Quilt No.784CN - Charlotte Nattey

Charlotte Nattey
Owner: 
Charlotte Nattey
Location: 
ACT
Maker
Maker: 
Edith Millington
Made in
IRELAND Cookstown
Date: 
1901 - 1920
Description: 
The quilt top combines various scarps of silk in an informal pattern of flowers made from individual silk petals with a large flower in the centre. There is crazy patchwork in between the flowers. The pieces are sewn on with feather stitch, blanket stitch and satin stitch. There is a 37cm ruffle on the two long sides. There is no padding and the backing is silk.
2140 x 1550mm
History: 

The quilt was made by Edith Mary Millington at Lissan Rectory at Cookstown, Northern Ireland c.1920. It is thought to include parts of her wedding dress dyed and sewn in. It was made for her neice Mildred Millington born 1910. It is now owned by the maker's grand-daughter Charlotte Nattey.

Story: 

"This quilt is totally different from the one done by my grandmother and reflects both changing times and the obviously different character of mother and daughter. This quilt is obviously made by eye and not strict measurements - the stitches are randomly different as the mood took her. It is still very fresh in colour and must have been quite vibrant. I'm sure that it is again scraps of clothing that she utilised.
I knew her as a child as a warm hearted interested woman with wonderful white hair.
She married a country Rector in Northern Ireland and threw herself into community life. She was renowned for always doing things in a rush and maybe forgetting something in the process - this quilt reflects her personality very well.
Life must have been pretty idyllic; no huge income was needed to have 3 or more 'staff' and those to run the farm that came with the Rectory. Food and produce was grown and stored and was used for church fetes etc. There was time for tennis and tea parties and the stories from both my aunt and father reflect an easy life style with time both to laugh and reflect. There was of course a lot of obligation and duty - no time off for holidays and Sunday school, Mothers' Institute, the Girls Friendly Society etc. all to be run."
[Charlotte Nattey 6.4.97]

Edith Mary Millington
Edith Mary Millington
Lissan Rectory, Northern Ireland
Lissan Rectory, Northern Ireland

Related Quilts:

Mare Carter
Patchwork quilt, all cotton including cotton filling. "Wedding Ring" pattern in variety of materials in plains and patterned, many pinks and blues.
Hand sewn and hand quilted.
2236 x 1804mm
June Brown
This quilt has been strip pieced with no regular pattern. It seems a large quilt has been made then folded in half. The materials used are woollen skirting pieces in a variety of colours. It could be used either way. There is no padding and it is very heavy.
2100 x 1950mm
Pam Clifford
Large squares, alternate brown check and blue check, of men's dressing gown material. "Everyone's father had one in 40s and 50s". [Pam Clifford]. No padding. Backing is smaller random shapes of men's grey suiting material. Machine construction. There is no quilting.
2236 x 1550mm
The Embroiderers' Guild of S.A.Inc Museum
This Adelaide Chronicle wildflower quilt has alternating squares of green and fawn headcloth embroidered with Australian wildflowers on the fawn squares and stylised floral motifs on the green squares. It is bordered and backed with the same green material. It is padded.
2350 x 1530mm
Gundagai Historical Museum
Patchwork cot or pram quilt made of diamond patches in the Tumbling Block pattern. Patches are made from cotton, corduroy and velvet, with red, black, teal blue, green, brown and cream predominating. No padding. Backing is of green wool and the quilt is bound with dark red crushed velvet.
780 x 560mm
Dianne Thompson
Patchwork quilt made from Suffolk Puffs in a mixture of bright and pastel prints and plains, mainly in cotton materials. Hand sewn. No padding or backing.
1630 x 1440mm