“People picked up on the idea of chains and freedom and others have used African symbols. We had a writing workshop on the day as well and some of the designs reflect that experience."
"People spent so much time cutting out patterns from the fabric, some of the squares are just beautiful. Those that were made on the day during a visit to the exhibition show real feeling.”
MPs who contributed designs included David Cameron, Sidiq Khan and Simon Hughes.
The squares were made using a mixture of drawing, patchwork, embroidery, fabric paints and images. Some use just images and some use words and many use a mixture of the two. All age groups are represented.
They have been appliquéd on to old curtains – made from fabrics designed by Commons architect, Gilbert Scott. The curtains came from the two Houses of Parliament.
The fabric comes in the regulation parliamentary colours – red for the Lords and green for the Commons. The quilt is divided into two panels of each colour each measuring eight feet by four feet.
The work of sewing the 290 squares on to the backing fabric fell to Diane Hedditch, Educational Visitors Officer at the Houses of Parliament, and her daughter, Emily.
With public tours filling Westminster Hall and many visitors attending the current exhibition, Your Parliament, the quilt will be seen by hundreds of people before the display is taken down at the end of next week. It will then be kept forever in the archives but will be put on display at various events and occasions.
Today, August 22 2008, also sees the publication of extracts from The Bill to abolish slavery in the British colonies, which received royal assent on 28 August 1833.
Digitised images from this historic document have gone online at Parliament and the British Slave Trade 1600 - 1807
See our feature on the events taking place to mark this year’s International Day for the Remembrance of Slavery.
