Wholecloth Quilts

Yvonne Hamdorf
Wholecloth pram quilt with a top of pink cotton sateen, and the reverse is a more finely woven, ivory, fabric. All over quilting design as main feature, with stylised hearts, leaves and cross hatching. The padding is cotton batting. 870 x 660 mm.
John Tomkin
Hand stitched, cotton, appliquéd, quilt in a flower pattern on a plain background. Colours are shades of green, apricot and browns. This quilt was known as a 'Bride's Quilt'. Padding is thought to be layers of white fabric raised almost like a wadding. The backing is cotton material. 2470 x 2020 mm.
Margaret Lyons
Padding for a utilitarian quilt that originally had a wholecloth cover. The padding is up to 3 layers of woollen scraps and pieces of used clothing, including hand knitting. White cotton tacking and overcast stitches hold all layers in place. The backing is a cream wool blanket with woven stripes.
1580 x 1200mm
Ida Blenkiron
Wholecloth cot quilt of floral cotton in a pattern of pink roses, green leaves, and blue ribbons. Paddiong is old blanketing, and backing is a soft fawn twill. The cotton was the same fabric as the bedroom curtains. No quilting.
1010 x 840mm
Kereake Wray
Wholecloth Greek quilt. "The fabric is a beautiful silk satin with a formal pattern of soft yellows and pinks on a turquoise background. Surrounding this is a 40cm wide border also of silk satin (cerise coloured). The quilt is machine pieced but hand quilted. The method of quilting is very interesting. A thick cream twist has been used and at first glance it seems that the quilt is tied as there are long pairs of stitches with gaps of about 4cm between them. However, either a long needle was used to make a pair of stitches OR each side may have been quilted separately with the needle only going half way into the wadding which is about 2 cms thick." [Kereake Wray] The padding is kapok approx 2 cm thick and the backing is deep coral pink satin. 2200 x 1960 mm.
National Gallery of Australia
" This coverlet is composed of two pieces of dark blue cheese cloth joined with a row of running stitches down the centre of the coverlet (the seam faces the front face of the coverlet but is hidden beneath a row of appliqué).
The coverlet is decorated with rows of pieced work surrounding appliquéd and embroidered scenes. A panel down the LHS of the quilt and a smaller panel lower RHS depict animals and floral images. In the centre RHS an elderly couple sit beneath a tree. In the upper left a bride and groom accompanied by three flower girls are showered with petals from a wicker basket carried by a very large angel. Glass beads, sequins and a button have been used to highlight the appliqué and embroidery.
As with all of Mary Jane Hannaford's quilts, the work is stitched by hand and quite crudely, but the naivety of the images is overwhelming with their charm." [NGA] The quilt is not padded or lined. 1950 x 1690mm
Betty Gray
Hand appliqued, embroidered and quilted, 1940s. Cotton quilt with yellow, pink and purple tulips and green leaves, has scalloped edging with green piping. Hand quilted.
2240 x 885mm
 Hilary Williams
Wholecloth quilt of fine cream homespun embroidered with stranded cotton in 2 shades, brown and buff, with gold highlights. It is a cross stitch floral pattern which was stamped on the homespun. The self coloured quilting is mostly in straight lines with a fern design border. The quilt has a bound edge.
2460 x 1670mm
Maria Alexakis
Wholecloth quilt. Quilting pattern is a large 'feathered thistle' with thick stem, as the main design feature. The border is a combination of straight and curved parallel lines. Burgundy sateen with damask weave. All quilting is handstitched. Padding is cotton wadding and backing is tomato red cotton. 2150 x 1820 mm.
National Trust of Australia (TAS)
Child's quilt, reversible, top and ruffle of cotton patterned with pink and off white roses on a green background. The reverse has had a large piece of red and green paisley printed cotton hand sewn over the rose print. Machine stitched in rectangles in 5 rows with pink cotton. The padding is cotton or kapok.
1150 x 840mm
Stavroula Ioannou
Rose pink satin wholecloth quilt with lighter pink cotton backing. Hand quilting forms large diamond pattern in the centre with a border of parallel lines.
2000 x 1800mm
Denise Frahn
Wholecloth quilt, machine sewn, made from cotton chintz with a pale green background and a floral pattern of bunches of pink roses and blue flowers, reversible. The centre is stitched in a diamond pattern with two outside borders, then filled with feathers, using a broom handle to force the feathers through. Cover made from 36" fabric, the pattern matched exactly. Excellent condition. Feather filling was collected by the makers from backyard poultry, geese, ducks, fowls. Called an eiderdown.
1830 x 1480mm
Alexandra Magloveris
Wholecloth quilt in satin, crimson one side and yellow on the other. Hand quilted in an all over pattern. The padding is wool.
2300 x 1700mm
Muriel Hartmann
Domestic Wagga made from sugar bags joined together and covered with army blankets. Machine construction. Patching evident. Sugar miller's brand visible on one bag: " M--AQUIN, 70lbs, --- SUGAR, BUNDABERG"
1753 X 1347mm
June Brown
Reversible wholecloth quilt of floral cotton material with a sateen finish. Machine quilting in rows holds the layers together. Padding appears to be an old blanket, cream wool with grey and pink stripes.
1950 x 1850mm
Powerhouse Museum
"A quilt or coverlet of natural cotton sheeting with appliqueed motifs cut from a variety of crimson cotton damask. The quilt is hand sewn and nearly square and has a 12 cm border made from the same crimson damasks. The applique motifs consist of a range of hexagons, rosettes, flowers, hearts and stars that radiate outwards from a large centrally placed star shape. All are the same shade of crimson red which suggests they were dyed in the same dye pot. The fabrics are now quite thin and soft which suggests that the quilt, or the fabric it was made from, was well used." [PHM]
1960 x 1950mm
Dulcie Williams
Wholecloth quilt, the cover made of blue and red paisley cotton cretonne, and filled with feathers. The cover is reversible. The machine quilting is a simple pattern of 2 diamonds, one within the other, in the centre, with 3 rows of stitching around the edge of the quilt, forming a wide border.
2033 x 1474mm
June Brown
Rectangular cot quilt of green floral cretonne with pleated frill. Machine made. The backing is the same material. It is tied not quilted. The padding is old woollen jumpers.
1050 x 610mm
June Brown
Wholecloth quilt made from rayon/damask style fabric golden brown in colour with a raised stylised floral motif. Quilted to the self pattern of the fabric. Hand quilted, backing is of gold coloured fabric.
Cotton wadding showing through worn areas.
1810 x 1250mm
Ann Kyranis
Traditional Greek quilt. The top is a piece of deep red and gold brocade (in Greek a 'stoffa'). The border and the backing are made from gold brocade woven with a daisy pattern. It is hand quilted in parallel lines.
2150 x 1720mm

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