With having Welsh ancestry and the love of textiles, I've been thoroughly enjoying exploring the neighbourhood around our little Welsh cottage (#dovecottageonwye on instagram)
Lampeter is a sweet town about 35 mins drive from Dove Cottage and is home to The Welsh Quilt Centre www.welshquilts.com
On our last visit to DC we were joined for the last three nights by great friends of ours from the SW of England. Linda also has a love of quilts and many years ago when we lived in the SW we began our quilting journey by attending courses together.
The Welsh Quilt Centre didn't let us down, the quilts were amazing, all old and beautifully hand quilted. We were told that the exhibition upstairs changes regularly so a return visit will be required :)
Downstairs is a shop selling lots of great textiles, books etc.
I took a few photos, but of course they dont do the quilts justice. The quilts were mainly 'whole cloth' with some pieced work too
'Wholecloth quilt was the mark of an artist - the fabric a mere canvas on which to express the quilters fine needlework skills and creative flair. It is a quilt that dates back to the twelfth century, and has been created by European and American artisans alike. A wholecloth quilt is not necessarily made from a single piece of fabric, but from a few very large pieces of cloth, and it is intricately stitched to produce a highly textured, tactile design.'
Cassandra Ellis - A World of Quilts
I have a whole cloth quilt that my grandmother made, probably about 100 years ago. Cassandra Ellis goes on to say 'Both Welsh and County Durham Wholecloth quilts are highly regarded and extraordinarily beautiful' My grandmother was born in Durham and after marrying a Welshman, went to live in Wales before returning to Durham after his death and all her children had married.
The quilt that I have is old and not in great condition, I covered it many years ago to protect it but may just uncover it one day to take another look :)
The photos below are taken of Welsh blankets, another passion of mine, the top picture taken at the Welsh Quilt Centre and the other three taken in antique shops
2 comments:
Thank you for this glorious show and tell; the wholecloth masterpieces are awe-inspiring. I am unfamiliar (until now!) with Welsh blankets, they are lovely; the intricate weaving patterns are a treat to behold, I see how this could easily become a passion! ;)
Wow! What a wonderful show. I've always loved wholecloth quilts, and it's one of the things on my bucket list of quilts to make. And those blankets, so lovely! Another item on my bucket list is a trip to Great Britain, and now I need to add a visit to the Welsh Quilt Center to that sub-list. Thanks for sharing!
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