17 in 2017 - Number 2 - The Welsh Quilt

Number 2 on my 17 in 2017 list is The Welsh Quilt

I was luck enough to be able to attend the 2010 Quilt exhibition at the V & A in London, I fell in love with the beautiful hand quilting on this Welsh quilt from their collection.

The original quilt was made between 1800 - 1850 and measures a whopping 235cm x 207cm, you can read what little is known about it on the V & A website
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O128357/bed-cover-unknown/

I wanted a lap sized quilt, so I did a lot of figuring out and came up with something around 59" x 66" 

I made templates for some of the triangles as they were very odd sizes! Here are my rough notes in case anyone else wants to have a go:

I cut a square and turned it into an octagon for the centre - finished 13” approx

narrow cream border finished 1 1/4” then turned it on point

once it was on point the whole thing including the blue floral setting triangles measures 22"

The next cream border is 3"

triangle border = 5” - rectangles not squares length approx 5 3/4” plus fiddling!

2nd triangle border = 3” - rectangles not squares length approx 6” plus fiddling!

last triangles border on top border only = 5”

final cream border  = 7”

The fabrics are mainly reproductions and all came from my stash including the backing. I am using a Hobbs Wool wadding which is a dream to hand quilt. I wanted to replicate the look of the beautiful Welsh wholecloth quilts on the back, so I chose a plain fabric. Part of what makes a quilt 'Welsh' is the fabulous designs they use for quilting, I struggled to see the quilting on the original and so made up my own stencils, using some of my British quilt reference books and the internet.

The piecing went together quickly and I started hand quilting in the Autumn of 2013 things were going really well...

I pick it up on and off over the next winter, until the arthritis in my hands and wrists go so bad that I couldn't hand quilt.  I was finally diagnosed last year with rheumatoid arthritis and have been relatively pain free for a few months now.  I have finished all the hand work I had prepared for Happy Days so I have picked up my beautiful Welsh Quilt again.  I am hoping that my hands will hold out, and I can carry on quilting.