Saturday 19 February 2011

Bedspread


21. Double bedspread

In the late fifties and 'swinging' sixties the fabric and furniture designs that were most popular were 'modern' and Scandinavian in style. But I much preferred old-fashioned items and was often given lovely things simply because the owners knew that I would appreciate them.
This beautiful quilted bedspread was one such present, from a woman whom I hardly knew. It is an old piece but is in perfect condition, beautifully made, with broad stripes of alternate red and white stitched cotton on the top side and solid red fabric in a paisley design on the reverse. The bedspread is entirely hand stitched. These days it is rarely used, only in very warm summer weather when the duvet is banished. Then I get out a pair of my mother's Irish linen sheets and luxuriate!

Detail of the paisley fabric showing the hand stitching.

3 comments:

  1. It looks rather like an old French 'boutis', in a Provencal pattern. A collectors item, and wonderful to use.

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  2. Oh, what a treasure! And I too think it is a Provencal quilt. Beautiful.

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  3. Dear Cro and Bozena, I am pretty sure that this is an old English quilt. It is made in exactly the same way as the French boutis, with three pieces of cotton fabric held together by means of decorative quilting. I have a more utilitarian Scottish quilt that used to belong to my grandmother but consider myself very lucky to have been given this beautiful object. I have added a close-up shot so that you can see the hand stitching.

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