By Janet Casselden
This quilt in our collection has not been on display since before I started volunteering at the museum in 2008 and when I found out that we had it I got very enthusiastic about seeing it. However, it was not until we moved everything to the new store that I eventually saw it unwrapped.
It is a large double bed quilt donated to the museum in, or shortly before, 1982 having been found in a house on the Cole Park Estate, possibly Stable Cottage. At the time of donation it was believed to date from the early 19th century.
It is a quilt that has seen a lot of use; some of the fabric has worn into holes and the areas which were probably white originally (particularly the reverse) are very soiled and grubby. The wool ‘batting’ (the middle layer) can be seen though some of the holes.
In June of last year I was able to get the quilt out for a study session in the old Moravian Church. Members of my Art Quilt group attended and were able to look closely at the fabric and stitches. Some of the fabric appears to be the sort used for making dresses in the early 19th century, as worn by Jane Austen and her friends, suggesting that the initial dating could be correct?
It was a particular pleasure to be able to show this item from our collection to a group who were as delighted as me to get up close to something handmade almost 200 years ago.