This is the title of the wonderful altar frontal designed and worked by Miss Nora Sheer for the altar in the Lady Chapel of St Tudy

This is the title of the wonderful altar frontal designed and worked by Miss Nora Sheer for the altar in the Lady Chapel of St Tudy Church. It is dedicated to the children of the village school where Miss Sheer taught for many years until her retirement in 1986.

‘This Altar Frontal is dedicated to the children of St Tudy School, with whom I spent the last twenty-four years of my working career; as their teacher.

It has been made as a thank you to my parents for their help and encouragement in all I have tried to do and especially my Mum who taught me to sew and left me a legacy of pieces of material which started me on the way to becoming a quilt artist. Also thanks are due to my brother for all the help he gives; and the ladies of the village who asked me to teach them how to do patchwork. Without their interest I would not have studied the craft in so much detail or accumulated such a wonderful selection of materials. Very special thanks to the artists who designed these beautiful materials.

Thank you Rev. Margaret for asking me to make this cloth and the people of St Tudy for recommending my work. It has been a wonderful experience of joy and love.’

Miss Sheer kept a diary from the day Rev. Margaret asked her if she would undertake this project (19^th July 2002) until the day the final stitch was put in, (9^th October 2003) a task that took 15 months. The diary has been made into a booklet and a copy is available for all to read in the Lady Chapel.

Extract from Miss Sheer’s diary:

August 9^th Sewed on another Xmas tree and dove. I’d lost the first dove I cut out, this one had a few red lines on bird which didn’t look right after I’d sewed it on so tried to cover them with white embroidery. That wasn’t right either so ripped it off. Got another from materials, sewed on, to discover it had moved a bit from where I intended and was now doing a nose-dive to the top of a mountain. This looked ridiculous so ripped it off. After three doves no good, I think I’m being told something, so no dove in my Winter picture.

This patchwork frontal depicts the four seasons around a central cross and each panel is a

work of art. Every time you look at it you see something different.

	Original design sketch
Completed background of Spring pane
	Completed Spring and Summer panels
Completed Autumn panel
	Completed Winter panel
Finished at last!

Now it is in position, in front of the wooden altar that was made by local carpenter Phil Tizzard. Miss Sheer’s needlecraft skills are legendary in St Tudy and now her delightful work will be displayed in St Tudy Church Lady Chapel for generations of children (and adults) to come and enjoy and admire.