Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad Quilts

Also last weekend (May Bank Holiday) I visited a quilt show by the Winterton and the Norfolk Quaker groups of quilters which was held at Catfield church and where the churchyard was decorated with gorgeous cherry blossom.

The theme of the show was Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad Quilts and there was a good range of interpretations of the design by Mandy Shaw which included traditional blocks to commemorate the life of Harriet Tubman. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Tubman
There seems to be a lot of discussion about how quilts may or may not have been used during the escape of slaves but this design was about remembering the life of an incredible woman and an amazing freedom movement. http://www.quilthistory.com/ugrrquilts.htm

The quilts featured the block, Flying Geese, for example, as the slaves would have followed migrating geese travelling northwards.

It was interesting to see how one design looks in a variety of colours and fabrics, we don't often have the chance to make such comparisons.