Utilitarian Quilts

Brisbane Valley Historical Society
Quilt is made from layers of complete clothing covered with calico and stitched through all layers by machine. Clothing used includes a full skirt, a shirt, and a nightgown. All fabrics are cream. Cover has been replaced by others as the calico wore. White ants have eaten part of the quilt, exposing some of the clothing used as padding.
1880 x 1067mm
Rosemary Blake
The inner part of the quilt is made from potato bags stitched together. These have been covered with a ticking type fabric held to the bags with large stitches using a string type thread. This whole inner layer is covered with muslin, dyed orange. The dye is thought to have been a Dolly dye. The quilt is very heavy. There are small hand stitches in each corner through all layers.
1770 x 1520 mm
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Wholecloth of calico, top and backing, machined into squares and each square filled with loose wool possibly carded. Single layer side flaps for tuck-in.
2350 x 2210mm
Griffith Pioneer Park Museum
Quilt, machine sewn, has one side of floral cretonne, red floral on cream background. Other side is of fawn cotton knit, irregular shaped pieces with a mixture of straight and curved edges, edges are turned under and the top stitched together. Padding appears to be old blankets, possibly with other material sandwiched in between as it is lumpy.
770 x 340mm
Mal Crawford
The top is an old army blanket, the backing is jute bags and the padding is old woollen material and parts of the maker's mother's fake leopard skin coat. It is hand sewn using a darning needle and fishing line.
1880 x 1132mm
Joyce Lacey
Wholecloth utility quilt covered with good quality cotton printed with posies of pink, blue and green flowers and leaves, the top side has darker colours than the reverse. Filling is made from old blanket pieces, cardigans and pullovers stitched to an old blanket. Top and back machine stitched together.
1601 x 991mm
Ida Blenkiron
Wholecloth quilt with back and front of red, blue and yellow cotton floral print and padding made from jumpers, wool skirts, etc. Machine quilted.
1050 x 840mm
Muriel Mackenzie
Wholecloth utilitarian quilt with velour type material top and cottage weave curtain material on the back. The padding is a 'bush blanket'. There is a binding of turquoise woollen crochet encased in black cotton satin fabric Machine sewn and quilted.
1829 x 1042mm
Junee & District Historical Society
Wholecloth rug/ quilt. Front and back the same pattern. Cotton, creamish background with bunches of blue flowers. Machined. Some large patches. There is padding but it is unknown exactly what.
1450 x 1420mm
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Wholecloth quilt of rose patterned and coloured cretonne on one side and a backing piece of pale green cretonne with a floral pattern. The padding is a worn grey blanket.
1440 x 1080mm
Dulcie Williams
Wholecloth quilt made from cotton cretonne, with two distinct patterns. Front has sprays of pink and red roses, back has bunches of tan and white flowers on a cream ground. The quilt has machine sewn channels widthways which are stuffed with old nylon stockings cut into strips about 1/2 inch wide. Single bed size, and extra long to tuck in at the bottom of the bed.
2185 x 1067mm
Bud and Patricia Ford
A striped bush blanket with patches of used clothing. Originally covered with cretonne.
1829 x 1525mm
Max Robertson
This traditional Wagga rug is made from 4 jute wheat bags joined lengthwise (upopened) by sewing with a bag needle and twine. It did not have a cover. In the 1950s it was covered with striped cottage twill on both sides. Originally there was no padding and now the bags are the padding.
1950 x 1130mm
Margaret Eisenhauer
Wholecloth quilt covered with floral cretonne both sides, deep pink and yellow flowers on cream background. Padding is hessian/jute type bags joined.
One of a pair but the other one is smaller.
1800 x 1325mm
Dulcie Williams
Wholecloth quilt has a top of green, blue, yellow and white check cotton flannelette. The backing is calico with washed crossbreed fleece stitched to it in rows. Sewn on a treadle machine. A calico flap extends from the base and was used to tuck in the quilt to prevent slipping.
2135 x 1271mm
Win Groves
Wholecloth quilt with front and back of green and white check gingham. The filling is made from jumpers, suitings, warm skirts etc. Machine sewn.
1800 x 1050mm
Nancy Stinson
This quilt is one of a pair. The original padding by Sara Harborne consists of layers of pieced used clothing including; part of Sara's shawl (gold), part cream woollen blanket, part 'neck to knee' bathers pink and black/blue. Later additions by Nancy Stinson (daughter) are; orange pieces (part of husband Logan's pullover) and 2 bunny rugs made by Nancy's sister Enid. The padding has had 2 cotton wholecloth covers, the second one put on by Nancy in 1980.
1730 x 1020mm
Dorothy Stevens
Utilitarian quilt made for a child's bed. Padding is hand and machine knitted pieces of clothing. Top and backing is wholecloth of the same cotton fabric. Machine quilted in a simple pattern.
1728 x 864mm
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 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]

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