Quilt No.177EQ - Janette McInnes

Janette McInnes
Owner: 
Janette McInnes
Location: 
VIC Melbourne
Maker
Maker: 
Elizabeth Perry
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
Pieced and appliqued quilt of pink, blue and brown wool. Centre motif is an applique whirligig or flower in pink and blue on tan, with two pink side borders topped by smaller appliqued whirligigs or flowers in the same colours. The outer frame is made of strips of pink, blue,and brown, with a border of brown. Some silk embroidery on the applique edges. No padding. Backing is of cretonne.
1423 x 1144mm
History: 

Made by Elizabeth Perry, at Brunswick (VIC), probably during the Depression. Given to an Op Shop by Elizabeth's niece, Mrs Beryl Chalmers. Now owned by Essendon Quilters Inc.

Story: 

"The quilt was donated to Essendon Quilters. It had been bought at an op shop for $2.00. I had become very interested in the quilt and after a bit of research found the person who gave it to the op shop. That was Mrs Chalmers. Beryl Chalmers remembers the quilts (there was another) when the family lived in Brunswick (Vic) and feels they were made for a move the family made to Hampton.
Later on the quilts were used at a beach house at Lorne and withstood a lot of hard work. Although the quilt is quite small by our standards today it was made for a single bed.
Elizabeth Perry was born around 1895 and died in 1975. Her niece remembers her as a remarkable lady being able to produce fine hand work or turn to heavy work such as crocheting etc. She was a great seamstress and also did fancy work and made baby clothes as well."

Letter from Janette McInnes, 1997:
"Elizabeth Perry never married and lived with her parents until they died. The qult was made in Brunswick where the family lived at 8 Barrow St, brunswick. The family moved to Hampton about this time - 60 years ago. Mrs Chalmers feels that the quilt was made to be used in their new home.
Elizabeth Perry worked at the Commonwealth Clothing Factory during World War I and Mrs Chalmers thinks she continued working after that but doesn't know where. She seems to have worked as a machinist or perhaps hand tailoring? Mrs Chalmers remembers her as a very talented sewer, who also crocheted, made beautiful baby clothes and did fine hand work.
She doesn't remember her grandmother sewing and her own mother did sew but didn't have the skills that Elizabeth had. �"

Elizabeth Perry, 1975
Elizabeth Perry, 1975

Related Quilts:

Val Ireland
The top of this utility quilt is machine pieced rectangles of woollen materials joined in strips. It includes corduroys and velveteens and woollen tartan. The backing is an Indian cotton blanket.
1651 x 1271mm
Muriel Hartmann
Reused parts of hand knitted woollen jumpers patched together. Wide crocheted edge from wool unravelled from jumpers retrieved from the tip.
1905 x 1525mm
N.S.W. Parks and Wildlife Service
Double sided quilt. Side 1 has an off centre frame based on a hexagon and including triangles and squares in a concentric pattern. The borders are all small rectangles with a single strip of large rectangles at one end. Side 2 has a central patch of pieced shapes appliqued to the background. The borders are squares and rectangles many in striped shirting cotton. Side 1 has minimal quilting to the interlining but it does not go through to side 2. The padding is a thin sheet.
The circle (sometimes pieced hexagons) is common to other 'Craigmoor' quilts.

1450 x 1230mm
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
Patchwork quilt made from diamond patches in a variety of cotton materials set in a 'tumbling block' pattern. Patterns include geometrics, stripes, a 'Kate Greenway' print and colours are largely soft pastels, dark browns, with some reds and blues. The quilt has been cut down and a later border added. There is no padding and the backing is cream cotton.
2279 x 2000mm
Anne Gardener
Quilt made from woollen dressmaking scraps, sewn to an army demob issue blanket, grey with blue stripes. Patches are feather stitched in red broder cotton thread. Quilt is edged with red cotton material zig zagged into place. Colours are pink, blue, brown, black and grey, in plain cloth, weaves and checks.
1462 x 966mm
June Brown
Pieces of heavy woollen material have been strip pieced and then joined. The joined pieces have then been folded over and restitched along the sides to make a double sided quilt. It is very heavy.
1830 x 1400mm