Bed Cover
1810-45 (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.
No information was available on the provenance of this quilt when it was donated to the V&A in 1924, but the great range of cottons hints at the use of every scrap of textile in this household. One large red square in the top left-hand corner was cut from a printer's end : the remnant at the end of a roll of printed cotton that is usually discarded. A coarsely woven woollen blanket has also be used as part of the wadding. Ready-printed panels, such as the one at the centre of this quilt, were often stored away for later use making the dating of such objects difficult.
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.
No information was available on the provenance of this quilt when it was donated to the V&A in 1924, but the great range of cottons hints at the use of every scrap of textile in this household. One large red square in the top left-hand corner was cut from a printer's end : the remnant at the end of a roll of printed cotton that is usually discarded. A coarsely woven woollen blanket has also be used as part of the wadding. Ready-printed panels, such as the one at the centre of this quilt, were often stored away for later use making the dating of such objects difficult.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | cotton patchwork |
| Brief description | quilted patchwork, 1800-50, English; Ready printed centre, squares, printed cottons |
| Physical description | Quilted patchwork bed cover of printed cottons dating from the first half of the nineteenth century, with some from the first two decades. At the centre there is an octagonal, block-printed panel of roses. All of the patches are square. Some patches have been created using a chequer pattern of much smaller squares. The quilt is wadded with a coarse woven woollen fabric and quilted in running stitch a design of concentric squares. The reverse is a brown printed cotton. The great variety of printed cottons include dress patterns and men's shirting fabrics of brushed cotton. Designs include Turkey-red 'paisley' cones and other Indian inspired patterns, small floral designs, shaded stripes, checks and spotted fabrics. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Unique |
| Credit line | Given by Maude Marchant |
| Object history | Given by Mrs Maude Marchant of Woodchurch, Kent. |
| Historical context | No information was available on the provenance of this quilt when it was donated to the Museum in 1924, but the huge range of printed cottons hints at the use and recycling of textiles in this early nineteenth-century household. One large square in the top left-hand corner was cut from a printer’s end: themaker's mark at the end of a roll of printed cotton that is usually discarded. These fragments were available directly from the factories, as well as via warehouses, pedlars and drapers. The ready-printed panel at the centre is typical of those fashionable in the first quarter of the nineteenth century, although many were stowed away and treasured, to be used in projects at a later date. The central panel of T.428–1985, for example, was printed to commemorate the Battle of Victoria in 1813 but sits alongside textiles from the 1830s. |
| Production | The block-printed panel at the centre of this bed cover also appears in 'The Garden Coverlet' in the Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth Collection, Gawthorpe Hall. This means that this bed cover, with textiles dating from the first few decades of the nineteenth century, can be more precisely dated to between 1810 and 1845 |
| Subject depicted | |
| 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. No information was available on the provenance of this quilt when it was donated to the V&A in 1924, but the great range of cottons hints at the use of every scrap of textile in this household. One large red square in the top left-hand corner was cut from a printer's end : the remnant at the end of a roll of printed cotton that is usually discarded. A coarsely woven woollen blanket has also be used as part of the wadding. Ready-printed panels, such as the one at the centre of this quilt, were often stored away for later use making the dating of such objects difficult. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.17-1924 |
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| Record created | August 4, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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