In 1990, The Quilters Guild of Britain launched the British Quilt Heritage Project. The aim of this project was to document the quilts made in Great Britain prior to 1960.

Through news items in local papers and networking through quilt shops and guilds word was passed around for families to search their attics or airing cupboards for old family quilts.

Mrs. Megan Lewis of Old Colwyn, North Wales saw mention of the “Call for Quilts” and took her Miner’s Quilts to be photographed for the local paper.

These quilts were handed down to Mrs. Lewis by two Great Aunts who lived in South Wales.

In a letter sent to me by Mrs. Lewis she states that she took the quilts to Chester for an exhibition.
‘They hadn’t seen this kind of quilting before: they were impressed’ wrote Mrs. Lewis. ‘The miners wives used to make these quilts, they’d probably met in each others homes. They used old worn blankets or in the Spring they’d comb the hedges for wool that the sheep had left.

They were a lighter quilt – they used to make templates of horse chestnut leaves, swirls, most intricate designs in small running stitches through three layers of material. Usually two layers of glazed cotton, and a layer of thin wool.

Gwynne’s (Mr. Lewis) mother who is 98 used to make them, but she said mine wore out. Bringing up a family four men. When the quilts began to wear, she put them under the mattress.’

I am presuming the exhibition Megan mentions was the Quilt Documentation Day held in Chester. The Quilt Documentation Project opened in Chester in 1990 where 173 quilts were documented. However, there is no known record of the documentation.

These beautiful Welsh Miner’s Quilts still reside in Colwyn Bay, North Wales with Megan’s daughter Rhiannon and will be passed on to her grand daughter Emma. The quilts represent a much valued link to their women ancestors and Welsh Heritage.

Hope you enjoy the quilts and their stories. Happy Stitching, Janette

It is a beautiful day in Melbourne today, a perfect day for airing quilts and taking some photos in natural sunlight.

This little 9 patch quilt has come into my collection recently. It belonged to quilt collectors, Bernie and Eileen Donnelly. They originally purchased it in South Yarra, Victoria at an exhibition of old and rare North American and Canadian Quilts by John Leach.

It appears to be made in the 1920s and is in good condition, particularly for a crib quilt. The quilt originally came from Elora near Unionville in Ontario Province, Canada and was made by Old Order Mennonites.

The fabrics are florals and striped shirtings as is the backing. It is machine stitched, more than likely on a treadle machine. The binding is very neatly machined to the right side of the quilt. The quilting is exceptionally neat with tiny stitches measuring 16 stitches to the inch.

Another nine patch variation is the Snowball block.

I purchased this quilt as a top from Jen Hyland from A Piece Of Cloth. It contains a wonderful collection of fabrics.There are many feedback pieces, shirtings, plaids and some older pieces from a few decades earlier than the period this appears to have been stitched. It was probably made in the 30s or 40s.

I quilted it in my favourite quilting design which is freehand baptist fans. I backed and bound it with vintage fabrics from my collection.

Plain and simple designs and lots of fabrics, preferably from the scrap bag make the most wonderful quilts.
Happy Quilting, Janette

This Butterfly Quilt, circa 1930s-40s. is in a fragile condition, so was certainly much loved, used and enjoyed. The appliquéd butterfly is a simple stylised design.

The quilt is a medallion style and has narrow borders around the grouped butterflies. The hand quilting design consists of more butterflies, scattered throughout the plain areas. It is finished with a pretty scalloped edged, which was a popular binding from this era. Some of the fabrics used, which may have been feed sacks, are completely faded away, others have frayed and some have remained in quite good condition with only some loss of their bright colours. This would be a lovely quilt to reproduce, but I think I will just enjoy it for a few more years to come.  It looks very pretty folded on an old cane armchair.   Enjoy the butterflies, Janette 

I made this quilt in memory of Bonnie Leman, the founder of Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine. The original quilt was in Bonnie’s private collection and the pattern was published in Quiltmaker Magazine.

I hand pieced the quilt using mostly reproduction fabrics. It is hand quilted in one of my favourite quilting designs – Baptist Fans. I mark the design freehand as I go and work around the outside of the quilt into the centre.
The quilting works up fairly quickly. Once the quilting is finished it’s into the wash. The cotton batting used turns nice and scrunchy, giving the timeless look of old quilts.

There are many appliqué designs featuring birds in quilts but not so many pieced birds. However, there are lots of pieced blocks with bird or birds names- Doves at the Window, Bluebirds, and Swallow’s Nest, Swallows Flight and many more. All of these would make beautiful quilts.

Thank you for visiting from Janette – A Plain Needlewoman