Radnorshire Arts and Crafts Foundation                                             ts foundation

Textile Study Days at the old school are a perfect opportunity to get to know a little more about the history and the methods used in some of our favorite textile traditions. With a chance to take a closer look at vintage and antique samples and to earn more about the cloths used and their construction. and to experiment with some of the techniques involved.

 Welsh Quilts and Welsh Quilting.

Every one is familiar with the patchwork quilt, but as few examples now survive in the Welsh home, not many of us have had the opportunity to examine these beautiful old quilts in any detail. And as the tradition of making quilts at home has increasingly become a thing of the past there is now little opportunity to learn much about their construction, or to ask what it is that makes a Welsh Quilt so distinctively Welsh?

In Quilting Classes at The Old School we cover the most of the techniques used in Welsh Quilting and learn about drafting or adapting traditional patterns to suit your own piece of work.

The classes scheduled for 2019  will begin with an Introductory Lesson discussing the types of patchwork and quilting often found in Welsh Quilts and an opportunity to learn a little more about the materials used and the characteristics that give Welsh Quilts their own distinctive character.

The Introductory class is followed by a set of practical lessons where participants can execute samples of each technique. Materials are available at the School but we do encourage use of old recycled materials so please do make a collection of old wools and cottons to experiment with. We do also love to encourage the use of Natural materials. Old welsh Quilts are frequently stuffed with carded sheep's fleece, this gives a wonderful lightness and bounce to the quilt, accentuating the stitch patterning. Other more thrifty Quilts are stuffed with old cloth or worn blankets, this makes for a stouter Quilt and lends it self well for those intended to be hung rather than used on a bed.

Techniques we will be exploring are Pieced Paper Patchwork, Log Cabin Patchwork, Block Work, Aplique, Medallion Quilt Layouts, Whole Cloth Quilting, Pattern Drafting for stitchwork, and of course quilting with Wool or Flannel.

Anyone wanting to expand their knowledge of antique quilts will also find this course very useful. There will also be an opportunity to hire workshop space, or take extra private tuition.  Available to anyone wanting to see an entire project through to completion.

 Further study days

         Quilting techniques from around the World. No mater where yo go in the world, you will find that the same desire occurs,  people have saved scraps of material and constructed useful and beautiful items often highly embellishing them with fance stitchery. Studying the different techniques allows us to appreciate the ingenuity and resourcefulness of different cultures, often leading us to understand how the needs born of necessity have themselves developed into art forms in their own right.The Quilts produced can be functional or purely decorative but each in their own right posing their own charm and artistry.

  The Japanese Sashiko  consists of decorative stitching on indigo dyed cloth, it is famed for its simple but aesthetically pleasing mixture of pattern and texture . Sashiko was also used to form thick and durable clothing from multiple layers of fabrics, having both aesthetic and utilitarian origins .

The Japanese tradition of Boro relies less on decorative stitchwork, as it was generally used to prolong the usefulness of work clothes. there is often no attempt apparent to make pressing arrangements and relies entirely on random piercing. However the aesthetic beauty occurs due to the nature of the cloth used, almost wholly hand dyed indigo cloth.

 In India  many similar techniques are used in Kantha Quilting this takes two main forms, one of highly decorative coloured stitchwork and the second much like Boro which extends the life of old cloth to form bedding quilts, here multiple layers of worn cloth are tightly stitched together to form a whole.

Experimenting with these techniques is a wonderful exercise for anyone interested in either quilting or creative stitch work. Classes in these techniques will be held at regular intervals .