Quilt No.368SB - Shirley Brown

Owner: 
Shirley Brown
Location: 
NSW Far West
Maker
Maker: 
Mary Ellen Doubtfire
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
Patchwork quilt made of hexagon patches in a variety of materials, including velvets, corduroy, cotton, underwearmaterial. No padding. The backing is made from scraps in squares and rectangles, including voile, cotton and probably old curtain material.
2134 x 1777mm
History: 

Made about 1939 in Broken Hill (NSW). Made and used by Mary Ellen Doubtfire. Owned by her grand-daughter, Shirley Brown.

Story: 

"My grandmother made this quilt about 59 years ago. My mum tells me Gran used to sit in front of the old wood stove tacking and sewing, they never had much money and used everything she could find. I remember the quilt laying on top of a brass bed. When I received it the papers were still in it. I'm not using the quilt anymore because some of the fabrics are starting to rot and fall apart."
[Shirley Brown]

Related Quilts:

Friends of the Hawkesbury Art Society
Patchwork Quilt consisting of diamond shapes forming a Tumbling Block pattern. All cotton, mainly patterned pieces, with signs of blotting paper templates. Hand sewn. The outer border of patches consists of off-cuts from nurses' uniforms of the times as 2 of the maker's daughters were nurses. It is thought most other squares were probably from material samples from large city stores such as Anthony Horderns. Backing is red cotton in a paisley design.
2030 x 1890mm
Gabrielle Carter
Crazy quilt of velvet upholstery fabrics, and cigar ribbons with surface embroidery. Patches are outlined in embroidery stitches, and one patch has 'Dec 12 1886' on it. There is no padding, and the backing is cotton. 1720 x 1580 mm.
Molly Palmer
Patchwork quilt with repeat blocks of Log Cabin pattern in cottons. One side of the square has blue fabrics, the other side has pink. Blocks are separated by a floral and a blue strip. The quilt is finished with a dark blue border on 2 sides, and a light and dark blue border on the other 2 sides. Dark blue binding around edge. Hand quilted with a cable pattern on the borders. Padding is probably synthetic. The quilt is backed.
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Patchwork quilt made up of 100mm multi coloured squares in a variety of materials including cottons, synthetics, lurex, plain and printed. Each square has dacron padding and is then joined in strips and the strips joined. All hand sewn. The backing is blue synthetic whole cloth 60mm of which is returned to the front to form a border.
1500 x 1200mm
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Machine pieced top of squares of part jumpers, most hand knitted. The padding is a blanket. The backing is an old curtain.
1735 x 1350mm
Tess Davidson
Hand stitched quilt of suiting materials. Centre rectangle also suiting materials but arranged with a smaller scale, is edged with a cord of red fabric covering string. The outer red border has been renewed by the owner and closely matches the original. The backing is ticking. There is no padding.
2390 x 2110mm