TEXTILE HISTORY l q u ilt s o n v i e w
THE WELSH QUILT CENTRE,
LAMPETER, WEST WALES
NATIONAL MUSEUMSNI,
NORTHERN IRELAND
T
heWelshQuiltCentreinLampeter’soldTownHallis
hometotheJenJonesCollectionof Welshquilts.Jen
beganbuildinghercollectioninthe1970s.Atthattime,
lotsof WelshcottageswerebeingupdatedandJennoticed
thatmanytextilesandquiltswerebeingdiscarded.Asan
American,Jenwasusedtoseeingquiltsregardedasprecious
familyheirloomspasseddownthroughthegenerations,so
findingthistobesucha shame,shebeganwhatshecallsher
‘salvageoperation’.Thisrescuemissionsoonturnedintoan
obsession,whichhasnowspannedover 40 years,resulting
ina world-classcollectionof over 400 piecesthatrepresent
thefullspectrumof Welshquilt-making.In2009,withthe
openingof theWelshQuiltCentre,Jenfulfilleda long-
cherishedambitiontosecurea permanentbaseinWalesin
whichtoshowcaseandexplorethisunappreciatedcraft.Each
year(witha breakin2019),theCentrehashostedinnovative
exhibitionspresentingquiltsfromthecollectioninfreshand
engagingways.Openingon1 May,thisyear’smaingallery
showis TheMagicalQuiltsof Wales,whichwillfeaturesome
of Jen’spatchworksandwholeclothsthatdatefrom 1800 to
1945 (seeleft).Ingallery2,visitorscanseenewhand-quilted
Welshcotquiltsbymodern-daymakerSandieLush.You
canfindoutmoreabouttheCentre and its exhibitions and
workshops on the website.http://www.welshquilts.comN
ationalMuseumsNIcomprisesfourmuseums:
UlsterMuseum,UlsterFolkMuseum,Ulster
TransportMuseumandUlsterAmericanFolkPark.The
Historycollectionscontaincostumeandtextilesspread
acrossNationalMuseumsNI.TheLinencollection
tellsthestoryof thisfamousUlstertrade.Manufacture
of linenclothwaswidespreadinUlster,carriedoutas
a domesticactivityuntilthemid-nineteenthcentury.
However,thedevelopmentof powerlooms,alongwith
improvedtransportandcommunication,ledtoa massive
growthintheindustryinthesecondhalfof thenineteenth
century,playinga pivotalroleinBelfast’seconomic
success.Thecollectionsalsoincludeembroideryand
lace;regaliaandflags;andcostumesandaccessories,as
wellaspatchworkandquilteditems.UlsterFolkMuseum
looksat whattownandcountrylifewaslikeover 100
yearsago.Visitorscanoftenseequiltsdisplayedonbeds
insomeof theexhibitbuildings.Therearealsoregular
demonstrationsof traditionalcrafts,includingtextile
skills,whichwerecrucialinruralcommunitiesa century
ago.However,mostquiltsareheldinstore,thougha
selectioncanbeviewedonlineinthe‘Collections’areaof
thewebsite(under‘History’).It is possibletoviewquilts
fromthestoressubjecttosta availability,butrequests
must be made in writing at least 6–8 weeks in advance.http://www.nmni.com© th e J e n J on es Colle c tion
A zanypatchworkmadein theearly
twentiethcenturybya MrsDavieswholived
abovea drapersshopin Aberystwyth,Mid
Wales.Neverbeforeexhibited,thisyearit will
be on show in The Magical Quilts of WalesW
holeclothswereproducedprolificallyinthelate
nineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies,and
quiltingflourishedintheNorthCountry.Thequiltsare
recognisablebystitchedpatternsthatcommonlyinclude
flowingroses,feathersandtwistedcables.‘Strippies’- alternatingstripsof twocontrastingfabrics– area
distinctiveNorthCountryvariationontheone-fabric
wholecloth.Forsomewomen,quiltingwasa paid
occupationwhichcouldbedoneat home,withskills
andpatternshandeddownfrommothertodaughter.
Therewerealsoprofessionalquiltersandstampers(who
markedpatternsontoquilttopsforotherstostitch).
Later,quiltingclubswerealsoa featureof theNorth
Country– a clubwouldberunbyonequilterandclients
wouldpayherweeklyuntilthefullcostof thequilthad
beencovered.Beamishhasaround 350 quiltsinits
internationallyrecognisedcollection,whichtellthestory
of thislocaltraditionandrevealmuchaboutthesocial
historyof theregion.Beamish’squiltsareheldinstorage
at theirRegionalResourceCentre.Visitscanbemade
toseeitemsfromthecollection,butthisdoesneedto be
arranged in advance with the Collections Team.
http://www.beamish.org.ukYoucanreadmoreaboutthequiltcollection at
http://www.friendsofbeamish.co.uk/quilting/BEAMISH, THE LIVING
MUSEUM OF THE NORTH