This lovely quilt was made by members of Churchdown Patchwork and Quilters in Gloucester to commemorate 150 years since the City of Gloucester raised money for a lifeboat for Falmouth in 1867, when the people of Gloucester raised £420 to pay for a lifeboat for Falmouth (today that would cost £2.5M). The boat ‘City of Gloucester’ was launched in Gloucester docks in 1867. Ten thousand people came and some fell in the water and needed rescuing! At that time a wall quilt was made and given to hang in the Falmouth lifeboat station.
The local RNLI thought it would be a nice gesture if a local patchwork group could do the same 150 years later and Churchdown Patchwork Group were asked if we would make this quilt. The photo shows the quilt it being presented to members of the Falmouth Lifeboat crew at Gloucester Docks 30 July.
It was made by a group of ladies from the group who designed and made the quilt using a variety of hand and machine sewing techniques. Some of the Patchwork blocks include the appropriately named ‘Storm at Sea’ and ‘Mariners Compass’. It has the flags of Gloucestershire, Cornwall and the RNLI as well as a beautiful applique copy of the original 1867 lifeboats, complete with crew.
Churchdown Patchwork and Quilting Group
Meet at Churchdown Community Centre, GL3 2JH. We are a very friendly group and welcome visitors to our meetings. Most months we have a speaker or demonstration so we can learn new skills and we also have several full day workshops per year. At other meetings we sit and sew our own work or the group projects.
We are also making a charity quilt and items to sell at our Exhibition 20-21 April 2018 at Churchdown Community Centre. We will be supporting two local charities, The Gloucestershire Association for the Deaf and the James Hopkins Trust. There will be an exhibition of the fabulous quilts and work made by our member and also traders, refreshments, sales tables, demonstrations and a chance for visitors to have a go and make something to take home
Please see our website for full details of our program of events www.churchdownpatchworkandquilters.wordpress.
Email: churchdownpandq@gmail.com