I was able to publish an article about this process in The Quilter, and I had a stall at the Festival of Quilts, which was a great experience. I met a lot of quilters - and talked so much that I nearly lost my voice!
There have been some interesting discoveries - like this Durham top that was sewn by a quilter in Wales--
And that the very worn "Blue Durham Quilt" that I bought for £18 on Ebay was in fact an Indian quilt made in 1922 and shown in plate 47 of English Quilts by Elizabeth Hake.
And I found out that the throw of "1970's origin" that I had bought for £20 was actually Victorian paisley panels - the same pattern as the quilt shown above.
I found this stamped Northumberland top - I sewed a replica and have traced the quilting patterns onto the new top - now to layer, baste and start quilting.
I discovered that some samples I bought may be Rural Industries samples - like this sample made by a Mrs Harhy of Treharris, Wales. These came from Devon, where the WI was particularly active ( the WI was involved in keeping quilting going at that time, the 1930's).
The role of the WI or Women's Institute has been another interest - it encouraged quilting and kept the art going in many areas. Here is a quilt made by a WI group in Sunderland in the 1940's.
I did some preliminary research by taking measurements of several Sanderson star quilts - a small project that could usefully be continued by taking measurements of more quilts. Above, a bronze and green stamped quilt from Barnard Castle, Durham.
I am especially looking forward to being on the committee of the British Quilt Study Group - first meeting, next week in York. Looking forward to my first visit to the Quilt Museum , and the Avril Colby exhibition.
Finally, I am looking forward to this year's Festival of quilts at the NEC in Birmingham, and making the Christchurch Quilt - that will need quite a lot of attention - which I am hoping to share with you. Pippa
I am hoping to have a celebration of my anniversary by having a small give-away - details in the next post.
Congratulations Pippa for a year of wonderful blogs, I really enjoy reading about all your quilts and am so pleased that you have more to share! I'm sure that you will enjoy your first visit to the Quilt Museum, I've managed to visit several of the exhibitions there when on our way up to the Dales and there has always been such a lot to see and learn from. Good luck for the next year's blogging and enjoy your term on the BQSG committee.
ReplyDeleteBest Wishes, Liz.
I, for one, am so grateful that you decided to blog
ReplyDeleteI have learned a lot , drooled a lot over your beautiful quilts and the quilting is to die for. Something I dream of making some day a hand quilted whole cloth because of you sharing your quilts with us.
thank you!
Kathie
Your blog is always a good read, with lovely photos. Congratulations on your anniversary!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on such a successful first year - you have provided us with so much wonderful information and images of quilting. And what a lovely way to keep your sister's love of quilting continuing on.
ReplyDeleteWe look forward to another year of learning and inspiration from your blog.
Thank you.
(P.S. my New Zealand Bell block was mailed off to you earlier this week.)
Keep going Pippa - I love reading your blog, one of the few I follow regularly. There is always something very interesting here.
ReplyDeleteWould love you to produce a fabric based on that Turkey Red panel!
I've enjoyed looking at your quilts. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJanet
I have enjoyed following along with you this year. I love hand quilting and it has been a thrill to see all of your examples.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations for your blog anniversary, Pippa! Thank you so much for providing us with a bunch of information about Welsh and North Country quilts. For me as a hand quilter and a maker of traditional wholecloths these details are really a treasure and I have learned so much from you. I hope you keep on blogging for a long time! Thank you again and all the best for your future ventures!
ReplyDeleteAndrea from Germany