Quilts

Margery Smith
Patchwork quilt made from hexagons 63mm across in a variety of cotton prints and plains. The bright coloured patches came from children's clothes and dressmaking scraps. The 'set included a large cot cover, a pillow cover and a circular stool cover. No padding. Backing of unbleached calico. Hand sewn.
2300 x 1840mm
National Gallery of Australia
" Reversible patchwork quilt of woollen suiting in grey, blue, navy, maroon and brown. The fabrics appear to be new tailor's sample pieces (the sizing is still present on the fabric, signifying it has never been washed). The patches are rectangular and vary in size. Both sides have different designs. The front of the quilt has 4 rows of 12 vertical rectangles then below this are 4 rows of 7 horizontal rectangles followed below by 4 rows of 11 vertical rectangles. The reverse of the quilt has a section at the top and bottom composed of 5 rows of 9 horizontal rectangles. The central area is made up of a centre section of 6 rows of 5 vertical rectangles; flanked on either side by a column of 10 horizontal rectangles and two columns of 8 smaller vertical rectangles.
The patchwork layers are joined at the edges with machine stitching. The patchwork layers and padding are machine quilted on the front down 2 vertical lines following joins in the patchwork; therefore not being totally straight. The lines are more noticeable on the reverse as the 2 sides do not match. The front face is displayed at the NGA.
Between the patchwork layers is a striped cotton blanket in black, sky blue, white and cream." [NGA]
2082 x 1386mm
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
Joyce Lannin
A frame quilt with a pattern using hexagons from crepe de chine and silk material. The centre frame consists of a blue rosette of hexagons surrounded by six rosettes or flowers all with black centres. These are surrounded by rows of hexagons and then a row of flowers and then more hexagon borders. The owner refers to the pattern as 'Grandma's Garden'. 2550 x 2550 mm
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Patchwork quilt made up of 100mm multi coloured squares in a variety of materials including cottons, synthetics, lurex, plain and printed. Each square has dacron padding and is then joined in strips and the strips joined. All hand sewn. The backing is blue synthetic whole cloth 60mm of which is returned to the front to form a border.
1500 x 1200mm
Margaret McMillan
Cotton log cabin double bed quilt. Each square has 52 pieces (i.e. 13 pieces x 4 to make a square). There are 192 squares so a total of 10.092 pieces. There is probably no padding. The backing is calico with a floral pattern done in running stitch.
2200 x 2200mm
Dorothy Stevens
Utilitarian quilt. Padding consists of recycled hand knitted jumper pieces (mainly 3 ply crepe and 8 ply) tacked to a layer of cotton material with strong buttonhole twist thread. The top is a piece of cotton fabric. Machine quilted in rows approximately 70mm apart.
1827 x 1423mm
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Machine pieced crazy patchwork quilt in plain, floral and striped cotton materials. Some pieces are seamed and others are sewn direct on to calico backing. Each piece is outlined in red stranded cotton in herringbone stitch.
2150 x 1770mm
Pauline Munro
Quilt of woollen rectangles, probably tailors' samples. Machine pieced. The backing is floral cotton similar to curtain material.The backing has a french seam down the centre back and is folded over to the front to form a binding. There is no padding.
1440 x 1260
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
Annette Gero
This domestic Wagga is two layers of woollen army blankets with the top layer in rectangles joined in rows. The backing is hessian bags that originally contained meat meal.
11650 x 1130mm
Ida Blenkiron
Rectangular quilt with front and back made of rectangles of cotton samples of shirt materials, in checks, stripes and plains. Colours are soft muted reds, greens, blues, yellows and browns, and pastels. Construction is 3 to 4 rows of rectangles joined across the quilt. Padding is probably an old blanket. There is a row of hand quilting approximately the width of one patch in from the edge, holding the layers together.
1870 x 950mm
South Australian Museum
Wallaby skin rug of small rectangles stitched together with sinew. The back of the rug has been scored in diamond patterns.
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Single bed quilt made up entirely of hexagons in 'Granny's Flower Garden' pattern. The rosettes are made up of 8 hexagons and a central one. Native flower prints, including wattle, on a white background. Plain hexagons in white, yellow and blue form a scalloped border. Hexagons are hand stitched and the 2 layers are quilted in running stitch. The backing is a pieced sheet.
2400 x 1500mm
National Trust of Australia (VIC)
Hand stitched silk quilt in mosaic patchwork based on triangles. Pieces include dress materials and some embroidered linings fom men's waist coats. Paper templates. The backing is cotton.
2200 x 2000mm
Mare Carter
Friendship Quilt'. All cotton with thick cotton padding. Each of the large panels of patchwork is different and many are signed by the makers who belonged to the Rebecca Lodge in Linwood California. Dates on the squares with signatures are 1933. Wide variety of colours and patterned and plain fabrics. The quilt is now in 2 pieces.
1981 x 1727mm
Peter and Jan Newman
Suffolk Puff quilt with puffs mainly in patterned cotton pieces saved from 60 years of household sewing. Puffs are formed into rosettes and the holes are on the top making a decorative feature. It is hand sewn.
2700 x 2400mm.
Jean Winchester
Patchwork quilt of hexagon patches with a large central group of 14 rows, then groups or 'flowers' of 6 patches placed over the rest of the quilt. The colours are red, black, white and blue, in a mixture of stripes, florals and plains. No padding. Backing is a double bed sheet. Hand sewn.
2591 x 2566mm
Jean Winchester
Patchwork quilt in the Log Cabin pattern, made from cotton fabrics in prints and plains in bright colours. There are 185 squares, all sewn on to check gingham. No padding. Backing is of black cotton.
2718 x 2540mm
Narelle Grieve
English pieced hexagonal star quilt in silks, velvets and satins. Commercially made fringe in cotton maroon twill. Some motifs have herringbone stitching around them. There is no padding and the backing is polished cotton twill. 1840 x 1660 mm

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