Yesterday was the 1st year anniversary of The History Quilter Podcast and it seems impossible how fast a year can go by.  My first episode took me about 10 hours to record, edit and upload but once done, I was thrilled at what I had created.  Those first few episodes are pretty rusty but were great learning experiences - I guess each episode is a photo of myself taken at a different angle, each worthy of a view.  Enough with the introspection....Episode 20 is now available on iTunes and Podbean.

The Rajah Quilt 10'x11' housed at the National Gallery of Australia

Here's a brief history of The Rajah Quilt if you're not a podcast listener: The Rajah Quilt was made by convict women whom were on board The Rajah in 1841 as it traveled from Woolwich, England to Hobart, Tasmania. A group called the British Ladies Society for Promoting the Reformation of Female Prisoners (began by Elizabeth Fry) supplied the convict women on the ship with the following provisions for their travels: tape, pins, 100 needles, four balls of white sewing cotton thread, a ball each of black, red and blue thread, black wool, 24 hanks of colored thread, a thimble (only one?) scissors and two pounds of patchwork pieces  - almost 10 meters.  The quilt finished at 10' x 11' and apparently the individual kinds of stitches based on the level of proficiency with sewing can be seen especially with those with blood stains due to pricked fingers.

Once the ship arrived in Hobart, Tasmania the quilt was given to the the Lieutenant Governor's wife, Lady Jane Franklin but is now housed at The National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.