Patchwork Quilts

Patricia Galbraith
Fur fabric quilt made from scraps cut into squares and put together randomly. Colous are black, several greys, browns and some blacks and dark greys are astrakhan. There is no padding and the backing is a grey cotton bush blanket. The quilt is tied with buttons and wool.
1753 x 1251mm
Norma Gilchrist
Cotton cot quilt in checkerboard pattern. 30 squares each 180mm machined together. Alternate squares have Australian birds fancyworked in stem stitch and chain stitch using 2 threads of coloured stranded cotton. Alternate squares are plain royal blue and there is a royal blue border 120mm wide. The backing is the same royal blue cotton.
1340 x 1070mm
This is an Adelaide Chronicle pattern reprinted in 'The Weekly Times'.
Helen Sparkman
Patchwork quilt made of hexagon patches from satin scraps. Hexagons are in solid colours and joined to make rosettes. Hand sewn.
1800 x 1025mm
Child's coverlet, made from old blankets and clothing pieces with a curtain and blanket back.
1500 x 1100mm
Quilt top. One of a pair. The centre piece is appliqued with cross strips and triangles with 'Chester 4 �.' printed on a centre blue strip. The last letters are difficult to read. The borders are triangles, rectangles and squares in cottons (including dimity) and some chenilles.
1160 x 1100mm
Patchwork quilt with hexagonal panels of cotton printed with floral and geometric patterns in browns, creams, blues and pinks and with a chinoiserie border. The backing is cream calico.
2720 x 2660mm
Patchwork of damask squares with dark grey central square edged in black, covering felting fabric.
1420 x 1300mm
Embroiderers' Guild Victoria
Unfinished patchwork quilt top of silks and velvets in 'Tumbling Block' arrangement of diamonds. There is no padding or backing. Template papers are still in place and have been cut from magazines and letters from Melbourne.
1420 x 1210mm
Helen Sparkman
Patchwork quilt, reversible, with both sides constructed from rectangles of cotton materials. These have been joined in strips and then the strips joined.
1900 x 1680mm
Patchwork quilt made from rectangles and squares of wool fabric, sewn into strips and then sewn together. Both sides are pieced using family clothing, cut up and reused.
1449 x 1017mm
Quilt in nine patch design. Thirty blocks, hand pieced in mixed cotton fabrics, solids, checks, flowers, stripes. Quilt is tied. Padding is Hobbs Heirloom (cotton 80%, polyester 20%); backing is cream muslin. 2100 x 1750 mm.
Norma Gilchrist
Cotton quilt made entirely of hexagons joined to form 'flowers'. Flowers are not formed into a pattern. All hexagons are hand stitched including on to the blue headcloth border which is then machined on to the same backing material. The quilt is made from dressmaking scraps, mainly offcuts from the children's clothes including from pyjamas, dresses and uniforms. It is not quilted.
2180 x 1710mm
Quilt of men's suitings. Machine stitched, red backing.
1800 x 1100mm
Crazy patchwork quilt constructed from a wide range of floral, check and plain materials, mainly cottons. The backing is white cotton whole cloth.
2280 x 1380mm
Quilt top. "Handsewn (edges machine sewn only). Quilt, poor, faded, torn. Red and white patches. Red star and white circle with 4 diamonds in centre. Red and white triangle pieces and plain border. No padding or backing."
[K.D.H.S. 19.2.1997]
2030 x 1941mm
Migration Museum
Crazy patchwork quilt of silk and cotton fabrics in velvets and brocades, with surface embroidery and appliqued motifs, and many seams embroidered, in a variety of stitches. Some metal thread embroidery. Centre patch has embroidered initials "F B". Quilt has been constructed from 30cm squares of crazy patwork which have been joined in bands and then stitched together in rows. Quilt has a border 12cm wide of red velvet. Backing (replaced backing) is of deep pink cotton, machine quilted. Hand and machine sewing.
1700 x 1430mm
"This is a hard quilt to date. Quilting design has been (I would say) pre stamped. Heavily quilted. Some applique stars - I think polished cotton. Seersucker backing, quilting not quilted on back (seersucker). Padding is some kind of cotton perhaps cotton wool that has disintegrated to the corners. This quilt has been well made but a little bit worse for wear now." [Lyn Cross]
1500 x 1200 mm.
Verandah quilt. Floral and patterned cover encasing duck feathers. Silk organza conservation work reveals other materials.
1050 x 800mm
"This is a crazy quilt consisting of nine panels of crazy patchwork joined together with bands of olive cotton sateen fabric. The fabrics of the patchwork are a rich variety of silk brocades, silk ribbons, fabrics with metallic threads and velvets. The embroidery is of a variety of silk threads, including chenille.
The quilt is padded with a layer of cotton wadding backed with a piece of tarlatan. The padding is only present beneath the patchwork panels and the bands that join them. There is no padding in the edge border of the quilt. The layers are quilted with machine sewing.
The quilt is fully lined with the olive sateen fabric used to join the patchwork panels on the front face." [NGA]
Embroiderers' Guild Victoria
Pieced construction of lozenge and diamond shapes in cotton and woollen materials, possibly from men's suiting or nightwear. Pale mauve cotton surrounds the patchwork. It is hand pieced and machined around the edge. The padding is cotton wadding and the backing is pink, white and blue striped cotton.
2080 x 1820mm

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