Red Paisley Throw

Here is a paisley throw that I bought online for the grand sum of £8. The photos were poor, but as the item came from Glasgow, there was a very good chance that the fabric was vintage Turkey Red cotton from the Vale of Leven Mills. I had planned to take it apart and reuse the fabric for a project.

However, when the item arrived, it was too nice to unpick. It looks very Scottish, as the reverse is offcuts of woollen tartan cloth, presumably from a local mill. So colourful and lively...very "Outlander"...

So, the throw will remain in the collection.....I love these red paisley items, they are so warming and cheerful! The colour is seldom accurately reproduced in modern fabrics...

Another Sunderland Quilt

This is a quilt from Sunderland (evidently a hotbed of quilting).

The quilt measures 82" x 94" and was handed down in one family, from Sunderland. It was always kept as a spare, and not heavily used. 

The centre of the quilt has a strong and slightly quirky pair of feathers.....surrounded by the bellows pattern, and corner feathers.

The border is of paired scallop shells. Atteactive in white and pale yellow cotton sateen.

The edge is machine sewn, which was preferred in the north country as it produced a firm edge.

The overall effect is good, and has a strong, more masculine feel to it. Part of a household decluttering, but I am happy to benefit!

French Paisley Quilt

Here is a rather strange quilt, which seems to have been made from a cast off wollen paisley shawl. It is French and I do not have much other information about it.

The colours are lovely in this woven shawl and it was probably too good to discard when shawls became unfashionable....hence transformed into a warm quilt.

I recently went to an exhibition of shawls at Norwich Cathedral... These shawls were exceedingly expensive for many years and were high fashion items. Later, the shawls did not sit so well over dresses with bustles and went out of fashion. Shawls were generally very large and were worn folded and draped over dresses. It looks as if the one has been cut in half, judging by the centre motif at one end...

The wool has a few holes...

The reverse is a red cotton...

It is amazing how much work went into weaving these shawls and I was rather amazed to see the shawls from different decades on display..

The quilting is French in style, with cross hatching in the centre and parallel bands around the outside...

Yellow and White Stamped Quilt

Here is a lovely quilt - one side white and the other a soft yellow. It has a design which seems to have been a fairly common one, with a central design surrounded by two offset squares which firm an outer star. 

The centre has a daisey surrounded by proud ferns.

Large corner motifs seem to be pointed ferns.

There is a nice scroll and feather outer border, which is not turned but has a cross hatched corner.

Another look at a corner.

The reverse is a gentle yellow in cotton sateen.

The edge has the usual double line of machine stitching.

A few blue marks. This pencil must have been very sturdy as it often remains for a long time and quite a few washes.