Traditional Textiles - Welsh Quilts and Blankets
| Contact | Joan Howells |
|---|---|
| Address | 120 Charles Street Milford Haven Pembrokeshire SA73 2HW |
| Phone | 01646 692170 |
Joan Howells restores old Welsh quilts and blankets, as well as Victorian and Edwardian clothes and textiles. She sells them at shows and fairs throughout Pembrokeshire, as well as in Carmarthenshire and further afield. Telephone for details of where she will be next.
"I believe my love of Welsh quilts stems from when my great aunt in Cardiganshire used to make quilts back in the 1920s. Repairing and restoring them is something that began as a hobby. Then, when I left the school in Milford Haven where I had worked for many years, and thought about what to do next, it seemed the natural thing to turn the hobby into a business. Welsh quilts are for me very special - it's probably to do with the Welsh wool that's used for the filling, it has a lovely natural spring that enhances the patterns. Many of my customers come back time after time, so they obviously share my passion for old quilts too.
I have always been very environmentally conscious and hate just throwing things away. As a child we always used to make and mend and that's what I'm doing now. In fact, I still have a wooden - mushroom that my father made for repairing socks. You would stretch the sock over it to make it easier to darn. Nowadays so much is made disposable, which is tragic really. It's far better to reuse things when you can. So, in a way, restoring these quilts is the ultimate in recycling!
I consider myself so very lucky. I'm doing something I love doing, and living in such a wonderful place. I fell in love with Pembrokeshire as a child. We used to go to Tenby on holiday and I remember getting on the beach at nine in the morning and not leaving until sunset.
Now I don't think I could live anywhere else. It's a very special county. Such wonderful countryside, such beautiful beaches and so unspoilt in many ways. There's a tremendous amount of kindness about too. Pembrokeshire people are so open-hearted I'm sure they'll make your visit here very, very enjoyable."
