Unique Quilt Project celebrates Derry and Strabane’s textile traditions
14 August 2026
Work has been completed at the Tower Museum on a project dedicated to preserving Derry’s shirt-making history
Work has now been completed at the Tower Museum on an important heritage project dedicated to preserving and celebrating Derry’s internationally significant shirt-making history, following the award of grant funding from the Northern Ireland Museums Council (NIMC).
The ‘Stitched – the Shirt Factory Quilt Project’, supported through the NIMC Museum Collections Capital Grant, has enabled the museum team to conserve, assess and document an important collection of textiles connected to the city’s once-thriving shirt factory industry. The successful project has ensured these significant locally made textiles are better understood, cared for and preserved for future generations.
Working in partnership with a group of skilled volunteer quilters, led by Margaret Lee of Shirt Tales NI, the project has not only facilitated the long-term care of the collection, but has also captured invaluable specialist knowledge relating to quilt design, materials and textile traditions that had never previously been documented. The collaboration has strengthened relationships with local volunteers whose expertise has added rich new layers of interpretation to the collection, helping to preserve skills and knowledge that might otherwise have been lost.
Alongside the NIMC-funded work, the team has also been delivering the ‘Archives Revealed – Exploring the Shirt Factory Archive’ project, further promoting awareness of the industry through archival research, community engagement and the recording of oral histories. Interviews have already been recorded with former shirt factory machinists and a former factory owner, preserving first-hand memories of the industry. The relationships established through the project will enable many more recordings to be added to the archive in the coming months, further enriching the collections and the story of the shirt factories for future generations.
Together, these projects have significantly enhanced the museum's collections and knowledge of the shirt-making industry, with their legacy continuing to shape the development of the new DNA (Derry~Londonderry on the North Atlantic) Museum at Ebrington Square. The work has already resulted in the donation of eight additional quilts, alongside archive material and objects relating to the shirt factories, enriching the museum's collections and ensuring more stories of the industry are preserved. It has also established valuable connections with former factory workers, volunteers and industry professionals, creating new opportunities for future research, collecting and community engagement.
The success of the project has been recognised by the Northern Ireland Museums Council, which selected ‘Stitched – the Shirt Factory Quilt Project’ as a case study demonstrating the impact of its Museum Collections Capital Grant programme. The project highlights the significant impact that relatively small grant awards can have, not only safeguarding museum collections but also unlocking community knowledge, inspiring new donations and creating opportunities for future research and engagement.
Explaining more about the project, Margaret Edwards, Museum Service Manager with Council, said: "This project has transformed our understanding of the shirt factory collections. Through the expertise of our volunteers and the generosity of the local community, we have uncovered new information and received important donations that strengthen our collections. It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the traditions and skills that the North West became synonymous with and supported generations of local families."
Building on the success of both projects, former shirt factory workers and anyone with memories, photographs, documents or objects connected to the industry are now being invited to take part in forthcoming Shirt Factory Memory Days, with a drop-in event in the Tower Museum on September 4th running between 1pm-5pm and a second event scheduled for later in September at Strabane Library.
These community events will provide further opportunities to record oral histories, identify photographs and objects, gather additional information for the museum's collections, and encourage new donations, helping to ensure that the stories, skills and experiences of those connected to the shirt factories continue to enrich the archive and museum collections.
Anyone seeking more information, or who would like to discuss donating material relating to the shirt factories, is encouraged to contact the Museum Service at [email protected] or follow the Tower Museum’s social media channels for updates.
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