Sunday 25th March 2012 - Kneeler 19
Glorious spring sunshine enticed us to stitch outside on the hall patio for the first time last Friday. The second long altar rail kneeler is finished except for the date to be added at the right hand end. So with just the central section of altar rail kneeler left to finish only a small group could work on that; the rest stitched their individual kneelers. Next Friday will mark the end of weekly kneeler stitching as we will switch to fortnightly meetings after Easter.
It appears that GD has unearthed a new first World War casualty for the village war memorial. Percy Pike, of Bidden Lane Chitterne, was killed in 1918 but his name is missing from our memorial and from the list of dead inside the church. He is mentioned in Romy Wyeth's book about Codford called 'Warriors of the Working Day' where his address is given as Chitterne, Codford. This may account for the mistake because Chitterne's postal address was "Chitterne, Codford, Wiltshire" until 1933 when it changed to "Chitterne, Warminster, Wiltshire". I intend to go and investigate the Codford war memorial when I have time to see if Mr Pike's name is recorded there.
Tuesday 13th March 2012 - Kneeler 18
The first altar rail kneeler is finished! Without its wooden frames and pressed, it looks stunning and very beautiful, "far too beautiful" someone said, "to go on the floor." The cut-out bits are to fit around the altar rail uprights. This section has 1862, the date of the consecration of the church, at the far left. The second long altar rail kneeler, which has about 3 small patches left to be stitched, will have 2012 at the far right. The central section has a bigger area that needs completing.
I had an unusual request via the website and telephone earlier this month. It was sorted just this last weekend. A gentleman, JC from Hampshire, wanted to trace a photograph of a vintage car as it had looked originally. He had bought the car, a 1927 Alvis SD 12/50 beetleback sportscar, dis-assembled, and he planned to restore it. The trail had led him to a previous owner, WT, who once lived in Chitterne, at the Stables. WT, who had died in 2003, had owned the car at the end of the Second World War; "did he have any children?" I was asked. I didn't know, but I took up the trail and through contacting a current Stables resident I was able to speak to another ex-resident who knew the family. This led me to WT's partner, who was still alive, and eventually to his eldest son in Dorset. "Yes, I'm sure there are some photographs amongst my father's belongings" was all I needed to hear. So hopefully JC will have something to go on when he embarks on his task.
Sunday 4th March 2012 - Poster Hung, Post Kneeler
The poster donated by R & LS (see 22 November 2011 blog) is now hanging in the village hall where all the village will be able to see it.
This is how the not-a-kneeler looks now with just over a quarter to do.
I am preparing for the end of the kneeler project by having a play with bargello stitchery. One stitch can cover two, three or four holes in the canvas so the work grows much more quickly than basketweave and its just as much fun. My plan is to replace the loose cushion covers on my favourite sofa, which are beginning to look tatty. I'm starting small with the end cushions, they measure 12 x 24 inches so not too daunting a project. This pic shows some stitches I am experimenting with before stitching the proper canvas. I want something that echoes the American Indian type patterns on the seat cushions and yet contains all the colours of the original end cushion covers! Tall order, perhaps I am making life difficult for myself, but anything seems possible with AM as a guide.