Heritage quilts and coverlets provide intriguing visual records. While usually made for warmth, quilts often had other purposes. They were made to declare political or religious beliefs, to raise money, to reward someone for services or to commemorate milestones in personal life or major events like war. On another level, old quilts reflect on art and education and Scotland’s once flourishing textile industry.

In her newest and most wide ranging book yet, Janet Rae takes an overview of Scotland’s rich engagement with textiles beginning with the manufacture of linen, wool and cotton in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Using quilts as illustrations, she explores themes such as the impact of Turkey Red dye, the development of needlework education and the contribution of individual suffragettes in advancing textile design and competency.

Warm Covers will appeal to a wide audience through its personal stories of both men and women quiltmakers up to and including the present day. The ‘why’ of their often exhaustive endeavours reveals an interesting insight into a textile artistry and purpose that continues to flourish . A generous selection of images from private and museum collections and stately homes illustrates Scotland’s own special textile story.