As I looked through the photographs of all the fun we had, the places we visited, and the people we met on our adventure in the UK, there were a few special stops that really make me smile whenever I think about them ~ and I decided to save their stories for this last post about the trip. Please note that, even though I’m sharing much about this once in a lifetime trip, the things I’m including are all the quilting/fabric related items. They don’t begin to include the castles, palaces, cathedrals, churches, historical landmarks, and much of the scenery we enjoyed.
Alas, for a quilting blog, they will need to remain in my personal album 😊. But don’t even begin to think that that’s all there is ~ because my favorites have arrived!
In last week’s post I mentioned Calico Kate’s quilt shop in Lampeter. What made it extra special was the building right next door ~ the Welsh Quilt Center!
It housed one of the best quilt exhibits I’ve seen. To help you understand the significance I need to introduce you to Jen Jones (if you don’t know about her already). This is a brief history of who she is from her own site:
“When Jen Jones first arrived in Wales in 1971, she found a land where the Welsh woollen mills no longer produced vast quantities of their remarkable narrow loom blankets for the world’s markets. Driven out of business by the soulless and ubiquitous duvet, those industrious craftswomen, the Welsh quilters, had also stopped making their practical and original quilts.
Imbued with her native New England respect for the heritage of quilt making, Jen Jones knew she couldn’t re-start these industries but she could, and did, rekindle national and international appreciation of these artefacts.
Since her creation of the shop over thirty years ago, Jen has gone on to support and manage the foundation of the Welsh Quilt Centre in Lampeter, which offers visitors a unique opportunity to see some of the world’s finest quilts, each year set into a different context. She also speaks passionately on the subject all over the world.”
The current exhibit was of red and white (and sometimes black) quilts from Jen’s collection. Some of them were arranged as part of a merry-go-round in the center of the room, with music from American musicals playing as they spun.
There were others artfully arranged throughout the gallery.
And the quilting was spectacular.
We learned that being a quilter was a profession in the 1800 and early 1900s. Women would travel from farm to farm in rural communities, and live with the families as they quilted the tops those women had made. When they were done they moved on. Think about it – there were quilters who only liked making tops back then too 😁. Along with Jen’s quilts were smaller pieces, on smaller carousels hanging throughout the gallery. They were made by a present day Welsh quilter named Mary Jenkins,
and a cozy corner was dedicated to her work.
Then, across the corridor was an exhibit of work by another talented Welsh fiber artist:
She does amazing work in so many different styles. This was her own description of her work.
Her flowers were beautiful.
And her thread work was amazing.
Just look at this detail photo.
Plus I absolutely loved her little Welsh dolls.
What a wonderful time we had at the Welsh Quilt Center. Then we got back on the bus and traveled through the Welsh countryside to Jen’s shop in her lovely farm house.
There was shelf after shelf of quilts and wool blankets. And Jen herself was there (on the right), along with Hazel (center), to help us find what we were looking for 😊.
Jen also deals in other antiques and each room in this small house was captivating.
Quiltina made herself at home and quickly made friends.
It was a lovely visit ~ and quite a few treasures were purchased there.
The next day we visited my other favorite stop ~ Cwtch and Cushions in Bridgend. Cwtch is a decidedly Welsh word that means a cuddle or embrace, with a sense of offering warmth and safety. The best way I can think of to pronounce it correctly is as the first syllable of the phrase we use when speaking to a baby: coochy-coo.
When Kristi first made contact with Jill she was concerned because the shop would only hold 6 customers at a time. This made things even more intriguing. When we arrived in our tour bus we made quite a stir in this small community. One resident remarked that she didn’t remember a bus that big ever being in town before. We spent our time visiting the shop and a charity (thrift store) just down the block, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.
Jill was happy to be photographed with each of us, and we enjoyed reading all of her posts on Facebook about our visit. We really felt like celebrities!
I think you can see why these stops were my favorites. Thanks to Kristi, and our UK guide Claire for all the fun! It couldn’t have been a better trip!
PS The afternoon of the day I’m posting this, I will be going to our UK trip reunion. I can’t wait to get together with this delightful group once again, and I’m hoping to see some finished projects made from our signature blocks. Stay tuned!