Welcome to tales of my stitching life, home, family and friends.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Tapestry Treasures in Rangiatea Church, Otaki

We have had a very busy weekend away in the caravan - it was our caravan club’s turn to organise the two yearly Regional Rally.  So this weekend wasn’t quite as laid-back as our caravan weekends usually are.  One of the high-lights of the weekend was a visit to the historic Maori Rangiatea Church in Otaki.  It was originally built in 1851, but was destroyed by fire in 1995.  The rebuilt church was completed in 2003, do check it out here on our other blog if you are interested.  

There were beautifully stitched kneelers tucked under all the seats, all individual, and all quite different.  I don’t do this kind of needle work myself, but can certainly appreciate all the hard work which went into making each one.  I thought they were just so lovely I wanted to share.

P1180021 A selection of kneelers
 P1180025 Penguin parents and chick

P1180024Antarctic birds

P1180033A Welsh-New Zealand connection

The families designed and stitched their own kneeler, we were told, and they all have a Maori motif design around the edge.  It was hard to pick a favourite, but this one certainly made me smile.

P1180026 Noah’s Ark

Such a lot of thought and planning must have gone into each of these kneelers, and they all have a special connection to the makers. 

1 comment:

Nancy J said...

Noah's Ark, my favourite. Some hands have done the most beautiful and thoughtful stitching. Cheers from Jean.