"Roses from the Heart" Memorial Bonnets

Wow, 1st September today! Where have the last three months gone to?  We had the most glorious and brilliant summer weather in Ireland this year, well deserved, long overdue and much appreciated. I hope you enjoyed your summer wherever you are and that you have lots of lovely crafty things planned to do during the winter. My Autumn round of classes started early, in mid August, and hopefully the evening classes will be starting end of Sept depending on enrollments etc. so I hope to catch up with some of you then.

So what have I been doing all summer? Well, let me show you the last project I completed.  My good friend has rounded up all her "stitching fairies" again (see last paragraph of post dated Sun 19th May 2012) to help make 150 bonnets as part of the "Roses from the Heart" memorial tribute. Twenty bonnets, all sewn up, embroidered with name and shamrock, embellished with lace and finished off with coloured ribbon. These were made to commemorate the Irish women who sailed on "The Neva" in Jan 1835 from Cobh, on transportation to Australia for penal servitude and who perished (224 lost souls) when the ship hit a reef not far from the coast the following May. For more information see http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/worst-shipwreck-you-ve-never-heard-of-1.1373988

As I was making my way through the list I noticed one of the names was the same as my mother's maiden name, now isn't that just  such a coincidence.  Of all the ships (and there were hundreds) and then, of all the women on that particular ship to end up with that name!  That bonnet was meant for me wasn't it?

Back again soon!