Not only are the new Carthen Welsh blankets (Inspired by Welsh nursing blankets) now available but also there are 5 NEW “Clapper board” tapestry blanket colour designs available as well.
Carthen Welsh Blankets…
Having seen these new blankets for myself I have to say they are truly beautiful in there simplicity which I believe makes them truly unique because the true genius in any design is what you leave out which keeps them pure and turns something in to a modern icon. These new Welsh blanket designs from Cefyn Burgess are truly on the way to becoming a new Welsh icon.
The Carthen Welsh blankets come in these beautiful designs…
- Crimson Red
- Ultra Marine Blue
- Olive Green
- Nut Brown
And the cost of each blanket is £150
New Clapper Board tapestry blanket designs also now available…
These ever popular designs from Cefyn Burgess now come in 5 new and exciting colours…
- Gold and Sandalwood
- Slate blue fleck and Ultra marine blue
- Red fleck and Gold
- Olive green and Sandalwood
- Egg shell blue and Sandalwood
The cost of the blankes are £175 for small and £200 for large.
The “Red Flower” Welsh quilt by Cefyn Burgess has been bought by St Fagans National History Museum in Cardiff. The museum is Wales’s most popular heritage attractions and has been keen to add Cefyn’s work to its collection for some time.
It will not come as a surprise to many of Cefyn’s patrons to discover that the quilt in question was chosen by the museum because not only was it the main feature of Cefyn’s recent “Migration” exhibition but it was because of the cultural heritage and story behind it.
This third exhibition from Cefyn focused on telling the story of the migration of the peoples of North Wales as they were drawn to new opportunities in America and how they took with them the treasured possessions and images of home which they cherished such as quilts, blankets, cushions embroidered pictures and table linen.
The exhibition is the story of how the indigenises Welsh culture was carried by hand across countries, continents and even time within these textiles.
It was in the Welsh quilts (the largest of all the artworks) that people truly expressed themselves because it was within the quilts that they incorporated personal meanings, family events and deeply held personal beliefs into them.
The use of colour was highly relevant and in the “Red Flower Quilt” the colour red is significant as it represented the quilts main theme of “Heart and Hearth” which expresses the love of both home and of loved ones. The quilt has hidden personal messages are depicted with flowers which are loved by someone special to Cefyn.
“Quilts like the Red Flower quilt where not just a practical domestic textile they had personal messages woven into them and could draw people back to family they have left behind or even comfort people in times of need”.
The “Red Flower” Welsh quilt from Cefyn Burgess will soon be on display at St Fagans and as soon as we now more you will be the first to know.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Pwllglas village hall Cefyn Burgess was asked to become the artistic director and also the curator of a community art project to depict the cultural heritage of the region in an embroidered Welsh tapestry.
Cefyn wanted to involve as many people from the community as possible both young and old so he started by involving the next generation of villagers… the children from Ysgol Llanfir Dyffryn Clwyd primary school.
The children worked with Cefyn on the research by delving into the history of not just the village hall but also the village and the surrounding region. This research soon turned into creative interpretation and whilst under Cefyn’s direction the children started to turn what they had learnt into the tapestries design.
This activity soon grabbed the attention of parents as well as relatives and other villagers so once the children had completed their research and the design the parents then leant a hand by adding more detail and also started to put the composition together.
As the tapestry took shape the true size and scope of the project started to be seen. Not only in the actual size of the tapestry which was 2 meters x 3 meters (7’ x 12’) in size but also in the cultural heritage which the tapestry revealed as it literally became a woven cultural map of the area showing key landmarks such as farms, chapels, houses and fields.
Although the Pwllglas Welsh tapestry is big in size what really makes this a huge cultural event for the villagers and the surrounding area is that this was done by a community who have great pride in their culture, but… the real legacy of this tapestry is yet to come.
By celebrating their cultural heritage with this tapestry they have in turn made themselves part of the future heritage of their community and in another 50 years the children and grand children of the people who helped make the Pwllglas tapestry will look back with pride and who knows maybe be inspired to do their own version of the Pwllglas Welsh tapestry.
