Quilt Museum York * Collection Now On-Line

Talking of successes, the wonderful Quilt Museum in York seems to go from strength to strength. It has a fabulous collection of coverlets and quilts now and you can enjoy them on-line from the comfort of your chair if you are not able to visit. Not only can you obtain a larger image by clicking on the thumbnail of your choosing, but there is also a close-up detail facility. Each coverlet has a comprehensive description which we quote here. The 1718 silk patchwork coverlet above is one of the earliest known dated patchworks, and is constructed in the mosaic patchwork tradition of piecing over papers. The initials 'E.H' and the date '1718' can be found in a central block, and the rest of the blocks contain geometric designs or representative motifs that include people, flowers, hearts, pheasants, deer, cats, swans, and a lion and a unicorn. The coverlet was in the possession of the Brown family of Aldbourne, Wiltshire prior to purchase by The Guild in 2000, but unfortunately no details about the maker, 'E.H' have been discovered.

The coverlet above is by an unknown hand and was made in the last quarter of the 19th century. It combines strips of roller printed dress cottons, which would have been relatively cheap and low status by the time this coverlet was made. These printed fabrics are combined with striking and unusual borders of Turkey Red coloured fabric containing white hearts arranged in twos and fours, and the centre diamond contains crosses which have a religious significance. The combination of hearts and crosses is quite an unusual design. The heart shape has become an iconic symbol to represent love, romance and emotion, and in ancient times was considered to symbolise the centre of a person’s soul.

This wool uniform coverlet of 1860 - 1880 is made from squares of military uniform wool arranged in blocks surrounding a central circular medallion and smaller circles within squares. The coverlet is backed by tartan fabric and has a blue wool fringe around the edge. To see and study the many, many others in the collection, just click here.

Kaffe Fasset Exhibition at Charleston Until 21 August

I'll make no bones about it - I am ashamed and not a little down about the riots that have been happening here. So we escaped the news for the day and headed for a gust of fresh air on the South Downs. Charleston House, home to Vanessa Bell and her family during World War I where they could hear the bombardments across the channel, offers always a little haven of peace. Now the gallery is full of Kaffe Fassett flowers - stitched, knitted and quilted - it is lovely to see. I can contemplate forever the peplum jacket, as beautiful as anything produced in the 17th century with its emulated damask Persian roses. And when you go to visit, take a pair of stout shoes and walk for 30 minutes up through the lovely green way to the top of the Downs. It is not a great challenge. Here you can look down on Charleston and the beautiful surrounding patchwork of chalk land, tilled and laboured and cultivated since time immemorial - and turning round, you can see for miles the stretch of the English coast which has withstood the battering of innumerable tides and ages.
Coming back we stopped at Bill's in Lewes, our favourite cafe, which I have told you about before, to find that he has published the recipes of his tasty dishes. Bill is salt of the earth, no pretentions, just someone who has worked with fruit and veg all his life and has developed the instinct to work wonders with them - as you can see from the video clip. While other small greengrocers caved under the weight of supermarkets - and Tescos is but 5 minutes walk away from Bill's - he has thrived by making his shop the most beautiful visual experience. No diminished and old vegetables here. All is polished and bright and dewy fresh. Yesterday's veg goes into delicious soups and casseroles that people queue to eat. He now has home made chutneys, jams, sauces... Watching Bill is like watching a ballet dancer - he will always find the next steps and if I was writing a Harvard Business Case Study, it would be about Bill and how small shops can prosper. There is hope for everyone - imagine! Something to smile about.

What Will Cristina Do Next?

Cristina in Portugal has just finished her Deborah Cockin sampler using crisp, clear greens complemented by the lovely blue signing. Talking of signing I do like the way Cristina has added her own name and date to the bottom of the sampler. It is worthwhile thinking a century ahead of when you finish your sampler. What will happen to it? Who will be looking at it, studying it in 100 years time? What will they make of it? Give them some good clues, please. So, having finished this wonderful sampler (and you can see more detail on Cristina's lovely blog - just click here) the question is - what will Cristina do next?

The answer, she tells me, will be to stitch her Hannah Westcombe Sampler.

Hannh Westcombe's 1783 sampler is one of the earliest text samplers at Ackworth and a most interesting piece. It is a very satisfying sampler to stitch and looks stunning whether it is stitched in the original black or in a space-dyed deep purple, blue, burgundy or green.

There are just a few copies of the printed chart remaining and it comes with an addition 5 text projects in various sizes.

My favourite project is the one on the back, I have to say. To see more just click here.

Four V&A Quilt Exhibition Pin Winners & Our Post Office

Well, it's my pleasure to announce the winners of the V&A Quilt Exhibition Pin Draw tonight - and I thought you might like to see where your pins will be posted from - and indeed all the items you purchase from us. We don't have a post office in our village, it closed down about 20 years ago, however, there is a post office down the road in the next village - Dunsfold. And above you can see a typical building in the village. This house is called Yonder Lye since it is the homestead furthest from the church. Its great beams belong to a return cargo of old ship's timbers from a wrecker's yard on the coast. The old cottage which forms the east end of this ancient house has fire dogs and a fire-back dated 1599 and 1619.

The Holy Well stands a little away from the village green and is a place of especial calm which we enjoy visiting on our rambles around the countryside.

This is what the post office and village store looked like in 1955 - nowadays it is half the size and last year it looked very much like we would lose it as the owners wanted to retire and move away and no-one wanted to take on the post office or the store! So it was, that Richard and I and just about every concerned villager for miles around became part owner of the Dunsfold Post Office - and we are very proud to be able to keep this vital shop open thanks to volunteers who come in to run the shop - and to our fully paid up post mistress, Annie.

We all love Annie - she is the sort of gem who will say, "Drop by to see me anytime, whether you have anything to go or not." She also runs the local Brownies (mini Girl Guides and most definitely not for munching!). And what is more, she is from Pennsylvania, a fellow lover of Wintherthur and of textile history. So your mail could not be in better hands.

So, there is nothing left to do but to sound the bell and say the winners of the 4 buttons are: Lore, Karen, Carol and Catherine. Thank you to everyone who participated.