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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 3 March 2014

Interesting News - Small Red Welsh Quilt


I showed you this quilt before Christmas, it is a child sized Welsh quilt in red and tan cotton sateen. I recently received an interesting email from Clare Claridge, who is an expert on Welsh quilters and quilting designs. The email reads: Hi Pippa, just noticed this little beauty on your blog 10/12/13 and thought that you might be interested in the following information: It is an RIB quilt made in Aberdare - the design is shown in the Country Industries Catalogue: "Quilting - Beautiful English [!] Needlework" fig 23 p18. Size about 3 ft x 2ft. Price in sateen £1.6.6 Also, photo in Muriel Rose's sample book for The Little Gallery and a drawing of the design at the Weymyss School of Needlework (Scotland). Hope that this is of interest, do you know where it came from? Of course I was thrilled at this news. 

The vendor bought it at auction, either in Crosshands or Carmarthen. £1.6.6 in 1930 was about £50 in today's money, so not a cheap item.


Here is another photo of the quilt - the leaf pattern was very popular, and according to Janet Rae in her article in QS12, was much used at the Weymyss School in Scotland as well (along with Durham designs, but curiously, no Scottish motifs).



Here is the photo in the QS article. You can see that the Weymyss quilt (unfinished) is made in a better fabric, silk not sateen, and the design is slightly different. There are two central leaf motifs, not one, and the edge leaf motifs are smaller and more numerous. I am really pleased to have an item that is definitely RIB, and thank Clare for her expertise.

4 comments:

  1. The red quilt is so pretty.I love hearing about these historical quilts

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  2. You really have a little treasure there!

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  3. Hi, Pippa. I always enjoy reading the information you provide for the beautiful quilts that you show. Something about the meshing of history and memory...
    best, nadia

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  4. What a stunning quilt and how lovely to have all that informations from clare. Thanks also for sharing the gorgeous pictures from your travels!

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