Quilt No.453RCH - Red Cliffs Historical Society

Red Cliffs Historical Society
Owner: 
Red Cliffs Historical Society
Location: 
VIC Northern
Maker
Maker: 
Florence Beaton
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Crazy patchwork quilt pieced from velvets, satins, braids, taffetas, cottons with some decorative stitching. A ruffle and the backing are in ruby red satin. There is a dacron type padding.
1620 x 1200mm
History: 

The quilt was made by Florence Beaton of Sunshine Farm in the 1950s or 1960s. It is now owned by the Red Cliffs Historical Society at Red Cliffs, Victoria. The society also has a fine collection of Florence and Clara's needlework.

Story: 

Florence (Flo) Beaton (born McNabb) 1920-1996 was the daughter of Clara and Frank McNabb who selected block 46 at Carwarp in the harsh mallee country of north western Victoria in 1913. They called it "Sunshine Farm". Florence was one of 4 childrten (3 boys). She recalled* that her Mother Clara once won a nail driving competition, was an expert with a shotgun, worked on the farm driving a team of horses, had a wonderful garden and was a fine needlewoman as was her mother Ellen before her. Flo carried on the needlework tradition of her mother and grandmother and was accomplished in many types of needlework including making quilts. Flo did not have any children.
*Ref: "A Woman's Work" By Florence Beaton. The story of a Mallee farmer's wife from 1913. Published by The Sunnyland Press, Red Cliffs 1985.

Related Quilts:

Queen Victoria Musuem and Art Gallery
Quilt with log cabin blocks forming centre rectangle with border of crazy patchwork, in silks and velvets, handsewn on to backing of blue, beige, white woven cotton. Log cabin blocks are in rich dark and light rows forming diagonal stripes. The crazy patchwork has edges decorated with yellow and cream feather stitch. Mostly plain materials with some checks and stripes. The quilt appears to have had the edges cut down. The outer border is a dark blue figured velvet. There is no padding and the backing is maroon silk with a woven yellow motif.
1655 x 1215mm
National Trust of Australia (TAS)
Small rectangular bed cover, probably child's or even doll's, made from rectangles of cream linen stitched together with hand sewn french seams. The top surface is decorated with small squares and rectangles of coloured silk, velvet, wool and cotton attached approximately 25mm apart, with 3 stitches in centre of patch to attach to background. Bright pink wool patches stand out.
935 x 635mm
Barbara McCabe
Patchwork quilt made from squares of cotton fabrics, from curtains, left over from dress making projects, and new fabrics. Colours are bright primaries and some pastels, prints are checks, florals, stripes and plain. Pieces were stitched together without any particular order. No padding or quilting. Backing is a cotton bedspread in turquoise and blue stripes.
2520 x 1600mm
Lyn Uppill
Patchwork quilt of hexagons, handsewn, in print and plain cottons and rayon. Central star group has diamond shaped groups of patches, with smaller flower shapes, an inner border of a star shape in yellow hexagons, and an outer border of hexagons in vertical bands. Colours are mainly blues, reds, greens and yellow, the 'paths' and border are a pink print. The backing is herringbone stitched to the border or sashing, which has mitred corners.
2400 x 2340mm
Art Gallery of South Australia
Frame cot quilt in cotton fabrics, the centre square in a paisley print surrounded by two plain borders or frames, then two frames pieced in alternate light and dark triangles, then a frame in a floral print. Outer border is of red fabric, longer at top and bottom to make a rectangle. No quilting. Machine sewn.
1050 x 770mm
Thelma Lithgow
Repeat block quilt top based on hexagons, each 350 mm diameter. Six hexagons and a centre one make a 'flower' and these are set in rows against a plain calico background. Patterned cotton fabrics are used for the hexagons, small prints, fine stripes and tiny flowers. As it is a quilt top only, there is no lining or padding. 2100 x 1800 mm