Quilt No.205BJ - Bev Johnston

Bev Johnston
Owner: 
Bev Johnston
Location: 
VIC Northern
Maker
Maker: 
Charlotte Gambold
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
Patchwork quilt made from squares and rectangles of pink, blue and white fabric set with a frame of pink and white print around a centre rectangle made of 4 pink triangles. Four corner squares of blue and white stripes, Many squares are pieced from smaller scraps. The Material is a crepe type, possibly used for underwear. Handsewn and machined. Backing is made from cotton scraps, possibly lawn or similar. Padding is flanellete or similar. Edges are bound in a striped material. Quilt shows signs of wear.
620mm x 520mm
History: 

Made by Charlotte Gambold, in Wangaratta, probably in the late 1930s. Used as a cot or pram blanket by Mrs Elizabeth Bennett (Charlotte's neice by marriage), and given to the current owner Margaret Wright by her grandmother Elizabeth Bennett. It is not known whether the quilt was given to, or bought by Mrs Bennett.

Story: 

"Charlotte Gambold was born in 1850 and died in 1951 at the age of 93 years [sic]. She belonged to a family of twelve children � The family eventually settled in Everton on a property called 'Hill View'. Charlotte did not marry and retired to Wangaratta in 1939 with her brother Isaac and sister Emily. They lived in Docker Street in a house between Grey Street and Green Street (the house no longer exists).
Charlotte was part of the community of Everton, in particular involved with the Methodist Church where she taught Sunday School for over sixty years, walking three miles to Church each week.
It is believed Charlotte made quilts to sell to supplement the family's income, particularly after retirement as there was no Aged Pensions. In the past many family members slept under her quilts bought from her.
Charlotte died in June 1951 and is buried int eh Wangaratta Cemetery, with her brother Isaac who had died four years previously.
[Bev Johnston 8.10.97]

Charlotte Gambold
Charlotte Gambold

Related Quilts:

National Gallery of Australia
" Reversible patchwork quilt of woollen suiting/upholstery fabrics in khaki, greys, blues and browns. Both sides have different designs. The front of the quilt has 13 rows of 12 vertical rectangles flanked on either side by a column of 22 horizontal rectangles. The reverse has a more interesting and complex design of small and very large rectangles, squares and triangles; with khaki contrasting with the duller greys and blues. The patchwork layers are joined at the edges with machine stitching and the quilt is machine quilted along 3 horizontal lines following joins in the patchwork; therefore not being totally straight. These lines are more noticeable on the reverse. The reverse face has been on display at the NGA." [NGA] There is a cotton blanket used as padding. 2054 x 1451mm
Gillian Sullivan
Quilt made of 9120 very small Suffolk Puffs, each one about the size of a 20 cent piece. "Each piece backed and the front of it drawn up like a reticule. It was not backed and was rather fragile, so I backed it on to a sheet, as it was heavy and in danger of tearing when lifted." [Gillian Sullivan]
2360 x 2230 mm
Phyllis Dowling
Hand pieced cot quilt made from small rectangular shapes of a great variety of materials including cottons, silks, wools and velvets. The backing is cotton sateen in 3 colours and is brought to the front to form a border of pink, cream and yellow.
1170 x 920mm
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Patchwork top with a centre frame of a mauve cross outlined in black within a square bordered with pink. The rest of the top is rectangles and squares in a wide variety of materials. There is no padding. The backing is brown, possibly curtain material.
1910 x 1480mm
Kristine Gray
Double sided frame quilt. All reused materials including corduroys, wools and light weight suitings. Machine made and not quilted There is no padding as already heavy and warm.
1780 x 1530mm
National Gallery of Australia
" A wide range of cotton fabrics have been used to make this quilt in the traditional log cabin style. The strips of the log cabin are joined by rows being hand sewn onto a small square backing fabric, each square of strips has then been hand sewn together to form the quilt. The work is backed with a sateen printed fabric decorated with paisley design. A strip of the lining trims the edge of the front face of the quilt. The lining is attached with machine stitching. There are numerous tacking stitches that remain in the front face of the quilt. There are approx 9000 pieces in the quilt, most being only 5mm in width.
The quilt is of three layers because the strips of the log cabin are attached to a backing piece, and then the quilt is lined; however it is not padded." [NGA]