This article first appeared in the Fall 2005 issue of The Canadian Quilter

Gaelic Autumn was accepted into the 2005 National Juried Show in Waterloo, Ontario

Gaelic Autumn

Long before the Amish in America, Gaelic and Welsh quilters constructed simple patchwork backgrounds to showcase their intricate quilting stitches. Master designers made a living marking their trademark designs on quilts for aristocrats, while traveling quilt markers visited the farms and mining towns that dotted the surrounding areas of England and Scotland . These master quilters and drafters slowly died off with the invention of the sewing machine in the 1800’s and many of their skills were lost to the next generation. The incredible patterns and drafting methods only rarely show up in the antique quilts and marking tools that were preserved over centuries.

The North Country Quilters of northern England were known throughout Europe as masters, and the villages employed many of the women, supplementing their husbands’ wages from the mines. Many of the design elements used by this pocket area of quilting excellence later turned up among the Amish in the United States, leading us to believe that at least some of their traditional skills came across with the immigrant population.

Gaelic Autumn incorporates a sampling of the traditional patterns and motifs used by the quilters in the North of England, Southern Scotland and the land of the Celts:

-traditional Border Layout

-separation of elements using double border lines

-cornerstones

-flat irons, spirals and geometric shapes

-hanging diamonds, double plaids, fillers, stipples, clamshells and echo quilting.

-heavy all-over quilting

The design elements for this piece were drafted to fit the allocated spaces and to complement each other overall. The drafting process began on graph paper, with a rough sketch of the elements that I wanted to incorporate. I then created templates or found geometric shapes that would fit within the confines of the various borders. The circles in the final border around the center medallion were traced using a dime. Since I knew that the intricate quilting would require time to complete I chose to make the piece small in relation to my regular projects. I also knew that I wanted to use a black background thus certain designs would not be effective.

The Border Layout includes using separation lines within a border to form a different quilted border in the confines of one pieced space. The quilting within each border separation is different but complementary to the other borders. Instead of turning the corners with quilting lines, cornerstones are designed, each again different from the ones in the previous border. The center medallion completes the process.

Once the various borders and cornerstones were drafted on paper, they had to be marked on the quilt top, which presented its own challenges. A white chalk pencil was used for the most part, blue chalk used on the rust portions. Everything had to be marked from the top since the fabric was not transparent and could not be traced. Only the flat irons in the center medallion and the corner feathers were marked before setting the quilt into the frame as they needed to be drawn on a hard surface. The straight lines and other gridding were easier to mark with the piece stretched to ensure accuracy. The flat irons were transferred using Saral Paper, and the Feather stitching was traced from a stencil using a sharp chalk pencil. The remaining elements were added afterward, or freehanded for distance as in the case of the ¼” echoes. To mark the entire piece before setting it in the frame would have resulted in smudging and smearing of the chalk.

Each border was quilted in sequence, separated by double lines of quilting. I did not move inside the quilt until I was sure that the previous border was complete. Straight lines can end up crooked if not marked after the first lines are quilted. This I had to learn the hard way. I also wanted to ensure that the amount of quilting that I had planned for the next border was in keeping with the overall spacing to date. Too much quilting in one area could cause the quilt to ripple, and small stitches are almost impossible to take out without leaving permanent marks. Once a decision is made there is no turning back, it must be continued throughout.

To help keep the quilting stitches small and have the negative spaces show up on the black fabric I used 100% wool batting. This needles beautifully and the loft puffs quite nicely though it does require heavy but balanced quilting to get the full effect. Before actually setting up this quilt I made a small sample of the center medallion to see what it would look like. I also wanted to test whether my markings would come off easily and the effects of washing the wool batt to remove those marks. I measured before and after to test for shrinkage.

The quilting itself was done with a number 10 Hemmings wide-eye needle, and YLI Silk quilting thread. In combination with the wool batt and a wonderful Ginny Beyer backing fabric, my stitches remained small and even throughout the piece. The backing itself contributed to the finished quilt as the mottled blue fabric on the back appears as a wonderful whole cloth wall hanging. To enhance this effect, the binding was split- black on the front and blue on the back. This was done by cutting the binding on the straight of grain half the normal width plus a seam allowance, sewing the two together and attaching it to the quilt along one side at a time. By carefully folding the binding to the back along the seam line neither colour shows on the other side other than a tiny triangle of black on the back corners where the miter is made.

I am always overwhelmed by the beauty of intricate hand quilting. The antique quilts of the North Country and the surrounding areas of influence are wonderful examples of this quickly disappearing art form.

Source: North Country Quilts: Legend and Living Tradition by Dorothy Osler

Welsh Heritage Quilt Collection 1680-1930 by Maureen Connor