WW1 Memorial Quilt – Walter - Gardener

I have finished the last piece of my Memorial Quilt – the piece which represents the gardeners.

This design ought to have been the easiest.  There are so many things I could have knitted to represent gardeners.  I had thought of doing a large cauliflower or a row of carrots.  I considered doing rows of flowers in a Fair-isle pattern.  This design has taken me at least 6 months to think of – but I think I am happy with the end result.  It is the largest piece of the quilt with 134sts and 132 rows.  I have used small amounts of a lot of different shades of Rowan Felted Tweed DK yarn.  I had lots of odd bits left over from knitting other pieces and I have used up as many of them as I could.

The structure for the design is a formal garden – 4 beds divided by paths and a central feature.  The feature could be a statue or a sundial. Each bed represents a season.  Winter which is a bit sparse – berries, twigs and pine leaves, Spring which is a daffodil and a few buds, Summer which is a rose and Autumn which is a nasturtium. 

On another level the piece is a cross with flowers – to remember the men who died. It is named after Walter James Deal who was my third cousin, 3 times removed.  He was a gardener and a private in the 2^nd battalion of the Oxfordshire and Berkshire Light Infantry who died on 12 May 1918 aged 32.

It is also to remember the following men:

George Walter Thomas Shaxted who was my second cousin, 3 times removed.  He was a gardener and a private in the 6^th battalion of the Buffs (East Kent) Regiment who died on 20 October 1915 aged 20.

Charles Waite who was the husband of my fourth cousin, 4 times removed.  He was a gardener and a guardsman in the 3^rd battalion of the Grenadier Guards who died on 9 October 1917 aged 31.

Walter James Cole who was the husband of my second cousin, 3 times removed who I think was a gardener and a corporal in the Royal Garrison Artillery who died on 27 October 1917 aged 27.

John Norwood Berry who was my fourth cousin, twice removed.  He was a gardener and a private in the 6^th battalion of the Buffs (East Kent) Regiment who died on 4 August 1916 aged 30.

One last confession about this piece – I have done quite a lot of swiss darning.  I decided that it would be better to do that than keep taking it out because one stitch was in the wrong place.

I am now working on sewing the 21 pieces together.  I have arranged them on my bed and I think I am happy that they will look OK.  There are some pieces which are the same size and could have been swopped but I am going to stick to the original arrangement.  I hope to be able to show you the finished quilt later in the week.