The Quilters' Guild Heritage Search
This book is the result of a three-year project carried out by the Quilters' Guild in Britain to create the first national index of quilts in the country made prior to 1960 - a task never before attempted in Europe. The Guild's investigation turned up more than 4000 items in private ownership. They included wholecloth quilts from Wales and the North of England, where the design focus lies in the quilting patterns. There was an abundance of patchwork or pieced quilts, many following the traditional British practice of working in an overall or mosaic pattern as opposed to a block unit.
There also emerged the pieced frame quilt, dating from the eighteenth century, where the patchwork pieces were composed in borders around a square - some very simple, others more complex. The book also records categories of quilts with special associations - Bible and signature quilts; quilts made for Eisteddfods or by groups as expression of friendship or for fund raising; military quilts and quilts with political associations.
There are also examples of quilts originating from outside the UK: the earliest quilt, dating from the early 1600s, shows a number of design characteristics typical of Indo-Portuguese work; there are Red Cross quilts from Canada (sent as war relief); American kit quilts from the 1930s, applique panels from Egypt and embroidery from China.
Written by some of the UK's leading authorities on quilts, quilting, textiles and quilt care, the book makes a major contribution to the study of British quilts, both as a useful reference guide and a source of inspiration to all quilt owners and enthusiasts.
