This is a late 20th century hexagon patchwork cot quilt made mainly of Laura Ashley fabrics.
Laura Ashley (1925 – 1985) became a household name as a fabric and fashion designer in the 1960s and 70s with her trademark floral prints, sometimes inspired by antique textiles. Starting small with headscarves, napkins and tea towels, Laura and her husband Bernard went on to create an international fashion and furnishings company, with its base firmly in Mid Wales for many years. The family lived for a while above their first shop in Machynlleth, Powys, Mid Wales, before moving to nearby Carno in the late 1960s. Early on in the company’s development Bernard devised his own printing process, whilst Laura concentrated on design of the trademark fabrics. For over three decades the original Laura Ashley factory in Carno produced garments for sale in what, by 1981, numbered over 5,000 retail outlets around the world.
Laura died tragically in 1985 but the company continued to flourish, designing textiles, clothes, and furnishings for an international customer base. Further information about Laura and the company can be found here - www.lauraashley.com/page/heritage
This lovely cot quilt was bought for £2 from a local charity shop. Laura Ashley remnants were sold in the 1970s for use by patch workers, and these are typical of that era. The hexagon patchwork is hand sewn with machine stitched bound edges.