Quilts

'Meander' quilt by British artist-maker, Emily Campbell. Emily’s knowledge of sewing combines with the formal and visual principles she learned as a two-dimensional designer to re-imagine the patchwork quilt. She has interpreted traditional patchwork geometry, dispensing with floral prints in favour of bold combinations of solid colour. Emily quilts all her designs for us by hand. Bespoke sizes are therefore possible. An accomplished undergraduate dress and costume maker, Emily progressed from an English degree to a diploma in Clothing Technology and became a pattern maker for the fashion designer Jean Muir. After completing her Master of Fine Arts at Yale School of Art she practised as a graphic designer at Pentagram in New York before embarking on a series of national and international programme director roles in the arts, design and education. In 2012, a quilt made from old denim and canvas work clothes featured in an exhibition about Gee’s Bend (the famed quilting community in Alabama). This prompted Emily to up-cycle the family’s old jeans into her first patchwork quilt. She studied rhythm, rule and variation in Anni Albers’ pattern drawings. She took inspiration from Gustav Klimt, Victor Pasmore and Ellsworth Kelly, and many more artists besides. Emily is the founder of Pemberton Qwilts. This takes its name from Sheila Frances Hayes, née Pemberton, who first taught Emily to sew. Three of Emily’s ‘TV Quilts’ were commissioned by Anya Hindmarch for her concept store at London Fashion Week 2023. These bear a single word of personal significance (see images). Emily was also among the textile artists selected for a group show at David Parr House, Cambridge that year. Helen Chislett...

USA, 1880s “Joseph’s Coat Variation” antique quilt - in red with a geometrical pattern. Measures: H 186 x W 177 cm.

Broken Star pattern, patriotic American quilt with 13 stars, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, circa 1915-1920 Broken Star pattern quilt in red, white, and blue solids with a gingha...

Loom-woven horse blanket, made circa 1890-1910. The striped and geometric pattern consists of lime green, sunfire red, and ivory, against winter/summer, reversible grounds of forest ...

USA, 1930s ‘Bear paw four patch’ quilt. Measures: H 192 x W 164 cm.

This is a very decorative cushion or pillow with a hand embroidered Art Nouveau wool-work floral panel with a red silk border, all set into a red fabric which we date to the late 19th Century / early 20th Century, circa 1900. The pillow is about 17 inches square and is very well made. The decoration features a central square hand embroidered wool-work panel of flowers and foliage in varying shades of red, pink, green and yellow all against a black ground, with a deep red silk outer border. The stylised floral embroidered design is very Art Nouveau. The embroidered & bordered panel is stitched onto a red fabric. It is possible that the Art Nouveau panel...