niform coverlets, also sometimes known as Soldiers, Military or even Crimean Quilts or Coverlets, are, stylistically, very recognisable - often very geometrically complex and pieced with what could be termed military precision! They use heavy, thick felted or worsted wool, typically used in soldiers' uniforms, and are thought to be one of the few categories or genres of patchwork and quilting that were exclusively made by men.
The Soldier’s Coverlet shown on the right (from The Quilters’ Guild Museum Collection — 1991-18-A) dates from 1860-1889: it is a multi-coloured mosaic patchwork wool coverlet, geometric in design, made from small fabric squares of soldiers' clothing. It is hand-pieced, most probably by a tailor who would have had access to small remnants of fabric from his business.
Quilts in this style of patchwork are often mis-termed Crimean quilts, but many were made during other nineteenth-century conflicts as well, and those made in India were typically more bright and colourful than those made in the Crimea, where the colour palette of fabrics was more subdued. The Crimean attribution may have come from a painting that survives in the Royal College of Surgeons, that shows a soldier, Private Thomas Walker, who was convalescing after a head wound sustained at the battle of Inkerman in the Crimea in 1854. He is sitting up in bed, dexterously sewing a very neat patchwork in a very clean looking hospital. Whilst sewing was and continues to be used as a form of therapy, the portrait itself had a different purpose for its creation. Firstly, it shows the skills of the doctors who were able to patch up a head wound so successfully that the patient can produce such a dexterous and neat piece of patchwork. Secondly, it serves as a propaganda piece, showing a well looked after soldier in pleasant surroundings, at a time when there was public concern over the cleanliness and poor conditions in hospitals in the Crimea.
Samuel Atwood with his quilt in India, 1850-60s.
As to who made them, the term "Soldiers' quilts" which is applied to the whole category of this style of quilt is also a little misleading. You have to be cautious in categorising such quilts as specifically military unless there is surviving provenance, as the same fabrics were used not only for battle uniforms but also for dress uniforms and the livery of servants in grand houses - so they cannot be identified by the fabric alone. Certainly, there were some soldiers who made them, and some original photographs exist of the makers, such as this one of Private Samuel Attwood with his intricate patchwork creation in India during the 1850s-60s. But it is important to note that Samuel was also a tailor by profession, and such a complex piece would have required specialist skill that he would have gained through his professional training. Certainly crafts such as this were encouraged amongst the men, who often spent a long time in the camp with very little to do. They would have been seen as a more decent alternative to other possible pastimes — drinking and gambling, for example. From the 1860s onwards, there were soldiers' industrial exhibitions that offered prizes for various talents, which included embroidery and sewing.
The Small Uniform Coverlet shown on the left above dates from 1860-1880. It is a black, red and white small woollen uniform coverlet with a red wool fringe. The small squares are set on point in a frame layout (The Quilters’ Guild Museum Collection, 2005-30-A). The Kent Uniform Coverlet on the right dates from 1860-1880, and is a multi-coloured wool uniform coverlet made from squares of military uniform wool arranged in blocks surrounding a central circular medallion and smaller circles within squares. The centre is constructed using the inlaid or intarsia technique, making this piece a highly skilled and complex coverlet. The coverlet is backed by tartan fabric and has a blue wool fringe around the edge (The Quilters’ Guild Museum Collection, 2005-40-A).
It is also possible that some of these patchworks were made by civilian tailors who were not serving abroad, and who would of course have had access to a large quantity of offcuts from making various different types of uniforms. They would also have had long practice at manipulating fabrics which are actually quite tough to sew. Because of their thickness, and the fact that the fabrics are not liable to fray, the seam allowance is very small, and the stitches actually quite large – usually a running stitch - certainly compared to the size we are used to seeing with cotton mosaic patchworks. Many were made as exhibition pieces, to advertise the skills of the maker and the quality of their workmanship, and some consisted of thousands of pieces that took decades to complete. Charging admission to such venues where these patchworks were exhibited also provided a source of income for the makers.
Detail of the Kent Uniform Coverlet, above.
There are three Uniform Coverlets in The Quilters’ Guild Museum Collection, ranging from a very small piece, measuring just 107cm square to a much more intricate coverlet made from bright colours and complex shapes. This more impressive piece has inlaid or intarsia patchwork at the centre, where shapes fit perfectly into the background fabric like a jigsaw and are sewn from the reverse with the smallest of seam allowances to create a beautifully flat piece of cloth. Named our Kent Uniform Coverlet, details about it, and its precise provenance (other than a general location, because of where it ended up), are lacking. But the maker was indeed a skilled craftsman. The blue knotted woollen fringe and tartan check cotton backing adds a nice final touch to the whole piece, which is remarkably heavy and most probably intended for use on a table rather than a bed.
The other two pieces are not as complex, and both feature tiny squares placed on point, whose colour arrangements form interesting patterns within their blocks. Other museum and private collections contain many examples of these fascinating and beautiful patchworks, which vary in their colours and complexity but form a testament to their male makers and their unique style in the nineteenth century.
Further Reading
Audin, Heather. Patchwork and Quilting in Britain. Botley, Oxford: Shire, 2013.
Created 17 November 2023.