This unfinished log cabin top, made in about 1885, was the first piece in the Quilt Association collection. It came from the small town of Ystradgynlais on the south west tip of Powys not far from the Swansea valleys.
It was made by Mrs Phillips’ grandmother. She had eight children, a smallholding with two cows and a large garden. She also fostered two children. Mrs Phillips’ mother was the oldest child, and did much sewing. Mrs Phillips remembers her grandmother making various ointments and liniments for “one and all”. “There was always a kind atmosphere in the house.”
The unfinished piece is in two sections and features the Sunshine and Shadow log cabin design. It is machine pieced, with a twill sheet used as the foundation fabric.