Typically Australian Quilts

Patchwork quilt made from darned cardigan sleeves in green, grey, cream and black [wool] stitched to a top layer with a blue wool running stitch. No padding. Backing is a green and cream bedspread.
This padding originally had a cretonne cover. "The filling was made from a variety of old woollen clothing and worn and patched woollen banket scraps, handstitched together with large running stitches. The pieces of clothing include heavily darned machine and hand knitted socks, a knitted wool bed jacket, part of a baby's machine knitted blue jumper, hand knitted baby's leggings, a number of darned singlets and underpants, a darned knitted pink bootee and other assorted knitted woollen garments and pieces of flannel. Cotton name tags on some of the garments are printed with the name C.S.Yates, the maker's maiden name.
The upper side is covered with an old and torn woollen blanket with many holes and the reverse with cream cotton. The whole is partly machine stitched around the edge and across the filling, and originally had a cretonne cover." [PHM]
The quilt is made from dark coloured tailors' samples. There is no padding and the backing is pieced scraps of cotton.
1950 x 1650 mm
"This coverlet is of white cheesecloth, decorated with bands of appliquéd patchwork, figures and poetry. The sides carry vertical bands and down the left hand side these are interspersed with small diamonds. Down the centre are several panels of appliquéd images. Animated and floral motifs decorate the top and lower two panels. The upper central panel has a family image: dad with cane, mum with parasol, followed by two daughters, the larger one carrying a small baby. A poem 'A Last Day' is inscribed in the lower LHS�.."Each day is a test day And may decide My fate for aye Beyond deaths tide."
Primarily cotton fabrics have been used for the appliqué work. The embroidery of the inscription is in black wool. All stitching is by hand and quite crudely executed��In addition to the embroidery, there are tassels. Sequins and ribbon embroidery used to decorate the illustrated sections." [NGA]
The Wilmington Wagga' 1934. Wool and cotton. Hand and machine pieced. Machine quilted. The wagga is made of parts of several worn coats, carefully pieced together so that the linings are visible in places. One coat sleeve has a fur fabric trim and worn areas are patched.
1600 x 1200mm
Double sided quilt, machine pieced from large rectangles of used clothing in various materials including wools and suitings. The sides are turned in and machined to make a firm edge. It is machine quilted. The padding is 3 old sheets and a blanket.
1370 x 1040mm
Wholecloth functional quilt. Cretonne type material both sides. Centre is a blanket with sheeting or cotton fabric sewn to both sides i.e. between the blanket and cretonne. It is machine stitched. There are gaps in one side through which the layers are visible.
1677 x 1423 mm
This utilitarian quilt has a top of mainly woollen used clothing randomly pieced in different sizes and shapes. It includes parts of a jumper, a pocket, a sleeve, the back of a coat, a trouser leg, a piece of 'railway issue' blanket. There are many layers and each layer is stitched together by hand. There is no difference between the padding and the top, it is all layers of pieces of clothes. The backing is an old cotton sheet.
1620 x 1300mm
Utilitarian quilt with the top made from machine pieced different shaped patches of floral cottons. The backing is machine pieced patches of navy blue and grey serge, some darned, probably from men's/boy's pants. The padding is not visible but is very lumpy and very thick making the quilt very heavy.
1460 x 1300mm
Quilt. White linen, autographed, hand embroidered with names of early Methodist Ministers and parishioners' names in white embroidery cottons.
Wagga, made from 2 jute bags split and hand-bound along the seams.
1870 x 1130mm
Quilt of men's suitings. Machine stitched, red backing.
1800 x 1100mm
Wholecloth quilt of cream cotton embroidered in lemon thread with names of teachers and students. No filling. Backing is of cream cotton.
1830 x 1250mm
Quilt top of patches of tailors' samples and men's suiting pieces in dark colours, mainly black and grey. Machine construction. It has a border of rose coloured velveteen and the backing is a single piece of cream patterned flannelette.
Patchwork rug made from tailors' samples, each sample 340 x 200mm. Each piece is edged in green wool blanket stitch, and then each piece is crocheted together using the same green wool. No padding or backing.
2130 x 1280mm
"This unusual quilt is comprised of bands of horticultural show ribbons machined onto a blue lining. The ribbons are royal blue in colour and printed in gold/bronze with two inscriptions.
KYOGLE P.A & H SOCIETY and TWEED RIVER AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY
The quilt has been formed so the two inscriptions alternate down the face of the quilt. The ribbons appear to be of rayon. White cotton machine thread was used in the construction. Accompanying the quilt is a carry bag; a rectangular bag made of the same show ribbons as the quilt with a single drawstring at the top." [NGA] The quilt is not padded. 1833 x 1410mm
Mary-O Roberts
This domestic Wagga is made from an opened out jute wool bale as the padding with a woollen blanket as the backing. The top was originally curtains (brown cotton printed with daisies and dull yellow tulips) and the material has been folded over to the back for 60mm and stitched with 'Barbour's Linen Wax Thread' using running stitches about 50mm long. The whole domestic Wagga is then stitched in a large square grid.
1980 x 1730mm
Quilt made from suitings and cloth patchwork, hand stitched with blanket insert and pieces of knitting from garments.
1900 x 1190mm
Marcella quilt filled with old blanket. Large diagonal quilting stitches. Running Stitch group suggests it is possibly a wagga filler which would have been covered with a cretonne sleeve.
1880 x 1180mm
Tailors' samples quilt. Random sized rectangles joined in rows. There is a 3cm wide pleated frill of navy woollen material. The padding (synthetic) and the backing (green and white striped cotton) are recent. 1900 x 1850mm.

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