Our next stop on our tour of Wales was the Welsh Quilt Centre. Jen Jones kindly opened up specially for us on the Monday (usually closed that day). The current exhibition 'Unforgettable' is excellent - highly recommended! Here is a detail of the quilt shown above - All the quilts in the main exhibition are traditional Welsh flannel, which has given me some inspiration for the new range of Japanese 'double width' kimono flannels that have just arrived with me... The quilts below are full size bed quilts, not miniatures! The gallery is a very high space. The exhibition also features many Welsh hats and 'betgwn', the traditional Welsh women's dress, which has its origins in C17th mantua dresses. There is an exhibition of new quilts by Sandie Lush, exploring the design possibilities of the paisley pear. The design of each quilt is also shown as a diagram next to the quilt description. Some were double sided and both sides were displayed. So many possibilities from only one motif and so much work in this exhibition. Yuza Sashiko Guild brought Jen a kimono as a thank you present, which fitted her really well. Of course, she had to try it on. The museum shop has all kinds of interesting things. I found some vintage Liberty sample fabric pieces and got a copy of Marjorie Horton's book on Welsh quilting patterns. We had a delicious lunch at the Deli next door before descending on Calico Kate's shop next door to the cafe, where everyone added something to their stash... Our next stop was at Jen's shop, a few miles out of Lampeter, where I found the perfect bolt of vintage striped Welsh flannel for my guest room curtains. The quilt in the photo below is my version of the quilt from Dryslwyn, which used to be in Jen's collection. I had taken the top to show her over a year ago, so I thought she'd like to see the finished piece. This quilt pattern was featured in Today's Quilter and it will be going to Japan for Yuza Sashiko Guild's exhibition in September. We had a wonderful day and reached our hotel in Cardiff with our heads full of Welsh quilt inspiration!
