"At the start of the 20th century, increased access to mass-produced goods such as bed covers marked a decline in traditional craft skills. Quilt- making survived in economically deprived areas such as Wales and the north-east of England, where the design and sewing of quilts were both an important means of self-expression and a way of earning money for widows and families with no income.
The Women's Institute (WI) helped to sustain traditional craft skills. They encouraged British women to find creative and domestic pleasures by learning crafts. The government-funded Rural Industries Bureau (RIB), recognizing the commercial appeal of regional quilts, promoted quilt-making as a means of bringing income to households struggling to survive in a period of economic depression."
Quilts 1700 - 2010, V&A Museum, London
Visiting the Quilts exhibit at the V&A was one of the most fascinating things I have experienced here in London. Not only was the literature and exhibited pieces eye opening, but being surrounded by so many elderly ladies with fascinating tales and stories was entertaining; The eavesdropping was fantastic. But the most compelling thing I encountered was the history of the groups of ladies who quilted for the Rural Industries Bureau.
Most of the ladies who quilted for the R.I.B. were not just 14 years of age. There were several audio interviews with tales of their experiences. The R.I.B. would circulate a catalogue of regional designs to homes and the group of ladies would then travel to your location to complete the project on site, setting up their quilting frames in a spare room of the home. As the pay was not great, many searched for more lucrative ventures yet "these women were highly innovative and inventive with their designs, working the shapes and decoration of everyday objects into their patterns."
Quilt that was commissioned by Claridge's Hotel, London
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