Massachusetts Quilt

By Plymouth County Cranberry Quilting Group

This quilt was made by the members of the Plymouth County Cranberry Quilters from Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA, to exchange quilts with Plymouth, UK for our shows celebrating the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ crossing. The block is a traditional pattern named “Massachusetts”, representing the destination of the Pilgrims. The blue and white colours represent the colours of the sea. The quilting includes wreaths of Mayflower blossoms and leaves, representing not only the Pilgrims’ ship, but also the state flower of Massachusetts, as well as a ship’s rope design in the border.

Through the Window

By Janet Greaves Stocker

This is a picture of the Prysten House as it might have been at the time of the Mayflower 400. The quilt was made for an exhibition held at Cowslip Workshops a couple of years ago and is a view from the Vicar’s Vestry window looking out over the lawn to the 15th Century building.

Thanksgiving Quilt

By Janet Greaves Stocker

This quilt is made in the style of log cabin. In the centre o f each square is something I am thankful for. The material was all in my stash as I wanted to make it from scraps I had to hand. No new material was used at all.

Life at Sea

By Janet Greaves Stocker

The background material was found in a outdoor market in Amiens Northern France in February 2018.

The Mayflower Baltimore Quilt

By Shirley Matthews

Made using traditional hand applique methods. The quilt has been hand quilted.

Waweekanash

By Ellen Seward

Waweekanash is the word used by the Wompanoag tribe for corn. The quilt was made using hand applique.

The Three Sisters

By Janet Greaves Stocker

This quilt with pumpkins, corn and beans on is called ‘The Three Sisters’, which was the style of planting that the Wampanoag people used and shared with the settlers. This act of kindness saved the settlers from starvation as their crops had failed for several years.

The Quilt For America

By Deb Fewster, Vicky Styles & Others

Jo Colwill, from Cowslip Workshops, kindly ran two workshops last year to help the local quilting groups refine and develop their designs for their quilts. Jo gave so much of her time for us to be able to design our quilts. On the day we gave out 10.5 inch squares of calico and asked participants to come up with a design for their squares the aim was to have two quilts one for the exhibition here in the UK and one for the exhibition in Plymouth America.

This is the first of the two quilts that were put together by a small group of quilters from St Andrews Church. It was hand quilted by Deb and Vicky

Leaving Home Quilt

By Janet Greaves Stocker

The Leaving Home Quilt was made using a combination of techniques and embroidery showing an English scene of the time. The pilgrims had to leave behind all their animals including sheep, cows and chickens. The panel along the bottom depicts a hay field being cut in the traditional way with the animals going over the stubble.