I want to dedicate this post to the wonderful antique Durham quilts, that is, the ancient quilts originating from the areas of Northern England and Wales. In fact, I was lucky enough to find some of these splendid quilts and it seems very interesting to me to talk a little about their history.
The art of “quilting”, that is, creating quilts, developed in England starting from the 18th century: in fact, examples of quilted artefacts dating back to the early 1700s have been found. The art of quilting consists of inserting a layer between two fabrics. of wool or cotton, then fixing it through the seams so that it remains in position; in this way it is possible to obtain warm quilts or even clothing suitable for cold periods.
This art developed in several European countries; as regards England, it is interesting to see that the patchwork technique also developed in parallel; However, there was no total overlap between these two techniques.
The art of patchwork was born first of all out of the need to use every little piece of fabric and cuttings in a pre-industrial era in which fabrics were precious as they were very expensive or in any case were woven at home with a great expenditure of energy and time; consequently, especially among the less wealthy classes, it was absolutely necessary to try to use and recycle them down to the last scrap.
From this necessity the patchwork technique was born with all the wonderful works created by the hands of women of many generations! The sheets created by artfully sewing together small pieces of different fabrics were very often used to create quilts in the richest homes, however the quilts were also made with a single fabric and both the quality of the fabric and the quilting technique were given great priority so that the wealth of the family could be understood from the high quality of the final product.
Just arrived
Antique Durham and Welsh quilts
In Great Britain the art of quilting, that is, creating quilts, developed a lot especially in two areas: in the North of England (North country: Northumberland, counties of Durham, and Yorkshire) and in Wales, especially in the South.
Both areas had a lot of mining development: they were areas where sheep farming also prospered, perhaps more than agriculture. However, since they were geographically separate areas, the quilting style developed differently.
The quilts created in the Durham area are often made with plain fabric which was then quilted with beautiful designs full of details, very rich in curviform lines, the motifs of which also had symbolic meanings of auspiciousness especially for marriage. The various motifs were codified and had specific names.
Usually the interior is made of cotton; in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, printed fabrics also began to be widely used, often leaving a plain fabric on the back of the Durham quilt on which the quilting motifs could stand out well.
The same also applies to the antique quilts made in Wales, where, however, the quilting motifs were different, more geometric and with more evident squaring, usually a central part with a design that was squared forming a sort of “field” at the corners of which we often find the motif of fans; Furthermore, in Welsh antique quilts they are often found inside woolen cloths.
The so-called “strippy” motif was also widely used, i.e. strips of different fabrics were created sewn together, for example by alternating two plain or patterned fabrics; this technique was used in both areas.
Even here, however, differences can be noted: in the antique Durham quilts the quilting motif follows the stripes, while in the Welsh quilts the motif is independent of the stripes and follows the surface of the entire quilt.
Furthermore, the stripes in antique Durham quilts were usually narrower than those in Welsh quilts. The quilts were sewn by the women of the village who gathered in “quilting” groups, in this way many women managed to earn something for their family by working on commission:
There was also the custom of paying in installments for the work of quilters, usually to have a quilt made required the disbursement of the equivalent of 6 weeks of an average salary.
Strippy Welsh quilt
Here is an example of an antique “strippy” quilt, I think of Welsh origin, created with stripes of different fabrics, in this case some of the stripes were made with a patchwork of fabrics, the fabrics are cotton with small floral patterns.
Quilts Durham floral patterns
Other examples of antique Durham quilts this time with romantic floral patterns: the first dates back to the early 1900s, has a background of a very particular shade of pistachio green and a pattern of baskets full of roses tied with ribbons, very soft and light, on the other on the side, a plain, pale golden yellow fabric was used and the quilting motifs are therefore very visible.
This second antique Durham quilt also has a wonderful floral fabric, on an intense flesh pink background a delicate pattern of little roses framed by medallions and volutes, tones of pink, milky white, light beige and pale green, on both sides the fabric is the same , on one side, however, a second fabric with the same colors but with a different Art Nouveau style pattern was applied to the edges.
The third example of an antique Durham quilt was instead made with two very similar but not identical fabrics, both have a creamy white background and a floral pattern with rose motifs in shades of purple, lilac and mauve.
Welsh Quilt
Here is instead an antique Welsh quilt, i.e. a quilt from Wales (Wales), recognizable because inside it is fixed a woolen cloth partially visible due to wear in the fabric on the back side, on the front a very beautiful fabric in Art style Nouveau with a bright moss green background and a pattern of urn vases with roses and tulips from which medallions with little flowers hang, beautiful and delicate color tones, light pink, sand beige, cream white, pale green, raspberry pink… On the back a set of three different fabrics applied in wide stripes, characteristic red background and minute patterns of small flowers, paisley, and small geometric motif.
Antique DURHAM QUILT baskets ROSES Pistachio green
Antique DURHAM QUILT ROSE medallions quilt
Antique DURHAM QUILT (or Welsh?) quilt ROSE vases & medallions green background
