AN art that has stood the test of time is still proving popular today.

When we asked "do Bolton Quilters still exist?" in a recent edition of Looking Back the answer was an emphatic "yes".

Patchwork and quilting has been practised for centuries and although the popularity of the craft has fluctuated according to changes in society and styles it is still enjoyed today here in Bolton.

There is very little known about the tradition before the 18th century and very few surviving examples of work.

The Quilters’ Guild Collection contains one of the earliest known dated patchworks, the 1718 Silk Patchwork Coverlet. Made by piecing over paper templates, the expensive silks used have been kept and treasured for decades before they were incorporated into the coverlet.

Patchwork was a ladies’ leisure pursuit at this time, while quilting was considered a professional skill and plain quilts and quilted petticoats were popular, the latter being worn for fashionable day wear.

Technological improvements in textile manufacture led to a fashionable phase of using printed cotton fabrics at the end of the 18th century, which continued in to the early 19th century. For those who could afford it, expensive and high status printed cottons were often pieced together using the mosaic patchwork method, which also required another expensive commodity — paper — to produce the templates.

Simpler and cheaper fabrics were used by the lower classes in less complicated designs. By the middle of the century cottons were falling out of favour. The advent of roller printing had made cottons cheaper to produce and therefore widened their availability further down the social scale. In 1856 the first synthetic dye, Mauveine, was produced, followed by a vast range of bright colours, and the fashion shifted from printed cottons to vibrant silks and velvets. Mosaic patchwork cushions, throws, table covers and tea cosies adorned the cluttered parlours of Victorian homes. Baby blocks, log cabin, crazy and hexagon patchworks were all popular and often further embellished with embroidery and trimmings.

The late 19th and early 20th century saw the heyday of the Wholecloth quilt, a traditional skill passed on through the generations in Wales, the North Country and the Scottish Borders. In the North Country, quilt "stampers" were professional markers who drew designs onto plain or pieced tops, while in Wales professional quilters would travel around making quilts to order. Each area developed their own particular style and popular motifs, with feathers and twisted ropes common in the North Country and leaves and spirals often found in Wales.

Unfortunately two world wars and the lack of available materials led to a decline in traditional skills.

Competition from commercially manufactured alternatives meant traditional quilts seemed time consuming.

However, some people could still see their value, and continued to practise, teach and research patchwork and quilting, leading to an eventual resurgence of interest in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1979 The Quilters’ Guild was formed with the intention of ensuring the traditional crafts of patchwork and quilting were passed on, and to represent a new wave of quilters to take the craft into the 21st century.

Bolton Quilters meet once a month at the Lostock Community Centre (email vjthornton@hotmail.com for information) and a much newer group, Flying Needles, meets on the second Thursday of every month at the Elderdale Community Centre in Breightmet at 7.30pm. Contact flyingneedles1@gmail.com