Baile Nan Gàidheal | Highland Village, Iona

Women making a quilt. Quilting blankets had a dual purpose in the 1800s. Clothing that was no longer able to be worn was cut into pieces, hand-sewn together in larger blocks, backed and sandwiched to make a warm blanket. Wool batting from sheep fleece was used as the insulating layer. Some quilts were hand quilted in fancy patterned stitches and some were done with yarn pulled through corners of squares and knotted. Waste not, want not was the motto of the Gael.

Topic: Sharing traditional ways of life

Date: 1992

Reference:  Highland Village Museum P1998.01.2793

For more information, please contact Baile Nan Gàidheal | Highland Village.