These designs are for a patchwork quilt that was made by the HMP Wandsworth Quilting Group in 2010. The quilt itself is also part of the Museum’s Fashion and Textiles collection [Museum Number T.27-2010]. It was created by members of the prison’s all-male quilting group under the auspices of Fine Cell Work, a charity that teaches needlework, embroidery, patchwork and quilting to inmates.

The ten designs show the full layout of the quilt, and the basic design for each of the nine sections, which were based on the floor plan of Wandsworth prison. The design consists of tessellating hexagons which represent the Panopticon design of the prison's wings. These drawings are an accurate enough reflection of the building's structure that during the course of the designing process they were confiscated by the prison authorities who feared that they constituted an escape plan rather than a textile design. They are signed and dated by Clive Ellis, the inmate who designed the overall scheme; in the finished quilt each hexagon was worked by a different individual who added their own embellishment.

The V&A does not currently have any other quilt designs in its collection, and quilt designs are indeed rather unusual - a reflection of the traditional nature of quilting as a domestic craft that often does not require communication with patrons or external manufacturers. Historically designs for quilts were rare, although templates for drawing quilt patterns do exist. Quilting patterns were traditionally passed down from mother to daughter, with strong regional motifs, particularly in Wales and the North Country. The templates were often made within the home by a male relative and could be carved from wood, shaped from tin or cut from stiff card. In some cases cups, glasses and other such objects would be used. There were also professional quilt designers or 'stampers', who would mark out designs with a blue pencil.