Possibly Welsh. Date?

 I bought this from a lady in Weymouth but it came with no history. The only reason I have for suspecting it might be from Wales is the spirals in the quilting which is indicative but not definitive.This one is huge, the bed is four foot six wide and six foot three long. It lays on the floor on  both sides and would top and bottom if the bed did not have a foot and a head stopping it fall over the edge of the matress.

It probably could do with washing but I am loathe to as some of the fabrics have started to fail. I love the mauve prints in this.

Another of my antique pieces (very photo heavy again! but you like that don't you?)

 I 'think' this one is a similar age to the Sarah Fox one I posted here, about 1825-1835. I really am no expert, I just go by my gut feeling so if you know better (or worse) please comment and I will amend this.

 Now follows loads of photos of the fabrics and how the maker handled (or failed in the process of making it). Do not be surprised by the bottle of ketchup in one of the photos. I figured it was one item I had in the house where the colour is recognized throughout the world and you can adjust the colours you are seeing on your screen accordingly. It was still sealed so no danger of it leaking!

 I think it very clever how the black stripe has been appliqued to create this 'Chinese lantern' look. Each straight run of these circles is in one continuous piece of fabric.

The maker ran out of the brown stripe used in one of the outer borders so just changed to a different stripe.

 The off white background fabric looks like cord in the photos but it is more like a modern dress shirt weave.

 The maker had used so much of this back print in those clever circles, there had to be a join and a smidge of other fabric to finish this corner.

 There is a knife edge rather than binding. This is typical.

 In places there is double thread quilting. I don't know why. And in some places on the back of the work like the top of this photo below, the quilting stitch doesn't go all the way through the layers. This makes me think it was not stab stitched and the uneven lines also suggest it was done without a frame.

I hope you enjoyed this tour of my quilt. Let me know and I shall post more of my small collection.

Back home and a nice simple 19thC quilt

We went up last Thursday, Steph and I.
Steph has always been wonderful; now I know she is heroic. As you have seen the cottage was a disaster and filthy. We arrived at 11.30am and by the time we went to bed Steph had not only cleaned the sitting room within an inch of it's life, she had also repainted it. Whilst there amongst other things, she painted the breakfast room, the kitchen and the family room, repaired the split doors, made new panels for the side and end of the bath and more, much more...... I did what I could but no one could keep up with her.
On to something far more pleasant. At a friend's house I was told about this quilt. It was made by an ancestor of a friend. The maker was Elizabeth *****, and the quilt possibly dates from 1870. It comes from Wales.
It's simple quilt, pieced over papers, see the nice stitching.
I like the way it is faced.


And whilst the piecing stitches are quite fine the quilting is less so. Perhaps only 4 per inch.


I love the little prints.
Elizabeth made quilts for the farm workers and also made lace, embroidered and painted. Her other things were given to the National Trust for use in their properties and this quilt was sent back as it was unwanted.