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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 21 March 2018

Norwich Shawl by Clabburn

When I saw this lovely shawl online, I realised that the dealer was living quite nearby, in the next village over, so to speak.....it was an expensive item, so we arranged to meet in
Woodbridge so that I could examine the shawl.
 

The dealer used to have a shop in Norwich, so knows these shawls well. She now sells mostly on Etsy....


After a discussion, including the various ins and outs of the trade and other dealers, I made a quick trip to the building society...

 
The Shawl is a beautiful one, and as its made from silk, changes colours, with a cast of purple..
 

The silk fringe is in perfect condition and the shawl has only a few small plucks...



There is a lot of information about the Norwich shawls in these two books, but no illustration that matches this shawl..


 
The shawl is unclipped, and so is not really reversible, as some are...
 

After a lot of thought, I decided to wear the shawl to Sophie's wedding....it seems to have come to no harm.....

I appreciated the shawl, even if no one else noticed it ...well, we can't all be textile experts, can we?
Dating from about 1860, the shawl is an amazing survivor....

1 comment:

  1. It is just gorgeous, and I am glad to hear/see you wore it. While I know some people choke when I say I sleep under some 80 year quilts regularly, many of these items are still in wonderfully serviceable condition. Additionally, it brings attention to other people that these beautiful items still exist around them. May I say you did well.

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