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| The Centre Crest of Blisworth Tapestry |
So it is no wonder that Carol Arnall, the chairman of Blisworth Tapestry Project, is proud of the magnificent Blisworth Tapestry.
Carol and her team, originally a hard core group of 35 village stitchers, artists and historians, created the tapestry in an attempt to provide a lasting memento of village life past and present.
It certainly did that, but the artwork - now displayed in the Community Coffee House at Blisworth Baptist Chapel in Chapel Lane - has done far more than that.
It certainly did that, but the artwork - now displayed in the Community Coffee House at Blisworth Baptist Chapel in Chapel Lane - has done far more than that.
It has drawn a community closer together, spawned a series of subsequent projects and provided a centrepiece for the village as a whole.
David 'Big Society' Cameron would be proud.
But the Blisworth Tapestry Project was begun way before Mr Cameron started out on his grand plan.
Launched two weeks ago the group's new website, www.blisworthtapestry.co.uk/, tells the story of how 'A Stitch in Time' bought a village together.
The project was launched in August 2006, with Mrs Arnall at the head of it.
Having retired in 2005 she was looking for something new to keep her busy and to use the skills she had picked up as a PA at Marks & Spencers.
A series of workshops were started in the Community Cafe and plans were drawn up for a centre crest depicting modern day Blisworth and a timeline of six smaller panels telling the history of the area.
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| Panel one - stitched by Sandra O 'Connor and Beryl Andrews |
Little did the group know it would be four years before the final tapestry was unveiled on February 26, 2010.
During its creation members came and went, but Mrs Arnall said it had an incredible unifying impact on Blisworth.
"It was all about looking after the team and enjoying yourself," she said.
"We had some days out around the country and worked alongside some of the elder members of the community.
"There were 90-year-olds who helped stitch and we had a nine-year-old help stitch some of the brickwork on the chapel.
"Everybody who has worked here has gained more friendships. New people coming to the village who didn't know anyone found more friends and it escalated.
"One of the ladies is now a parish councillor. Through these groups people become more confident and stronger.
"It's nice to see people blossom.
"There are lot of passionate people. It's certainly infectious. It just gives us a buzz."
One of the ways this team spirit was enhanced was through celebrations when vital phases of the tapestry were completed, such as in December 2007 when the centre crest was finished.
One of the ways this team spirit was enhanced was through celebrations when vital phases of the tapestry were completed, such as in December 2007 when the centre crest was finished.
Mrs Arnall said: "Celebrations have been the key motivator for each stage of our progress.
"Each step is important to record - it made the team recognise their work had been appreciated.
"This is a piece of work that will not only be in the Coffee House to cherish by all those who stitched and designed it, but for the Blisworth community to enjoy and learn about their ancestors, what life was like and how villages need to keep recording it forever."
Community is written through the Blisworth Tapestry Project - even down to funding.
It cost around £6,000 to complete and was largely made possible through cash from Northampton Community Foundation.
Various fundraising projects helped raise the remainder of the money.
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| Panel three - stitched by Ros Bedford and Eileen Rose |
It hangs alongside six other pieces of work, charting the history of Blisworth from Roman Times to the present day.
Each panel measures 98x71cms, but they are dwarfed by the 'Present Day Blisworth' centre crest which measures 1.17x2.28m.
Panel one charts the first thousand years of Blisworth between the year 43 and 1086AD and is dominated by a fearsome looking Roman soldier.
Designed by Tony Maycock, it features images from the Iron Age, the Roman invasion, Anglo Saxon homes at a time when the village was named Blidesworde and the Viking and Norman invasions.
It includes an image copied from the Bayeux Tapestry - a major influence for the Blisworth version - and one of the Doomsday Book, an organ which lists Blidesworde as having land for nine ploughs and a population of about 120.
The history continues in panel two, designed by Maureen Smith, which charts the period between the 11th and 18th century.
It includes the lady of the lamp floating in front of a stain glass window, which depicts the donation of tapers by William Water in 1526, to be lit in the Lady Chapel so that his wife would find lights burning during services. This image is painted in the style of Russian Marc Chagell, one of the most successful artists of the 20th century and another major influence on Mrs Arnall and the team.
Panel 3 charts transport improvements and hospitality during the industrial revolution. Concentrating on just a ten year period between 1795 and 1805, it includes images of horse drawn boats to indicate the opening of the Grand Union Canel; the Duke's Arms, Half Moon and Plough pubs which served the village's busy population; and the Blisworth Tunnel itself, opened in 1805.
The panel also marked a change for the tapestry makers, with two artists - Maggie Turton and Phil Cahill - collaborating on it.
The story continues in panel 4, depicting the arrival of the railway in the nineteenth century and again designed by Maggie Turton and Phil Cahill.
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| Panel 6 - stitched by Margaret Holiday, Ros Bedford and Linda Sanderson |
It shows the construction of the Baptist Church in 1825, the opening of the London to Birmingham railway and the arrival of the Station Hotel, complete with swimming pool and sports facilities.
Panel 5, the work once more of artist Tony Maycock, is a trip through the late nineteenth century and shows the arrival of the motor car, in this case in the form of grocer Walter Young's green delivery van.
The history concludes in panel 6, designed by Ivan Chester and charting the period between 1919 and 2005.
Images include the opening of the bacon factory in Stoke Road in 1924, the start of the famous Wild & Woolly motorbike race, the arrival of the M1 in 1959 and a Blenheim Bomber which crashed in flames behind council homes during the second world war.
The whole panel is watched over by a benevolent looking Walter Alexander, the keen amateur photographer who captured much of village life in the last century.
Mrs Arnall said: "There are lots of personal touches in the panels, especially the Roman soldier who was called Ros by stitchers Beryl and Sandra.
"Ros seemed to talk to you as you sewed him, as did all the little red men building the Roman Road at Towcester.
"The whole project became a very spiritual affair which has been quite moving at times."
During its construction and since it was completed the Blisworth Tapestry Project has inspired a number of other projects.
Completed in January this year Tiffield Primary School produced its own tapestry, while Blisworth Scouts' efforts to raise funds for a new scout hall are set to be boosted by a new project which will see tapestry products sold to help its efforts.
Indeed, on October 27, 2010 the project became a small charity itself.
Items for sale in the Community Cafe include a book and DVD - both entitled A Stitch in Time - and packs of seven printed postcards depicting various scenes from the tapestry.
All the money raised is pushed back into the community and the cafe itself, while local companies are used to provide materials, printing of brochures and the design of the website.
The group also hold Walk & Talk events, which involve visitors being taken on an hour long walk around the village with a researcher, returning to the Cafe for a cup of tea and then enjoying a small talk on the tapestry from Mrs Arnall.
Women's Institute and garden clubs often visit the Chapel and it is becoming a popular stop-off point for boaters during the summer.
"People come and visit here and say I remember this, I used to work here," said Mrs Arnall.
"We have all these little stories coming through.
"They are just besotted when they come."
"They are just besotted when they come."
Blisworth Tapestry can be viewed at the Chapel every Tuesday between 9.30am and 12pm, while further times can be arranged by calling Mrs Arnall on 01604 858776.
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