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80? x 89? (203cm x 226cm)
Keld Heritage Centre Collection
This beautifully made quilt, donated by one of the grandaughters of the maker, is on display in the Old School Heritage Centre* in the tiny village of Keld in Upper Swaledale, North Yorkshire and was made by Margaret Clarkson (born in 1916) who had lived in the village all her life. Both her granddaughters explained that she made many quilts including the family owned strippy in the photos and was an accomplished quilter drawing all her own patterns.
The quilt is a white cotton sateen on both sides and has been stitched very neatly with a white thread. The pattern appears to be a very similar design to those drawn by the famous quilt stampers of Allendale who sold tops ready marked. Whether Margaret had purchased one of these tops or had seen the patterns and decided to draw her own we will never know for sure, but she was an experienced quilter who was known by the family to design her own quilts.
The whole of the very large centre design measures 56? from shell to shell and at its very heart has a twelve-petalled rose in a ring of sixteen smaller petals. Surrounding this are eight small ferns with sets of concentric circles between them.
Eight shells come next each topped with pierced ferns and between them are triple-lined flat-irons, each filled with a small rose and a fancy fern. These are topped by larger shells interspersed with simple fern sprays. The whole centre is set within a fine square-diamond background.
The corners have a similar rose in a ring as in the centre with shells, ferns and curlycues filling any spaces. The outer border design measures approximately eight inches wide and is of whorls and scrolls.
The edge is machine stitched with two rows of machine stitching approx. half an inch apart.
In its display the museum states that "Hooky work, knitting, proddy mats & hand-stitched quilts were essential skills for the young ladies of Swaledale to learn before marriage."
Many thanks to Helen Guy, curator of Keld Resource Centre for allowing us to share this quilt.
The Old School Heritage Centre is part of the Keld Resource Centre and has recently acquired the whole collection of items relating to local work and social history, which includes several quilts, from Swaledale Museum in Reeth just twelve miles away down the valley. The two museums will be working together and Swaledale Museum will still be providing workshops, exhibitions etc in the newly available space. For more details of the work of both museums and how to support them by becoming a friend of either or both museums then visit their websites https://keld.org.uk/ and http://www.swaledalemuseum.org/
For a quick taster of some of their quilts click HERE to see photos of the quilts displayed on their joint stand at Muker Show 2022.
*The Old School Heritage Centre is very new and isn?t always open so please check before travelling.
Liz Nally
Remember to click on the photos to view full image. (Photos have been edited to show quilting more clearly)
Approximately half of the quilt showing the inticate quilting patterns
Most of the large centre design with rose centre, shells, pierced ferns, flatirons and other quilting designs.
The central rose and surrounding petals
The centre rose (top left) with surrounding concentric circles, small ferns and shells
The outer part of the large central design showing the Flatirons with infil. Small and large shells and pierced ferns.
The corner with double rose, ferns , shells and curlycues to fill any space.
Border edge detail of quilting and showing neat stitching
Two pretty prints used in the strippy quilt each with a slightly different chain quilting pattern.
Strippy quilt corner folded over to show pink reverse and very neat quilting.
