Quilt made for the Queen is on its way to Buckingham Palace... via Fareham

The 70th anniversary present was created by former Fareham mum Devida Bushrod as part of a 12-month challenge to recognise inspirational women.

As revealed in The News in May, Devida wanted the Queen to accept the special ‘pixel quilt’ in recognition of the monarch’s incredible milestone. But, having emigrated to the United States, she was disappointed to discover Buckingham Palace did not take in unsolicited gifts.

After the article was published the 44-year-old wrote to Her Majesty and was delighted to be told that it would actually be accepted. But first, it is stopping over in Devida’s hometown.

The quilt, measuring 72-by-54 feet and containing 2,701 pieces of fabric and 2,500 hand-sewn gold beads, is on display at the Makers House in Arundel Drive – a creative space in the heart of Fareham’s Uplands Estate - until Friday, August 26.

‘It seemed only right that the quilt should be displayed in Uplands for a little while so that people could see it before it goes to the palace,’ said Devida, who took 110 hours to create her masterpiece

Recalling the day, the royal seal of approval came to her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma - where she lives with husband Jason and their children Maddy, 18, and Josh, 16 - Devida said: ‘As soon as I saw the Royal crest, I knew it was from the palace and my heart just skipped a beat!

'This is probably the most unique quilt I have made and I am pretty overwhelmed that the palace even wrote back to me, let alone wants the quilt. I am excited to see where it ends up. From visiting Windsor Castle, I know that the palace displays gifts to the Queen, but I honestly have no idea if that's what will happen to the quilt. I guess I just have to wait and see.'

The Makers House opened its doors in September 2021 as a creative space and seller of unique hand-made gifts. It is owned by Jaime Bridges.