Introducing the Minton Quilt
Minton made modern
The Minton Quilt is inspired by British heritage and ceramic design but looks just as striking in modern fabric, colours and prints.
The Minton Quilt Pattern design was inspired by Victorian tiles, especially those from the iconic Minton pottery in Staffordshire, England. I’d love to tell you more about the Minton that lends its name to my Minton because it's an amazing, 175-year-old story!
The Victorians knew a thing or two about design
The industrial towns in the West Midlands of England probably haven’t influenced many modern quilt patterns! But there are obvious parallels between geometric tiles and patchwork quilt blocks.
The tileworks at Minton were, in their Victorian heyday, the shining star of the British design industry. Minton’s success was rooted in the Industrial Revolution: the transition of producing goods by hand to using machines.
Those early decades of mass-production still valued the legacy of hand-made craftmanship. Minton, like other iconic Victorian decorative brands, didn’t sacrifice quality to quantity. Instead, they brought world-class design to ordinary homes, municipal buildings and public spaces.
The Minton model
Known as “Europe’s leading ceramic factory during the Victorian era”, Minton’s was an independent business from 1793 to 1968. Minton’s ceramic tile designs were used widely in English homes, libraries, museums, meeting spaces and other public buildings. Minton was patronised by British Royalty and show-stopping Minton tiled floors were installed in the British House of Parliament and the United States Capitol.
Even small, ordinary Victorian homes has decorative tiled hallways, pathways or fire surrounds. If, like me, you grew up in England or ever visited a Victorian-era English property, chances are you’re already familiar with the Minton style!
The best places to see spectacular Minton tiles
V&A Museum, London
The Victoria and Albert Museum is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts, and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. The tiles commissioned to create its famous “ceramic staircase” where made by – you guessed it – Minton. Or Minton, Hollins & Company as the business was known by the mid-19th century following a merger.
United States Capitol Building, Washington DC
When the US Capitol Building was extended in 1856, a tiled Minton floor was commissioned to complete the design. The tiles were shipped from Stoke-on-Trent to New York City then on to the capital before installation.
St George’s Hall, Liverpool
Recognised as one of the finest neoclassical buildings in the world, the floor of St George’s ‘Great Hall’ features over 30,000 encaustic Minton tiles and was once the largest of its kind in the world. It is uncovered to the public for a limited period every year.
Enjoy Minton in your own home
Check out the Minton Archive online
Grab a coffee and lose yourself in this enormous archive hosted and care for by Stoke-on-Trent City Archives with support from UK National Heritage Memorial Fund. There are over 5,000 records to browse and explore online, from wherever you are in the world. What an incredible collection!
Online sales and salvage
If you fancy owning your own piece of Minton history, check out online auction sites and sales pages, as well as local architectural salvage specialists. Individual tiles and sets of ceramic tile panels for fireplaces are often available for sale and are usually much cheaper than a fully tiled Minton floor or pathway!
Make a Minton Quilt!
Use the Minton Quilt Pattern design to bring the Minton legacy to your home and family. Try traditional Minton-esque fabric colours to create your own fabric version of an iconic tiled floor.
The Minton Quilt Pattern at-a-glance
The finished Minton block measures 15"x15" and is made from 25 pieces. Big numbers but it's easy to make, I promise!
There are flying geese and half-square triangles in each block but we make them in batches of 4 and 8 to save time.
Each block is finished with snowballed corners which create a secondary pattern where the blocks meet.
The centre square is 5" so you can have fun with a larger scale print or fussy-cut detail.
The pattern is for an advanced beginner upwards. That's because there are some points to match up - I've included tips in the pattern to help!
Ready to make your Minton Quilt?
If you’ve been inspired to make your own version of the Minton Quilt, I have some free resources to help you plan and create it!
Colouring page on PreQuilt
Check out the Minton Quilt digital colouring page on the PreQuilt app. It’s free and easy to use and helps you plan how your quilt could look, before you order fabric and start sewing.
Tutorials for making half-square triangles and flying geese
I have two super helpful tutorials here on my website to show you exactly how to make eight HSTs at a time and how to make four flying geese at a time. The tutorials are packed with step-by-step photographs to use alongside the full instructions and diagrams included with the digital pattern.
more Inspiration to make the minton quilt your own!
Take a look at how other quilters have made the Minton Quilt with their unique choices of fabrics, prints and colour palettes.
Be sure to share your Minton Quilt on social media using the hashtags #MintonQuilt and #CQSPatterns and by tagging @cowdenquiltschool. I’d love to see your Minton!
Kathleen x