Quilty Day Out in York

I have posted a short post about the wonderful sashiko exhibition I visited in York on my new blog: lisisturningjapanese

I also took the opportunity of a day in York to visit the Quilt Museum which is on Aldwark in the stunning  medieval guildhall of St Anthony and now enjoys the benefit of a lovely deli opposite and a beautifully developed courtyard garden.  Admission to the museum for Quilters' Guild members is £3.

The current exhibition (until 23 December 2009) is on Turkey Red Dye and there is also a smaller exhibition of contemporary work from Edge - Textile Artists of Scotland.  The development of the red dye, from madder, made it possible to create quilts in red and white - as the red dye was colourfast and the whole lot wasn't at risk of ending up pink!  The dye was big business in Scotland with the Dalmonach factory running 28 print machines in 1898, producing 25 million yards of fabric in addition to one million tons of dyed yarn per year.  Designs included paisleys, florals and peacocks and were often gold and dark green on red.  The Turkey red dye was most often used for everyday items - tablecloths and household linens, underwear and swimming costumes, shawls, coverlets, bandanas and kerchiefs and also for workers' clothing on the plantations of the West Indies.  There were two quilted petticoats on display, which were warm and also supported the skirts of the day with their dome shape.

A great day out, completed with a little retail therapy at The Viking Loom on High Petergate which caters for many crafts, including a great selection for beaders.