2012-6 RIB pink wholecloth
Click on image to enlarge
This pink wholecloth with a flounce was made by a quilter from Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. She entered it into a competition and it was exhibited at St Fagans National History Museum in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. A black and white photograph of the original quilt is held in the Rural Industries Bureau library. You can find out more about the RIB scheme for quilters in the South Wales valleys in the 1930s here.
The quilt is made of silk poplin in a salmon pink shade. The wadding is well carded wool, and there is also a layer of thin muslin to prevent the wool being pulled up the surface. The original quilt has been added to on all four sides, and a flounce later machine stitched round the enlarged piece on three sides. Frills were popular in the 1930s, and were fashionable again in the 1950s.
The wholecloth features fine and detailed hand quilting in a salmon pink thead. There is a central medallion with borders. The hatched borders have been hand stitched to the main quilt. The quilted piece which has been added at the top edge could originally have been a pillow case. It has a white cotton reverse fabric.
There is a note on the reverse of the RIB photograph which states: “The double hammock border on this pink quilt is also found in the north of England. The fan corners and the centre star are based on traditional units, but treated in an original way.”