The Chapman coverlet 1829 - unfinished
A technique now often referred to as English Paper Piecing, due to it popularity during the 18th Century, provides a function to the patchwork process, but also leaves traces of the maker.

Historically papers used for piecing fall into four categories:

* Children’s school books - written in several hands, on both sides of the paper. Often with grammatical sentences.
* Personal papers - letters, accounts, bills.
* Printed papers - pamphlets, newspapers, invitations
* Blank papers - this is the least numerous example of papers. Paper was handmade and expensive.


The papers in the Chapman coverlet, (recently shown at the V&A Quilts exhibition) play an intrinsic role in its structure. Yet for textile conservator Joanne Hackett, the papers have raised some questions. “Why are the piecing papers left in the coverlet? Perhaps piecing-in papers were not considered disposable - but formed part of the quilts layering, adding insulation? Have many historical quilts lost their piecing-in papers due to later washing rather than deliberate removal?”
I wonder if, like with the stitched messages, whether papers were left inside to leave behind stories?

Images above show detail from the Chapman coverlet and my own experiments with paper piecing / stories, using pages from my note book.