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I am a quilter living in Woodbridge, Suffolk who has made quilts since I was a teenager. I also ring bells! Both are great British traditions....I will try to feature some of my antique Welsh and Durham quilts, the quilts I make myself, my quilting activities and also some of my bellringing achievements. Plus as many photos as I can manage. NB: Double click on the photos to see greater detail, then use back button to return to the main page.













Wednesday, 3 August 2011

Green and Russet Welsh Quilt

Here is a nice Welsh quilt that dates from about 1900.No provenance for this quilt, as it was bought at auction. The size is 80 x 87 inches. The stitching is of good quality but a bit difficult to see due to the lively print fabrics, which are in a matching russet print on the front and a green print on the back. The filling is carded wool, and the thread used is a dark pink to match the front fabric.

You can see that the Welsh format is followed with a central medallion surrounded by corner fans and further borders.



The central medallion is a star surrounded by leaves and a border of stars, with infill and fans in the central field.


Here is the russet side in a matching print - art deco with bows and garlands of pink roses and blue forget-me-nots.



The corners repeat the leaf motif and there are more stars in the outer borders.



There is a border with stars surrounded by lined squares - simple but effective.



Another view of the centre with its leaves and border of stars.


Even though it was undoubtedly a special quilt, it is interesting to see that the quilter had to piece one part of the back to make it just large enough - haven't we all had to do this at one time or another?


The edges are neatly hand sewn in the Welsh manner.
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8 comments:

  1. Kirsty3 August 2011 at 12:26

    Oh wow! I feel a bit silly saying this but I've never thought of doing a quilt using just one fabric on each side. To me, a quilt has always involved a pieced top. Seeing such lovely hand quilting work, on equally lovely fabric, is a revelation. Thank you for this post. A day seen with fresh eyes is a day twice lived.

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  2. Pat3 August 2011 at 14:22

    The quilter had amazing eyes to quilt across that fabulous fabric. Wondering how the design was applied to the top? Marking pencils? With my aging vision it has become a challenge to see the lines.

    A gorgeous quilt!

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  3. Pippa Moss - Welsh Quilts3 August 2011 at 14:33

    Its my understanding that the designs were marked in chalk when the quilt was in the frame, around templates but with much of the design filled in freehand.

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  4. Susan Briscoe3 August 2011 at 14:35

    I like the beech leaves in the centre - very nice as a central motif. You did a good job of showing up the quilting in the photos. :-)

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  5. Andrea4 August 2011 at 07:39

    Pippa, how do you know which side of the quilt is the top? Because of the quilting thread? I try to figure out where the seams on both sides are but that doesn't really make it clear, although your photos are marvellous!

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  6. Pippa Moss - Welsh Quilts4 August 2011 at 10:28

    Andrea, you have to look carefully at the stitches. The ones on the top are neater and the cloth is flatter. Whilst on the bottom, the stitches are smaller, or more irregular and the cloth is more rounded or bumpy. the thread usually, but not always, will match the top side if the two sides are different colours. Markings if present also help.

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  7. Andrea4 August 2011 at 14:47

    Thank you Pippa - now it's clear. I should have considered that! It's how my own quilts look like...:)

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  8. Anna5 August 2011 at 09:16

    A GORGEOUS QUILT!!!!
    Anna

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