Tuesday May 22 2012
History Archive
Village History
The fabric of history
Posted on May 19 2010 at 11:14:05 0 comments
Embroidery enthusiasts and history buffs are being asked to contribute to a very special project, in memory of the many thousands of British and Irish women transported to Australia as convicts in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Roses from the Heart, the brainchild of Tasmanian artist Christina Henri, is a planned exhibition of 25,566 bonnets, each representing one of the women “shipped to parts unknown” between 1788 and 1853.
It has become an international project, with people all over the world taking part by stitching bonnets, and Finstall resident Louise Burn is encouraging keen embroiderers in this area to join in. Louise, who is a member of the Embroiderers’ Guild and teaches the Young Embroiderers, is organising bonnets to be made for a “ship” of 169 women who were all transported on a voyage in 1838, and is asking local people to make a bonnet for one of them, or for another convict.
She became involved in the project last year after hearing about a small exhibition of bonnets at the NEC Quilt Show:
“I got in touch with Christina to find out if there was anyone with my family names on the list of convict women. There was, and she sent me the history of the girl, Ann Burn, who had quite a colourful history! Of course I was hooked.”
Christina chose to name the project Roses from the Heart because the rose is a strong symbol of love, and roses would have reminded the convicts of their homeland. She made a pattern from an 1860s muslin bonnet, and hopes that people across the world will take time out from their busy lives to contemplate not only the female convict story but also to scrutinise their own value systems, levels of judgement, tolerance and acceptance towards others.
“For crimes that required pity more than punishment (stealing a loaf of bread, a trinket etc), convict women were forcibly migrated around the world,” says Louise, “and until quite recently they were shunned by society.”
The pattern for the bonnet is very simple. It should be made from calico or white cotton, and you can make it as simple or elaborate as you like – just decorate the brim, or go to town and decorate it all over with lace, ribbon, buttons, beads, recycled embroidery; anything that makes it special.
The only requirement is that each bonnet should have the name of a convict embroidered on it, together with the name of the ship and the year she was transported. You should also write your own name and the date inside the bonnet.
The bonnets are to be displayed at the Knitting & Stitching Show at the NEC in August, alongside some 15,000 others. Christina is coming over from Australia for the exhibition.
Louise also hopes that there will be a small exhibition of some of the bonnets at the annual Fair & Show at Tardebigge on September 11, and eventually there will be a permanent installation in Tasmania in memory of all the convict women.
“I would be thrilled if you can spare a little time to make just one bonnet,” she says. “You could choose someone with your family name, do some research and find out the history of their misdemeanours by looking at the relevant websites.”
You can contact Louise on 01527 873449 or email her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for the pattern and instructions.
There’s more information on the project at http://www.christina henri.com.au, or to find a convict visit http://www.femalefactory.com.au (or email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)), look at the list of names and then access the records at http://portal.archives.tas.gov.au/menu.aspx?search=11
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