Old quilt

I have been busy taking the papers out of the old hexagon quilt I was given. For those who don't rememeber, it was found in an attic, and donated to Linus. I realised it was old (probably 19th century) and took it to a Quilter's Guild meeting for advice. Because it had had about a quarter of it eaten by mice, it wasn't an attractive proposition, and I was advised 'it isn't of museum quality'. Fair enough. However, I thought about the quilter who had spent hours and hours making this beautifully planned quilt, and how sad it was that it was in such a poor state, and unwanted by museums and the Guild. I wanted it! So I used some of my reproduction fabrics to complete it, with a view to making it into a quilt.

Now the papers are out, I intend to wash it. I'm going to test the red fabrics for colour-fastness first and use lots of colour catchers in the water. Then I will applique it to a background and make it up. I will scan some of the papers and a photo of the quilt in its original state, and print the images onto fabric to use as the backing. This way, the history of the quilt will go with it.

On inspecting the papers, there is a lot of information about the quilt to be found.

Some of the papers have postmarks (89, or 91) and some have dates (1892). This places the quilt firmly in the Victorian age! ( Apparently the black edges on the paper meant they were death announcements!)

Some have stamps with the portrait of good old Queen Victoria on them. Hurray!


Some have been cut from printed paper - there are clues here to the place where the quilt was made!

There are examples of different papers, different hands, and even some papers with writing going horizontally, the vertically - a method of saving paper when it was very expensive to buy and to send.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed the words 'Finsbury' and 'Park' written on a couple of the papers. the postmarks only give us information as to where the letters were posted, but addresses would most likely have been on the envelopes, which were received at the house where the quilt was made! I need to have some time with the papers, a large table and Sherlock Holmes, and maybe I can find out the maker's name! In the meanwhile, I'm off to test the reds for fastness. Keep your fingers crossed!