Quilt No.729NS - Nancy Stinson

"The quilts were made by Nancy Stinson's mother, Sara Harborne (1893-1978) in about 1933.
Sara's husband was a school teacher and in 1931 the family went to Billinudgel. The children were Enid, Nancy and James. New Brighton Beach, about where Ocean Shores is now, was close to Billinudgel and just north of Brunswick Heads. Sara and the children went there for some years for a camping beach holiday. The 2 quilts were made to go on the camp stretchers. The family had 2 tents, one for the kitchen and one for sleeping. There was hessian put around 3 trees and this area was for changing in. Sara's husband did not like the beach and did not go on the camping holidays. He stayed at Fernleigh and looked after the animals. The family had moved to Fernleigh in 1934, it was about 25 miles from Billinudgel.
Sara was an excellent seamstress and made all the children's clothes until they went to High School. Nancy remembers only one bought dress and that was when she went to hospital to get her tonsils out. Sara used to get catalogues from Farmers, David Jones and Anthony Horderns and Nancy remembers calico aprons with pre stamped patterns on them. She remembers sewing many of these including fancy working one that had Phar Lap on it in 1933.
At Fernleigh Nancy worked for 9 weeks for 45/- in order to buy a watch for 2 pounds ten shillings. She helped neighbours who lived about half a mile down the road, helping milk the cows and other farm jobs. Her mother Sara, put in the last 5/- for the watch. Nancy and her sister rode horses 4 miles to Nashburn railway station to catch the North Coast mail train for about 16 miles to Lismore where they went to High School so Nancy had to have a watch,
Nancy identified many pieces of clothing in the padding for the quilts and thought the dark woollen 'neck to knee' bathers came from her mother and father and the lighter ones belonged to Nancy and her sister Enid. Nancy mentioned a label still on one piece of the light green bathers inside the neck: 'Sydney Snow Ltd. Pitt and Liverpool St, Sydney, N.S.W.'
Nancy (born 1923) and Logan (deceased) were married in 1951 and have 5 children (Bill 1952, Wendy 1955, Robyn 1957, Peter 1960, David 1967. The quilts came to her some time after they were at 'Kinloch' on the Temora road where they were in general use on the beds. They came to town (Coolamon) to Dunrobin Street in 1973 and Peter and David mainly used the quilts. Peter took one to Bringabee Station where he was working and David used one at Dunrobin Street.
Nancy values the quilts that have only ever had two covers. She is a fine needlewoman herself, likes quilting and is good at many crafts."
[Notes taken on visit to Nancy Stinson by Morley Grainger and Wendy Hucker on 30.1.2000 and phone conversation between Nancy and Wendy on 31.1.2000]