Quilts at the V&A

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is holding its first ever exhibition of British quilts.

It features about 70 quilts dating from 1700 to the present day, including examples from the V&A's unseen quilt collection as well as key national loans.

The very idea of quilts seems cosy and comforting but there are many secrets within the seems, as this art form has often taken its inspiration from hardships and injustice.

Many of the works not only display enormous creative skill but they also provide a social history.

The Strand's reporter Bidisha, went along to the V&A to talk to the curator about a selection of these quilts.

She also spoke to the contemporary artist and quilter Gwendolyn Magee about the powerful narrative images she creates with fabric.