Frodsham Methodist Church used to be a classic Victorian Chapel – a beautiful yellow-brick building, but with draughty windows and uncomfortable pews. The joining together of two congregations and the sale of  property allowed the church the rare luxury of redesigning and refurbishing their Chapel – a long and difficult process. Where the organ used to extend its pipes to the ceiling,  at the centre of the front of the church, there was a high arch with nothing in it. That was where I came in, with a commission from the church to create a visual focus – something which would catch the eye and gather people together.

Some things were clear from the outset: it had to be big enough to fill the arch, to ‘make an impact.’ It was to be ‘a textile piece,’ a focus. It should ‘incorporate a cross.’ There followed a long process of sketching, trying out and discussing ideas.

I was aware that the project  should involve all its members, and  not  be a ‘work of art’ given to them by an outsider, but something in which they were all involved. 

There was, I was aware, a large number of skilled people already in the church. I wanted the members  to have ownership of the piece, but wondered how to involve them in a meaningful way.  When I looked at the skills which were available in the congregation, I discovered an interesting collection – woodwork, patchwork, cross stitch, embroidery – but especially knitting! Most of the women could knit, but it was not immediately obvious how this could be used.

The design became clearer, and was approved by the committee. It was to be made up of five panels - one of fourteen feet and four of ten feet. Wooden frames would hold layers of sheer voile fabric producing a wide range of shades. The panels would be made up of shades of blue, green, turquoise, and maroon with a central panel of yellow and gold. These colours were initially taken from a window in the arch although this was later covered  to be viewed from the hall behind the church.

Early in the project a skilled retired joiner volunteered and produced the wooden frames on which the fabric was stretched as well as designing a method of attaching the panels to the wall on three different planes. A local blacksmith made the brackets to the joiner’s specifications. But how could knitting, cross stitch and patchwork be incorporated into the piece?

The solution was a series of ‘tiles’ each of four layers – two larger squares covered with knitted material, separated by a square of gold, framing a central square of geometric patterns in various media.

First of all I identified two ladies in the church who were proficient in cross stitch and patchwork. I asked them to select sections from the new geometrical window designs. They then made up charts and template patterns for the stitching. Knitting kits were made up with specific instructions and knitting cotton in four colours. The first thirty two kits were made up and given out, but the demand was so enthusiastic that finally fifty kits were made up. Still others would like to have been involved. From this point on, members of the congregation began to take ownership of the work, within the overall design. The control and coherence were very important, so that the piece had a unity, but members of the congregation were encouraged to make their own choices from the palette of fabric and threads provided. In this way all the squares produced were unique, while being closely linked.

The kits returned, made up into rich bundles of fabric. All the squares were stretched over card or wood. The four inch stitched squares were placed on top of a  gold square and then onto the six inch and  eight inch knitted squares. These were attached to the frames in the form of a cross.

As this was such a large piece, it was hard to find a space large enough to work in. The problem was solved when the local vicar allowed the use of the Lady Chapel in the Parish Church as a  temporary workshop – a good example of co-operation between churches.

As I worked through that Summer, I had a constant audience of church members and local people fascinated to see how it was coming together. The whole project took from  December 2002 to December 2003.

There was an air of excitement as the panels were transported the short distance between the two churches. The panels were lifted and placed on the wall in the midst of all kinds of final building work, and the church was cleared and polished just in time for a celebratory meal for a hundred people. It was finished.

This was the most moving moment. There was an astonishing sense of community and individual achievement as people stood and pointed out their contribution to friends and family. Almost every family had a stake in the work. Visitors pored over a chart which showed which section was made by each person. There was a real sense of pride in the community. It had gathered together their talents and gifts, and now gathered their attention as they came to worship.

Radio Merseyside broadcast several programmes linked to the opening. Angela Heslop, presenter of the arts programme,  described her experience of the visual focus:

‘As soon as you walk into the Church, this centrepiece has a powerful visual impact, and its beauty remains with you long after you’ve left the building…’

Wendy Rudd