Quilts

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]
Migration Museum
Patchwork quilt in the Double Irish Chain pattern, made from cotton fabrics in white and a brown print (possibly green originally), with a wide border of cream fabric. The border is quilted with a four cable pattern, and the main part is cross hatch quilted , in a diamond pattern. Backing of cotton. Hand sewn and quilted. Padding unknown.
1970 x 1740mm
Machine sewn quilt made from 125mm squares of scraps left over from dressmaking joined in strips and then the strips joined. There is a border of fawn cotton and the backing is the same material. The padding is an old blanket and the border is padded with sheep's wool.
1400 x 925mm
Embroiderers' Guild Victoria
Cotton quilt of hexagonal pieces joined to form rosettes or 'flowers' in a pattern often called 'Grandmother's Flower Garden'. Hand pieced. Colours are mainly pink, brown, amethyst and cream. There is no padding and the backing has been added recently.
2140 x 1550mm
This traditional Greek quilt has one side of deep pink satin and the other side of gold satin. It is machine quilted with a centre diamond in which are large butterfly patterns set within curvilinear and crescent shapes. The borderis 3 parallel lines. The padding is cotton wadding.
1940 x 1660mm
Verandah quilt. Floral and patterned cover encasing duck feathers. Silk organza conservation work reveals other materials.
1050 x 800mm
Quilt made from suitings and cloth patchwork, hand stitched with blanket insert and pieces of knitting from garments.
1900 x 1190mm
Quilt of pieced printed cottons in the 'Le Moyne Star' pattern with the blocks set on point with sashing in a turkey red cotton print. Patchwork prints for the diamond shapes include spots, small prints, plaids, florals. The backing is another turkey red print and it is folded over to the front to form a border. The padding is cotton. The quilting outlines patches with some additional diagonal lines.
2595 x 2565mm
The Adelaide Chronicle 'International Quilt'. Squares of fawn cotton with alternate squares embroidered with scenes from different countries using coloured threads in a variety of stitches. The alternate squares have a pattern of feathered circle and this is back stitched in beige embroidery thread. The backing is turquoise cotton blend attached to the quilt with pale blue herringbone stitch. The quilt is padded.
2430 x 1440mm
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
Wholecloth quilt with top and backing of green and pink floral cretonne. The padding is machine pieced patches from old woollen blankets.
1440 x 1070mm
Patchwork quilt made from pieces of bright cotton fabric sewn on to an old folded blanket. Backing is a piece of cotton fabric. Machine sewn on a Wertheim hand sewing machine .
2100 x 1400mm
Cot quilt. Single piece of floral cotton material top and back (cream background with coloured flowers). The padding is a single layer, twill weave, heavy bag, probably jute. The layers are fixed with a different coloured button in each corner. Machine quilting across the centre
1320 x 1140mm
Traditional Aboriginal fur cloak called a 'Buka' or 'Boka', made with three pieces of pelt. Fastened at the front with a piece of fur inserted into the other side. 1500 from back of neck to hem 1600 measuring around to just below the shoulders
National Parks & Wildlife Service of SA
Child's cot quilt of crazy patchwork, with patches of velvet, silk brocade and satin, all seams embroidered with feather stitch in different coloured threads. There is a wide border of peach-brown velvet. Backing is a floral cotton. Has been in poor condition, conserved by Artlab SA.
1490 x 1000mm
Utility quilt, machine pieced from mainly squares of dress materials in many different patterns. The backing is a wholecloth paisley print. The padding is pieced used clothing and materials including chenille and plush.
1950 x 1270mm
Quilt, Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern, has hexagon flowers with plain centres and floral material for 'petals', and paths of mid to dark blue. Cotton fabric. No padding. Backing is of unbleached calico.
Kangaroo skin cloak of seven gores is made from the skins of eight grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus). The skins vary in size and shape, the inner five are roughly triangular. The extra skin has been used to make a collar.The two skins on the edge of the cloak are roughly rectangular. The cloak edges are untrimmed. The skins are sewn together by means of a small hem which was turned back on to the fur, so stitches went through two layers of skin on each gore. The skins have been sewn together with thread, the older thread is natural coloured linen, then the resewn areas have been stitched with black thread. The skins are a creamy yellow in colour. Longest part: 750mm approx. [From S. Meagher MA Thesis 1973 'A Reconstruction of the Traditional Life of the Aborigines in the SW of Western Australia']
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

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