A Visit to See the Quaker Tapestry . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV





The prism panel

For those that know me and my love for needlecrafts, it won’t be hard to understand why the stop at the Mountmellick Museum, in Mountmellick, Co. Laois, Ireland, to view the Quaker Tapestry meant so much to me. Through guidance and encouragement from my mom and my Grandma Meller (her mother) I began my love for needlecrafts of all sorts at an early age – learning to sew, embroider, knit and crochet and a few years ago learning to quilt.

The story of the Quaker Tapestry is interesting and I’d like to share some of that with you here. The Quaker Tapestry had its beginning in 1981 from an eleven year old boy who was attending a small Quaker Meeting in the south-west of England who made a comment to Anne Wynn-Wilson, an accomplished embroiderer. Her vision was for a number of large tapestry panels telling the Quaker story. As this was not a commissioned piece, she was free to follow her leadings on this project.

Seems fitting to post this panel here
since I was on a Quaker Pilgrimage
when I saw the Quaker Tapestry.

Enthusiasm spread and more than 4,000 men, women and children from 15 countries had a hand in the creation of the tapestry panels. And what began as an idea in 1982 was completed in 1996, with a total of 77 panels that narrate the story of Quaker events and insights and is a celebration of the significant contributions made by them, from the 17^th century to the present. It’s a celebration of 350 years of Quaker life and experience. Various Quaker themes are used to tell the stories of not just the historical and but also the religious development of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain and around the world. The Quaker Tapestry is the largest community tapestry in the world, and makes it home at the Kendal Friends Meeting House in Stramongate, Kendal, Cumbria, England.

While we were only able to view 20 of the 77 panels that make up the whole of the Quaker Tapestry as this was a traveling exhibit, maybe someday I’ll be able to view the rest of the panels. This is an amazing piece of storytelling celebrating of the life, people, and events that tell of our Quaker heritage. Storytelling in a tapestry, yes, you see storytelling takes on many different forms – some are visual pieces of art. It’s amazing how storytelling has come up again in one of my posts.

Canada panel

After posting on my Facebook page that we were going to see the Quaker Tapestry a Girl Guide Friend in Canada commented that she had had the opportunity to work on one of the panels. She worked on the ‘Canada’ panel. This panel shows the first meeting established in 1801 at Yonge Street, north of Toronto along with several other important places and events in Canada.

Northern Ireland: Reconciliation panel

During conversation with one of my new Friends, from Bishop Street Meeting (in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland) over dinner last Saturday evening, I found out that she too had worked on one of the panels. She worked on the ‘Northern Ireland: Reconciliation’ panel. This panel shows the visitors center at Maze Prison and the Quaker Cottage in Belfast. While in Northern Ireland last week, we visited Quaker Cottage and learned of the ministry that they are doing there with mothers and children of all ages.

World family of Friends panel

The ministries here are many and varied, like the many branches of Quakerism. So many individuals came together to work on the tapestry panels, with everyone sharing his/her skills in needlework, artistry and Quaker heritage. The ministry can also be seen through the pictures and words depicted in the panels. But, the ministry hasn’t ended with the completion of the panels, it continues on as the tapestry panels’ travel around the world for all to see. Not just for those of the Quaker faith, but for others outside of the Quaker faith community. The Quaker Tapestry shares our history, story and faith with everyone who sees it.

You can check out the Quaker Tapestry by following this link: http://www.quaker-tapestry.co.uk/

What a blessing!