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Buttermilk side of Welsh wholecloth
This side of the quilt is a rich cream cotton sateen.
It is filled with springy wool fleece, which gives a good loft, and shows up the quilting designs in high relief.
Detail of backing print
A red/pink & burgundy floral print was used for the other side of the quilt
Close-up of fabric on reverse side
The floral print has dotted lines (picotage) and a "broken stick" design printed from coppered blocks. These designs could date this fabric as early as 1820s, although the general style of the quilt indicates a later 19th century date.
This relatively small wholecloth quilt measures 75" x 77" (214 cm x 219 cm).
The quilting design is of the typical framed layout found in Wales, with double lines separating a square area in the middle from a wide border. It includes common Welsh quilting motifs; beech leaves, fans and spirals.
Collection of Carolyn Gibbs; bought from Jen Jones in person at her shop. It is known to have been made in the Cwm, Llandudoch (St Dogmaels), Pembrokeshire, close to the border of Cardiganshire. Census records list at least a dozen quilters living in this small village towards the end of the nineteenth century.
Remember to click on the photos to view full image.
Central 'coin'
The central area has a 'coin' with a ring of five large, double-lined beech leaves leaving a slightly irregular five-pointed star shape within.
Fan corners
The fan corners each have a single large beech leaf, flanked by two large spirals, bordered with the same double spiral design seen around the coin.
Border design
The deep outer border section is composed of a repeating motif of beech leaves with spirals as found in the fan corners.
As is typical of Welsh quilts, the butted edge is hand-stitched with a double line of stitching.
Quilting designs
The central area has a 'coin' with a ring of five large, double-lined beech
leaves leaving a slightly irregular five-pointed star shape within. This
section has a small flower in the middle, ringed with a simple twist and
trefoils; the beech leaf ring is bordered with a sequence of small double 'figure-of-eight' spirals within double lining. Square diamonds fill the rest of the central space to fan corners, which each
have a single large beech leaf, flanked by two large spirals, bordered with the
same double spiral design seen around the coin.
The deep outer border section is composed of a repeating motif where
longitudinally cut half-leaves surround the beech-leaf-with-spirals combination
found in the fan corners. Two repeats of the border design are used for the
short side borders, and then three repeats make up the longer top and bottom borders
butted across them. The repeats are carefully planned to fit the space, with a
full pair of leaves, similarly stitched with concentric echo quilting, neatly
finishing each sequence at both ends , so although the design does not turn the
corners, it appears balanced. Some of the border repeats have additional
spirals filling the sides, but careful inspection shows that these are not
consistent - in some places there is more echo quilting.
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