Casgliadau Arlein

Wholecloth quilt made by Mrs Britannia Evans (née Mainwaring) of Abercynon, 1920s-30s. Possibly made as part of a quilting scheme organised by the Rural Industries Bureau.

Top cover of burgundy coloured cotton sateen. Reverse of paisley-print cotton sateen (blue, red, yellow, white, and green on black ground). Carded wool filling. All stitches sewn by hand using burgundy coloured cotton thread (3-ply, S-twist). Quilting pattern consists of an outside border of double-spirals followed by wedges of 'square on point lattice' which are bordered by rectangles filled with small circles. Then there are hearts filled with spirals and trefoils and flowers surrounded by large bent leaves. The central motif of a large central cross, which is filled with chevrons, is surrounded by rows of triple chains on two sides and four roundels of windmill design, quatrefoils and shells on the other two sides.