Welsh quilts

A few days ago I took a trip to see some old Welsh quilts. They are part of Jen Jones’ vast and amazing collection of antique quilts and were on show in the Welsh Quilt Centre in Lampeter, Wa…

My Welsh Wool Quilt I made this quilt using 'household objects' as would often have been done originally. Typical Welsh Desig...

Beautiful petrol-blue Welsh wholecloth quilt with large heart motifs, spiral-filled leaves and paisley backing. It was probably made in 1930s.

You have heard me talk about Welsh Quilting – but what is it? Of course there are many aspects to Welsh Quilting, including piecing, but I decided to focus on the actual quilting designs. Why? I just love how they look and each motif has meaning – and of course there are rules, but rules […]

I was really drawn to these Welsh quilts. They are dramatic in their simplicity. Their are a couple of exceptions with the simplicity that is usually found in Welsh quilts. Log Cabin....This Victorian sofa throw, a variation of a log cabin quilt, Court House Steps, was made in Horeb, Cardiganshire in 1888 by a Miss Lloyd whose family bred champion Welsh cobs. The fabrics are mainly from furnishings and are neatly tied with small red tufts at almost every corner. Woolen Hexagons. See Dazzling…

the main quilt exhibition at the Welsh Quilt Centre in Lampeter

A few years ago when Clare and I were working on MAKING WELSH QUILTS I spotted a picture of an old Welsh quilt in Pepper Cory's book MASTER...

the main quilt exhibition at the Welsh Quilt Centre in Lampeter

More photos from the Exhibition "A Quilted Bridge - The Amish Welsh Connection", at the Welsh Quilt Centre in Lampeter, Wales. This exhibition runs through to 3 November 2012 and is well worth seeing if you are planning a visit to Wales. The Butterfly Quilt, so named for the unusual shape in the centre of the quilt. Wool, cotton, paisley shawl and silk, cotton wadding. C 1880. This photo is very dark, the quilt is more vividly purple and green in real life. Amish floating Bars Quilt, Ohio…

I don't do replicas but prefer to say that I am "inspired by" or make "in the spirit of". Anyway it is impossible to replicate a Welsh wool quilt because the fabrics used then are no longer made. There was a period in our history when our quilts were entirely homegrown; the woollen cloth was manufactured in our mills and made from the fleeces of the thousands of sheep grazing our hilly countryside. Clumps of this wool were often gathered from the hedgerows by the quilters and cleaned and…