Handmade quilt will be at the heart of Bishop Mary’s office

‘Hours and hours’ of love and stitching will go into a new wall hanging created by Bishop Mary to honour her episcopal area.

Bishop Mary, who is a keen quilter, has designed the hanging to contain 180 tessellating hearts – one for each of the churches in Berkshire – and represent the area where she ministers. The hearts are all hand sewn and will then be given a backing and quilted using a sewing machine. 

Bishop Mary said: “This quilt is a way of me being mindful of each of these churches and praying for them as I sew it. It is a spiritual and mindful activity for me. I am also sewing a cross stitch which includes the first name of everyone I have ordained or confirmed on my first year. It is a way of remembering such a significant year for me.

“The idea is that the heart replicates vaguely the shape of the episcopal area, which has been quite tricky, I am finding as it’s not a rectangular shape!”

The wall hanging, which is about a metre and a half wide, will be on display in Bishop Mary’s area office in Theale and serve as a reminder of the commitment she has to those within Berkshire.

She added: “Some of my interactions with people are really fleeting but that does not mean they’re not meaningful so this is a way of holding on to those special moments.

“I am only part of the way through the process of getting to know Berkshire, it is going to take a long time to get to each of the churches. It is my ambition to see all of them so I am keeping track of where I have been!”

Read more about Bishop Mary.