It’s true in fact it was Cefyn who told me he was doing this and he even supplied the photos and I have got to say that there’s not just one pole involved, he tells me that there are two and that it all takes place in his shop… In broad daylight!

When Cefyn told me how much room he needs to do this I thought there is no way he could possibly do it the shop, but he proved me wrong. The site of Cefyn whizzing around on his new Long Arm Quilter is a site to be seen (what else did you think I was talking about?) “It’s the quilter’s equivalent of pole dancing” said Cefyn and I can see why.

This quilter has two poles on it (told you so) which allows Cefyn to role fabric up to 120” (10 feet) wide under tension whilst Cefyn moves (dances) his quilting machine which is now suspended over the fabric which allows Cefyn to work on even larger quilts.

Not only will this new quilter allow Cefyn to design and produce an even greater range of work but it will no doubt keep him fit as he dances up and down the wide expanse of fabric on the tension poles.

So when you visit Cefyn in his studio and you hear “Ministry of Sound” music blasting out and strange sounds coming from the studio its only Cefyn creating a new quilt on his new long arm quilter… he is NOT really pole dancing.

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.