Riley Blake Designs Jane Austen at Home Coverlet Quilt Kit Riley Blake Designs KT-17450

The Coverlet quilt kit features fabric from the Jane Austen at Home collection by Riley Blake Designs. The quilt kit includes the Coverlet pattern and fabric for the quilt top and binding (backing fabric not included). Finished quilt size 80-inches by 100-inches. Jane Austen's House is in the charming village of Chawton, Hampshire, UK and is visited by over 40,000 people each year. One of the most popular exhibits is the quilt made by Jane, her sister Cassandra and their mother. It is a medallion quilt measuring 91-inches by 105-inches with a large central motif in chintz, cut as a diamond. This is surrounded by a central panel of 232 smaller diamonds interconnected by spotted sashing. The outer edge, 11-inches deep, is composed of tiny diamonds, each with edges of 30mm. There are over 2500 of these smaller diamonds in the border. All the patches are joined by very fine whip stitch -- there are approximately 12 stitches per inch, which is quite remarkable given the lighting conditions of the period. The fabrics used in the central panel are block printed dress weight fabrics and are arranged in alternating rows of darker and lighter. Those in the outer edge are a mix of block and roller printed material and include both dress and furnishing fabrics. The central panel of diamonds shows fourfold symmetry in their placement and the tiny diamonds in the outer edge are also placed symmetrically with top and bottom and left and right sides matching. There is also extensive use of fussy cutting in the diamonds. The diamonds are 70 degrees and 110 degree angles, which is unusual, and the sashing joining the central diamond is composed of short pieces, rather than continuous lengths. We have not found another quilt like this anywhere, it is a truly unique piece. Riley Blake Designs has reproduced these beautiful floral prints to make this extraordinary part of British history available to everyone. Join with us in recreating this special Jane Austen coverlet quilt.