Pat contacted me about the New Stitches Index last year and in the course of our email exchange, she told me about the kneeler project at her local church, which I thought would make an interesting thread.

A small group of people met during April 1998 in St. Peters Church, Edgmond, Shropshire to discuss the possibility of making new kneelers for the altar rail to commemorate the millennium. It was agreed that the designs should be based on items to be found within the Church, such as the floor tiles in the chancel and some of the architectural detail in the windows. Photographs of various items in the Church were taken to aid with the designing of the kneelers.

Over the ensuing months the designs were developed by Pat using a computer design package known as X-stitch Studio (available from Ursa Software.) There were three designs in all and these were reversed to give the six kneelers required to fit the altar rail step.

A team of volunteers to stitch the kneelers was brought together and once the designs were completed two canvases were set up on large frames which allowed up to four people to work at any one time. Three of the kneelers were stitched in this way and the remaining three were stitched by individual stitchers on smaller frames. The upper room of the vestry was the venue for stitching on one of the large frames and one of the ladies involved offered her home for the second one to be stitched on.

The stitching of two of the kneelers was completed by November 1999 and it is anticipated that all six kneelers will be completed and the kneelers made up by the end of 2000. It is also planned that a CD-ROM containing the designs for the kneelers and a copy of the program Pat used for the designs, together with the pictures of the kneelers and one of the charts will go into a millennium time capsule to be buried in the church at New Year.

If you'd like to comment on this project, either contact Pat@coppice-edgmond.freeserve.co.uk or use the Message Board

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Background adapted from product samples at Fabric Flair