One of my long time wishes has been to visit the original Billings Coverlet in the Quilt Museum of the British Isles. This week my dream came true! Sue and I have travelled to the UK to make a special visit to the museum and visit with this amazing quilt. We were treated to a private viewing and when all was done my Mrs Billings was laid out for the curator Heather to see... and here she is placed carefully on top of the original. One interesting fact we learned was the the original quilt was a simple coverlet with no backing, many of the original papers are still in situ!
If you are lucky enough to find yourself in York, check out the museum! If you are interested in viewing the quilt for yourself, contact the museum and find out when or where it might be on show!
Thank you to all of the wonderful ladies we met including Heather and Christine.... Sue and I had a wonderful day!
Chat soon, Karen
Amazing!
ReplyDeleteIf you manage to come further south, you would enjoy the quilt collection at The American Museum at Bath, then just a short drive to Radstock museum, where there is a temporary exhibition of old and modern quilts.
ReplyDeleteOf course, then you need to come to Glastonbury and climb the Tor!
What an exciting visit for you! The York Museum is a beautiful building and such amazing quilts. I was luckily enough to have a quick visit there last year, as my husband & I meet our daughter in York, she had come down from Edinburgh, where she has been living for nearly 2 years.
ReplyDeleteTo see the original must have been like a dream come true!! How marvelous to see yours together with the original!! And the papers.... Old letters, newspapers?? So much to enjoy :0)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful opportunity for you and your quilt. Really special.
ReplyDeleteHow fascinating!! And how wonderful to have a photo of the original and yours together. What would these quilts say to each other, I wonder??
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful it must have been for you to see the original together with your version. What did they think about it at the museum? I had read somewhere that it was just a coverlet, but didn't know that the papers were still in there. Oh, wish you could have packed me in your suitcase, Karen!
ReplyDeleteYou and Sue must have had a wonderful time! The museum is very very nice. Whenever I am in York I go in, even when it is just for a short visit. We will see each other next week in Nantes. I am looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for telling us about being able to see the Mrs Billings quilt, Karen. I would otherwise have missed it when we visit there in June. Many thanks, Jan
ReplyDeleteWow - how lucky were you. I would love to go there - maybe one day! I'm onto my last border! :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat an absolute delight and thrill to see the original.Thanks for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteThat must have just been amazing
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