Bed quilts have been made in Wales by grandmothers, mothers and daughters for generations–Welsh girls aged around 10-11 would traditionally start working on a quilt for their trousseau, or marriage chest.
These quilts come with cotton tops and undersides in plain colours, wide stripes, or small print, in both plain and satin weaves. Fillings were either of cotton or wool, and whilst both sides are made to show there is always a top and a bottom – one side more important than the other.
Plain white quilts were almost always in a matte cotton with the underside as a stripe or tiny print. Many of the undersides of printed prints were in sateen, showing a lovely broken shimmer along the stitching lines. Patterns often feature a central medallion with the design radiating out to an enclosed border; the encompassing motifs are taken from daily life and the natural world: daisies, chains, leaves, spirals, fans… Although we see these motifs across the world, many have particular origins and meanings ascribed to them…
Northumberland quilts and boutis have similarities .
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