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Conserving quilts for future generations

26 December 2009

Volunteers welcomed textile conservator Alison Lister to The Quilt Association’s base at The Minerva Arts Centre in Llanidloes in October 2008. Alison led four day-long workshops at the Centre, working with the Association’s collection of antique Welsh quilts. She showed the volunteers how to work with specialist equipment, including a vacuum cleaner for use with delicate textiles. Sewing skills were put to good use making small repairs on some quilts, whilst others were photographed and catalogued by the group.

 

The project is funded by a grant of £4993 from the Awards for All Wales Heritage Lottery Fund. The grant is also being used to improve the storage of the Welsh Heritage Quilt collection, which grows each year as heritage quilts and patchworks are donated to the charity. Many of the quilts have been made locally, and following conservation work can be exhibited at the Centre along with associated archive material such as photographs and stories about the quilts.

Quilt Association trustee, Jackie Newey, said, “It has been a wonderful opportunity to find out more about how to care for our quilt collection. Any work we can carry out now will ensure that these quilts will be available for future generations to admire and enjoy.”

If you would like to find out more about volunteering for The Quilt Association, please contact Doreen Gough or Jackie Newey on 01686 413467.