Doesn't it look lovely? and wouldn't this be a great idea for a baby or small heirloom quilt? If you got all your friends involved then it would come together pretty quickly.
Here is an unusual and rather special cape below. There was no info about this at our N W Regional AGM last November but but leafing idly through Issue 48 of Contact magazine, I happened to spot a photo of Blackwork on page 19.
This is a facsimile of the cape presented to Joseph Banks by the Maoris of New Zealand when he accompanied Captain Cook on the first voyage in the ship named Endeavour. Sir Joseph Banks, a naturalist, botanist and explorer, was also a man of considerable fortune and his contribution to the expedition apparently amounted to £10 000.
It was this cape that he wore when posing for a portrait painted by Benjamin West in 1771 shortly after returning from the South Seas with Cook. See it here.
This cape was made by the Merseyside Branch as part of their exhibition called Endeavour held in the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral last September. They made 70 pieces of textile art inspired by their research during a lecture at the Maritime Museum and looking at specimens given to the city by the Rathbone family held in the World Museum in Liverpool.
Here is a view of the back of the cape, below.
The left side, above, and right side, below. Such intricate work! No wonder Joseph Banks proudly wore the original for his portrait! What a wonderful gift to have been given by the people of the island.
Thank you to the members who contributed to making these items and for bringing them to the AGM for us to see close up. Going to our NW Regional AGM is like attending a mini exhibition and is quite educational reading about the inspiration behind the pieces on display.
Next up - some more pages from our Regional Travelling Book.
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