A Thames sailing barge pattern has been added at the Stitching Cards website. It makes a great birthday card for men. It can also be used for congratulations, thank you and other messages.
A Thames sailing barge was a type of commercial sailing boat common on the River Thames in London in the 19th century. The flat-bottomed barges were perfectly adapted to the Thames Estuary, with its shallow waters and narrow rivers.
The barges also traded much further afield, to the north of England, the South Coast and even to continental European ports. Cargoes varied enormously: bricks, mud, hay, rubbish, sand, coal and grain, for example.
A number of these vessels still survive in various roles, some fully active, others used as house barges or are awaiting restoration, while many are rotting away, abandoned in creeks long ago.