The quilted sea

Serendipity brought me face to face with a glorious handmade art work on display at the entrance to Cardigan castle.
Previously, I've blipped the town's giant cardigan which has received considerable publicity but this new creation had passed me by. In its entirety (see extras) it depicts the sea between Wales and Ireland - the Irish Sea to the north and St George's Channel to the south - with the coast on both sides, its shipping activity across the ages and its abundant marine life. All along the border are stitched the names of the ports that Cardigan's shipping lines did business with worldwide, and those from which emigrant families left these shores for pastures new, the womenfolk taking their quilting skills along with them to Australia and North America.

Like the Giant Cardigan the quilt was designed by artist Lisa Hellier and constructed by a group of local amateur needlewomen (no men apparently).  It's not professional tapestry by any means and they have used buttons, tufts of wool and a great variety of threads and mismatched materials that give the finished work a tactile, homespun quality appropriate to the subject matter and the historical context: resourceful, unsophisticated  weather beaten and oftentimes impoverished people who nevertheless created local and global trade routes against great odds.

This is just one section showing the southeast sector including  Cardigan/Aberteifi itself and Pembrokeshire. I've added some more images for those interested in needlework and nautical history; the armoured knight who appears to be standing guard has no connection.