QUILTY PLEASURES

As the nights draw in, the mercury drops, and you reach for an extra layer to keep you cosy, what could be lovelier than an antique or vintage quilt or eiderdown. Do you, however, know the basic difference between the two? A quilt is a bedcover usually made from cotton patchwork pieces in a pattern or a single piece of fabric. Depending on what the quilt maker had to hand at the time, they feature cotton wadding or a blanket sandwiched between the layers. An eiderdown, on the other hand, is a commercially made quilt. It is designed to sit on top of bedding, such as sheets and blankets, rather than replace them. Eiderdowns are usually found in floral or paisley fabric with a frill or piped edge, they are soft to the touch and filled with down.

From top to bottom: a pretty American patchwork; a piece in Ocean waves design; two pieces in the log cabin design; an early English patchwork top featuring tiny patchwork pieces and hexagons. All are from Jo Ross’ collection and date from early to late 19th century