Another Collection piece we have chosen to share with you to represent the second decade of The Guild this issue, is the Billings Coverlet.

Collected by The Guild in 1996, this coverlet is a remarkable piece of geometric precision. With fifteen frames, each containing different sizes and combinations of hexagons, squares, kites and diamonds, it is one of the most complex and technically accomplished mosaic pieced patchworks in The Quilters’ Guild Collection.

The level of competence can be seen in every detail, from the perfectly spaced shapes that fit into each frame, to the maker’s solution of how to create neat and matching corner motifs.

Believed to have originated in Yorkshire from an unknown maker, the coverlet dates from 1805 – 1810 and was donated to The Quilters’ Guild by a Mrs Billings.