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The Quilter鈥檚 Guild of the British Isles has one the largest collection of quilts, including the world鈥檚 earliest known signed and dated patchwork, in the world. With over 600 quilts and quilting items, they were fast outgrowing their old home in Halifax.

Earliest known patchwork from 1718

When the opportunity came to move to York and into the magnificent setting of the medieval guild hall, St Anthony鈥檚 on Peaseholme Green, they grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

The beautiful high vaulted and beamed ceiling of the building is the perfect backdrop for these beautiful works of art and the museum is the only one of its kind in Europe.

Cutting the Carbs again by Bethan Ash

If you thought quilting was for old ladies, think again. Contemporary quilters produce some fantastic work with modern themes, often making a political or personal statement, and sometimes using items that can be recycled such as paper and plastic bags.

Kaffe Fassett is one of the world鈥檚 leading textile designers and is a patron of the Quilter鈥檚 Guild. He鈥檚 thrilled with the new museum and hopes it will bring textile art to a wider audience:

Kaffe Fassett

"Textiles are the 'Cinderella' of the art world. They are not valued as much as paintings and sculpture and architecture and yet they are more vital to our lives than anything else. Every single person comes into contact with textiles every single day and it鈥檚 terribly important that we value them and that we pick out the really juicy exciting ones and that鈥檚 what this museum is obviously doing.鈥�

Detail from Paper Sun by Jenny Rolfe

Modern quilts and patchworks are vibrant and colourful and a vital part of a long and rich heritage of quilt making.

The earliest record of quilting is from the 14th Century, when quilted fabrics were worn beneath suits of armour. There is also evidence of quilts being used as bed covers for warmth.

Four hundred years ago, people lived in a world of plain cloth. The textiles available for clothing were wool, linen, silk and fibres such as hemp. Although textile manufacturers were skilled, they lacked the know-how to print pattern on cloth. With the growing needlework and embroidery skills even the poorest could add pattern and texture through patchwork and quilting.

Quilting became a cottage industry and as a result the level of workmanship rose. Quilts and patchworks became the 'must have' item and they were passed down through the generations.

Quilting and patchwork has come a long way since then, and the Quilt Museum hopes to bring that long heritage alive and also to introduce people to this ancient art which has burst into the 21st Century.