Quaker Tapestry Museum staff and volunteer team choose their favourite exhibits in our new series of blogs.
Vanessa Eaves, Quaker Tapestry Museum Communications Officer, tells us why she chose ‘Elizabeth Fry and the Patchwork Quilts’ as her favourite exhibit…
“As someone who enjoys sewing and textiles I can well imagine how wondrous the ‘bag of useful things’ depicted in this panel, were for the women prisoners shipped to Australia. Creating patchwork quilts on the 17 week journey served both as mindful activity and acquisition of new skills, and the resulting quilt – used as a reference to prospective employers. The small act of gifted bags to women prisoners went way beyond ‘useful things’ they gave the women dignity and self worth.”
About the panel
Elizabeth Fry worked against appalling conditions in the prisons of the 19th century, especially in the women’s prisons, where it was usual to find convicted women prisoners together with their children. Along with her Ladies Association, Elizabeth organised schools for the children and for those women prisoners who wished to become literate. Leading Bible studies, reading and talking with the women, she provided them some sort of rehabilitation. The women were also taught sewing and dressmaking, having opportunities, which they valued.
In 1818 came the government decision to send women convicts to Australia, to serve 7 years unpaid labour in the community. They were sent to farms, newly emerging factories or into the homes of settlers as servants. Newgate was a centre where women prisoners from all over the country were collected before transportation to Australia and the women were prone to rioting the night before.
Transportation day in the women’s prisons were traumatic. The women were herded into flat carts, manacled and with leg irons and pulled through the streets to the jeers of the townspeople, often pelted with rotten fruit and vegetables, mud etc arriving at the ship terrified and filthy, many having their children with them. Once aboard they were herded into the holds, where they remained for the voyage of 17 weeks. They were not given a change of clothing or anything to eat with; they ate with their fingers from communal pots.
In the summer of 1818 Elizabeth Fry went to the governor and promised to accompany the women prisoners if they were sent in closed hackney carriages. He consented and she proved her point for there was no riot and their departure was orderly. There were 128 convicts and many bewildered children divided into classes of 12, each electing a monitor. With the help of Elizabeth’s Ladies Association it was arranged that each woman would receive gifts, including one Bible, two aprons, one black cotton cap, one large hessian bag to keep her clothes in, and..
‘A bag of useful things’ containing a piece of tape, an ounce of pins, 100 needles, nine balls of sewing cotton in different colours, 24 hanks of coloured thread, eight darning needles and one small bodkin. In addition there were two stay laces, a thimble, a pair of scissors, a pair of spectacles if needed, two pounds of patchwork pieces, two combs, a knife and fork and a ball of string. There was all the equipment to make a patchwork quilt.
The work of quilting would be an occupation during the tedious journey to Australia, and the quilt might be sold for a guinea at Rio de Janeiro or on arrival in Australia. It would also be a testimonial to her skills as a needlewoman thus giving her a hope of proper employment instead of being forced into prostitution. Elizabeth Fry and another Quaker visited, with one exception, every convict ship until 1841.We know that some of these quilts were sold for a guinea as they put into ports for provisions and water, but most were taken to Australia. One is kept in the National Gallery of Australia, in Canberra.
About the stitches
The design for this panel (by Joe McCrum and Anne Wynn-Wilson) was shown at a London Yearly Meeting . It was seen by two Australian Friends attending who said they would like to learn about the embroidery techniques and take this panel throughout Australia to be embroidered. Ann Castle, one of the original three embroidery teachers, volunteered to take the panel to Australia, where she gave talks and held embroidery workshops then left the panel to complete its travels round Australia. The panel was brought back by Australian Friends to YM the following year, and it remains one of the favourite panels, not only for the design and beautiful embroidery, but also for the story of the Patchwork Quilts.
One of the challenges on the panel, the large coils of rope, was solved before it went abroad by Anne Wynn-Wilson, who attached several strands of wool to the upturned K beater of her Kenwood Chef mixer, set it off and made a very long thick twisted chain which could be couched onto the panel.
The children in Taunton Meeting made the drawings at the bottom of the panel, which were then embroidered by children in Australia. We can see the contents of the bag of useful things and a quilt being sold.
You can view ‘Elizabeth Fry and the Patchwork Quilts’, and other panels, here at Quaker Tapestry Museum, Kendal or view all 77 panels on our website
Buying lovely things from us directly supports our charitable work, thank you
Postcards of this, and other panels, are available for you to keep or send.
Your purchase helps us to preserve and exhibit one of the world’s largest community embroideries and in sharing its stories, history and stitches for all to enjoy.
