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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.













Monday, 21 October 2013

Hawick Quilt #2


Here is a quilt that I recently bought from a dealer from Builth Wells in Wales - it is a Hawick quilt. The quilting patterns are a real clue here. There were many of these quilts made by church groups in Hawick in the 1920's, to bolster church funds.


A clear indicator are these wild-looking thistles. Hawick is located in the Scottish Borders and of course thistles are a Scottish emblem. The yin-yan design in the border is typcial too.


The other real tip off are these spikey hearts. This centre arrangement is typical of these quilts, too. The background filler is a "Scale" pattern.


The other side of this quilt is a very faded paisley cotton sateen. Most of these quilts were made either in white or in two contrasting coloured fabrics. This is the first time I have seen a print used in a Hawick quilt.

The other pattern which is typical of these quilts is a large "gowan" or daisey. It is typcial of what I would call club quilts - a large, showy pattern that wasn't too complicated, yet covered the fabric well. The stitching on this quilt is rather coarse - the stitches are large and again this is typical - the quilts were being made fairly quickly. Although the seller was from Wales, she had bought this quilt from a textile fair, and had bought it from a dealer from the Northeast...no other provenance, I'm afraid...
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4 comments:

  1. Jan21 October 2013 at 17:51

    Loved seeing your new purchase. It is just beautiful! Don't think I could have passed this one by, either.

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  2. Robin21 October 2013 at 18:28

    Very interesting quilting design. I like the idea of putting clamshells as a filler in the background. The thistles are fascinating - thanks.

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  3. Virginia21 October 2013 at 20:45

    Thanks so much for the info-I'm always excited when you have a quilt to post for us!

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  4. Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things22 October 2013 at 00:54

    Such an interesting post, love the thistles! What a great find. Do you pull designs from antique quilts for your own quilts?

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