Twelve Quilts of Christmas 2021 – #1

Welcome to the 10th Twelve Quilts of Christmas.

 

This year I am celebrating Welsh quilts!  They have been referred to as immensely compelling and intoxicating and I can only concur.  When I look at them my heart aches with delight.  I adore the ingenuity and spontaneity.  It’s the stitching, the wonderful quilting patterns on Welsh quilts that gets to me. Every. Single. Time.

 

If I had a favourite genre of quilts, they are it.  Welsh Quilts are for me the epitome of what I call “Quilting with Abandon”.  Welsh quilters boldly manifested their distinctive designs with fearless exuberance, not feeling bound to fastidious, precisely drafted, and exacting executions in their work.  Instead they embraced their own individuality and let it shine in quilts that reflected their character through their stitches.  

 

The refreshing quilting designs on Welsh quilts defy being bound by the piecing or patchwork patterning of the quilt.  Instead the quilters considered the quilt as a whole, translating the frame or medallion quilt design concept (do you see a trend here with last year … wink!) to wholecloth quilting, and with great effect.  This frame style of quilting has a central motif of interest, often a circle, surrounded by a series of borders that combine a mix of smaller motifs (and sometimes not so small!) and various fill designs.  On Welsh quilts you will find roses, spirals, circles, hearts, beech leaves, Welsh pears (or paisleys), “church windows”, tulips, and fans. (Feathers weren’t often used and are more common in North Country quilting, in the Durham region of England).  Each quilter had their own take on these traditional designs creating great variety and subtle differences.  How they employed this reservoir of motifs is what sets Welsh quilts apart.  The frequent use of double rows of quilting define and emphasize the imaginative designs of the quilter, and the loft of the wool that was commonly used for batting deepens the lines of those designs creating delicious texture in the process and powerful visual impact.

 

While this is the one genre of quilt that I would travel miles to see an example of (I have!), talk for hours about (truly don’t get me started), dream about and sigh over, I am truthfully but an inexperienced newcomer to Welsh quilts even after all these years.  I am hugely indebted to those whose deep fondness for and extensive knowledge of Welsh quilting has enriched my own experience of these stitched marvels and in particular:

 

Jen Jones, quilt collector, curator and quilt dealer, for her enormous enthusiasm and affection for this art form.  An American transplanted to the UK many, many years ago, she came upon some Welsh quilts shortly after moving there and began collecting and preserving what were at the time neglected, discarded and not very highly prized treasures of Welsh quilting heritage.  In addition to her books on the Welsh quilts, we are also so fortunate to have had Jen’s vision and dedication, aided by her late husband Roger Clive-Powell a conservation architect who over saw the restoration of the old Town Hall (and took such an active interest in it all), in the founding and creation of the Welsh Quilt Centre in Lampeter, Wales.  For the last 12 years, the venue has celebrated Welsh quilting through a series of exhibitions.  In Jen’s own words from her book Welsh Quilts: “Those quilts that have survived (sadly many have not) come into our own times as living emissaries of another age. They evoke the dexterity, imagination, and creativeness of people who somehow managed to produce such remarkable visual art from such humble and limited resources. What began for me as a salvage operation has evolved into a way of life.”  Her enthusiasm for Welsh quilts is contagious!  You can find out more about Jen’s books on Welsh quilts here and her other books and exhibition catalogues here.  Her museum, in Lampeter, Wales, where she exhibits her quilts, is a must stop for anyone who loves quilts and is travelling in the UK. And you must stop by the café beside the museum, at the very least for some Welsh cakes and tea. Trust me, you won’t be sorry.

 

Hazel Newman, for knowing that I have a particular fondness for the really quirky Welsh quilts, and for her warm welcome every time I see her or speak with her.

 

Mary Jenkins & Clare Claridge for their wonderful research and book “Making Welsh Quilts” that inspires us to give a go at it ourselves.

 

Elen Philips, at St. Fagan’s Natural Museum of History, for so generously sharing her time and knowledge with me, and showing me some truly stunning quilts from the museum’s collection. 

 

And finally, thank you to all of you, for your patience this year with the delayed start as I wrestled some technical gremlins.  I was worried it was going to have to turn into the Twelve Quilts of 2022, but I think it is all good now!  Fingers crossed.

 

I have but touched on a fraction of what this wonderful genre of quilts has to offer.  The variety of materials used overtime: cottons and silks, Welsh flannel, and bold prints celebrated in their entirety, be they paisley shawls or art deco flowers, adds a twist to each evolution Welsh quilts.  There is so much more for you to discover.  In the meantime, I hope you will dive into this year’s Twelve Quilts of Christmas and enjoy all the subtle differences of these spectacular Welsh quilts.

 

 

Be still my heart!

 

This quilt so wonderfully exemplifies the strong design and visual impact of Welsh quilts.  Note the bold centre medallion of leaves joined to mirror the hearts in the outer border, but not so literally as to bore the viewer.  Those hearts!  Those leaves!  Those spirals!  Don’t forget the importance of those roses in the overall balance of the design.

 

They have used double lines of stitching for emphasis when needed and balanced it the whole design by using single lines of stitching for other motifs.  And do you see the “extra” border of fans to fill out the design. 

 

Quilts, such as this one, often have one plain solid side that showed off the quilting and was displayed that side up for special occasions, while the reverse was a print that hid the dirt or marks of daily use. 

 

Some say that hearts on quilts represented marriage, There may be truth in that.  I just know it stole my heart the first time I saw it!