Bed Cover
1740-1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Quilting is a method of stitching layers of material together. The layers are most commonly divided as follows:
Quilt top: The decorative layer of the quilt. If the top is pieced, such as this example, it is known as a 'patchwork quilt'. If the top is a single piece of fabric in which the design is formed primarily through the stitching, it is known as a 'wholecloth quilt'.
Wadding/batting: A layer of cotton, wool, polyester, silk or other material, which adds warmth and dimension to the quilt.
Reverse: The bottom layer, usually made from one piece of fabric.
Hand-quilting is done on a frame using needles called 'betweens'. The stitches are executed with one hand; the other hand is kept underneath the quilt to feel for the needle. Small, uniform stitches (usually a 'running stitch') are taken through the three layers to form a decorative design.
In eighteenth-century Britain the bedroom was a public space. It was a place where family members rested and guests were entertained. It was also one of the main sites used for the display of treasured textiles and needlework skills. Pieced bed covers could reflect a maker's access to a range of desirable goods, and many textiles were bought specially for patchwork projects; as unused yardage from drapers, tailors and haberdashers. The huge variety of ribbons evident here suggests that they may have been acquired in this way, either from local retailers or pedlars. Householders also recycled textiles within the home, and it may be that the maker has also incorporated fragments from other dress-making and furnishing projects, or salvaged remnants from otherwise unusable objects. This was a common practice even the wealthiest households, given the financial and emotional investment in valuable fabrics at this time.
Quilt top: The decorative layer of the quilt. If the top is pieced, such as this example, it is known as a 'patchwork quilt'. If the top is a single piece of fabric in which the design is formed primarily through the stitching, it is known as a 'wholecloth quilt'.
Wadding/batting: A layer of cotton, wool, polyester, silk or other material, which adds warmth and dimension to the quilt.
Reverse: The bottom layer, usually made from one piece of fabric.
Hand-quilting is done on a frame using needles called 'betweens'. The stitches are executed with one hand; the other hand is kept underneath the quilt to feel for the needle. Small, uniform stitches (usually a 'running stitch') are taken through the three layers to form a decorative design.
In eighteenth-century Britain the bedroom was a public space. It was a place where family members rested and guests were entertained. It was also one of the main sites used for the display of treasured textiles and needlework skills. Pieced bed covers could reflect a maker's access to a range of desirable goods, and many textiles were bought specially for patchwork projects; as unused yardage from drapers, tailors and haberdashers. The huge variety of ribbons evident here suggests that they may have been acquired in this way, either from local retailers or pedlars. Householders also recycled textiles within the home, and it may be that the maker has also incorporated fragments from other dress-making and furnishing projects, or salvaged remnants from otherwise unusable objects. This was a common practice even the wealthiest households, given the financial and emotional investment in valuable fabrics at this time.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silk quilted patchwork with brocade, damask, metal thread, linen reverse and wadded with raw wool |
| Brief description | Silk quilted patchwork bed cover, probably made in Cornwall, England, 1740-1800. |
| Physical description | Quilted patchwork bed cover made from early eighteenth century silk ribbons. The woven ribbons are of various colours and patterns including checks, stripes, shadow stripes, figured floral and geometric designs in damask, brocade and other techniques. Some contain metal thread and others show hand-painted decoration. The ribbons have been pieced together to form a design of vertical stripes. The quilt has a reverse of plain weave white linen and has been quilted in running stitch in silk thread in a design showing a zig-zag border with a central rosette around which is a pattern of fanning and heart-shaped motifs. Wadded with raw wool. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions | '.....about 1740-50'. (Label, hand written on one corcer of the lining) |
| Object history | According to the donor's family, history, the quilt was created by an ancestor in Cornwall in around 1740. |
| Summary | Quilting is a method of stitching layers of material together. The layers are most commonly divided as follows: Quilt top: The decorative layer of the quilt. If the top is pieced, such as this example, it is known as a 'patchwork quilt'. If the top is a single piece of fabric in which the design is formed primarily through the stitching, it is known as a 'wholecloth quilt'. Wadding/batting: A layer of cotton, wool, polyester, silk or other material, which adds warmth and dimension to the quilt. Reverse: The bottom layer, usually made from one piece of fabric. Hand-quilting is done on a frame using needles called 'betweens'. The stitches are executed with one hand; the other hand is kept underneath the quilt to feel for the needle. Small, uniform stitches (usually a 'running stitch') are taken through the three layers to form a decorative design. In eighteenth-century Britain the bedroom was a public space. It was a place where family members rested and guests were entertained. It was also one of the main sites used for the display of treasured textiles and needlework skills. Pieced bed covers could reflect a maker's access to a range of desirable goods, and many textiles were bought specially for patchwork projects; as unused yardage from drapers, tailors and haberdashers. The huge variety of ribbons evident here suggests that they may have been acquired in this way, either from local retailers or pedlars. Householders also recycled textiles within the home, and it may be that the maker has also incorporated fragments from other dress-making and furnishing projects, or salvaged remnants from otherwise unusable objects. This was a common practice even the wealthiest households, given the financial and emotional investment in valuable fabrics at this time. |
| Bibliographic reference | Clare Browne, 'Making and using quilts in eighteenth-century Britain', in Sue Prichard (ed.), Quilts 1700-2010 (London: V&A, 2010) p.27, ill. p.29
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.117-1973 |
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| Record created | July 28, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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