Quaker Tapestry facts for kids

The Quaker Tapestry is a huge, colorful artwork made up of 77 embroidered panels. It tells the story of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, from the 1600s until today. The idea for this amazing tapestry came from a Quaker named Anne Wynn-Wilson. You can find the tapestry in its permanent home at the Friends Meeting House in Kendal, Cumbria, England.

What is the Quaker Tapestry?

The Quaker Tapestry is like a giant history book made of fabric. Each of its 77 panels shows a different part of Quaker history. It covers important events, people, and ideas that are special to Quakers.

How the Tapestry Was Designed

The way the Quaker Tapestry looks was inspired by a very old and famous artwork called the Bayeux Tapestry. Just like the Bayeux Tapestry, it uses three horizontal sections on each panel. The faces and hands are outlined with embroidery, and the clothing is filled in with solid colors.

The tapestry is made using a special type of embroidery called crewel embroidery. This means it uses wool threads on a background made of handwoven wool. The artists used four traditional stitches: split stitch, stem stitch, chain stitch, and Peking knot. Anne Wynn-Wilson even invented a new stitch, called the Quaker stitch, to make neat, tight curves for the letters.

Each panel is about 25 inches (64 cm) wide and 21 inches (53 cm) tall.

A Team Effort

Making the Quaker Tapestry was a huge team project! About 4,000 people, including men, women, and children, worked on the panels. These volunteers came from 15 different countries. They worked together on this project between 1981 and 1989.

Seeing the Tapestry Around the World

The panels of the Quaker Tapestry have traveled to many places. They have been shown in special traveling exhibitions. For example, they went on a tour across North America in 1993 and 1994. In 2012, an exhibition of 39 panels at Ely Cathedral in England was very popular. Over 11,000 visitors came to see it in just 27 days.

In October 2021, the museum where the tapestry is kept received some money from the government's Culture Recovery Fund. This helped support the museum and its important work.

Stories Told on the Panels

The 77 panels of the Quaker Tapestry tell many different stories. They show how Quakers have lived their lives and what they believe in. Some panels feature important Quaker leaders and their journeys. Others show how Quakers have worked for peace, helped others, or stood up for what they believe is right.

For example, some panels show:

• The early days of Quakerism with leaders like George Fox and Margaret Fell.
• Quakers working to help people in need, like Elizabeth Fry who helped prisoners.
• Stories about Quakers who refused to fight in wars because of their beliefs in peace.
• How Quakers started schools and helped communities.
• The Quaker belief in simplicity and living a plain life.
• Quakers' involvement in science, banking, and other trades.

Each panel is a small window into the rich history and values of the Quaker community.