Quilts

"All handsewn. Quilt in fragile condition. Hexagonal patches in blocks of 19 patches & joined together with diamond and triangle patches. All patches recycled cotton material. The centre patch is one material, the 6 patches around are another material and the surrounding 12 are white sheeting. The diamonds and triangles are pale blue. No padding. Cotton sheeting backing. Patches sewn onto a ? old cotton ? damask weave tablecloth or bedspread. This is woven in strips. The backing sewn on."
[K.D.H.S.1997] 2500 x 2450mm
Quilt made from patchworked curtain materials, machine stitched and patched at a later date by hand.
1700 x 1600mm
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
The top of this quilt is made from men's suiting samples and the backing is cream cotton. It is machine stitched. There is no padding and no quilting.
2160 x 1550mm
Pieced animal skin quilt made from 25 cat skins, in blocks of five across by five down. No filling. The backing is of heavy maroon wool felt which also forms a border around the skins. The majority of skins are in good order, with some bare patches. 2040 x 1160mm
Embroiderers' Guild Victoria
Quilt in patchwork and applique. Patchwork is in an all over pattern based mainly on triangles in floral and plain cottons. The centre and the inner border are appliqued. It is not quilted. There is no padding and the backing is calico. It is believed to be an 1840 - 1860 design.
2800 x 1500mm
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
Helen Sparkman
Wholecloth quilt mainly made from material with a green and yellow leaf pattern on a black background. This material was also used in another quilt. The backing has a large centre panel of checked material with panels either side of the leaf pattern from the top. The owner wrote that the uneven thickness of this quilt may indicate that old garments were used as 'batting' similar to her mother's (Matilda Pitt) quilts.
1520 x 850mm
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
This rug is made from brown kangaroo skins. 10 whole backs and 4 half backs stitched in a diamond pattern with 4 whole skins in the centre. Machine construction. The backing is red baize with 40mm scalloped edge showing. 1740 x 1270mm
Fox skin rug made from the backs of 42 fox skins. The backing is red felt with a stamped scalloped edge extending beyond the skins. 1680 x 1230mm
Helen Sparkman
Suffolk Puff quilt in a wide variety of cotton materials patterned and plain. There is no backing.
11900 x 1350mm
"The quilt is made entirely from over 7300 hexagons cut from scrap materials, and is hand stitched throughout using the 'English' method of quilting. Scraps of plain unbleached calico were used for the background with the pattern pieces cut from plain and floral fabrics in shades of blue. The design is medallion style, with a large central diamond surrounded by two concentric diamond borders beyond which are scattered different sized hexagonal rosettes, all made from hexagon patches in the same size. The pattern patches were cut from the offcuts of dresses and dressing gowns made at a friend's factory and from another friend's dress material scraps." [PHM] There is no padding. The backing is 'Actil' unbleached sheeting dyed pale blue and attached with a blind stitch to the quilt top. A central rosette set within a large diamond of hexagons decorates the back and is stitched through to hold the 2 layers together.
2720 x 1880mm
Cotton quilt in green, red and white paisley print. It is sewn with 4 bands and 2 irregular centre shapes. The reverse side is identical to the top side. The padding is feathers.
1660 x 1400mm
Patchwork quilt made of gathered circles stitched into a square shape. Made of scraps of fabrics from the depression period. The maker called the shapes 'squirkles'. No padding. Quilt is lined.
2100 x 1400mm
Quilt covered in pink and green paisley cotton material. The backing is cotton. The quilting is machined in parallel rows around the sides and in the centre in a scalloped design. The centre panel corners are finished with pink buttonhole stitching around a small hole. The filling is down.
1750 x 1400mm
Wholecloth quilt made of two layers, the top in white cotton sheeting and the backing in a heavier white cotton twill. The layers are joined by quilting, handstitched in a chevron pattern using a coarse white cotton thread. The edges of the quilt are bound with strips of white cotton sheeting. Three edges of the quilt have a scalloped sedge with the top edge of the quilt straight.
Pencil marks are still visible, marking out the chevron pattern.
2630mm x 1920mm
"The quilt is made of white cotton, slightly padded, and measures 150 x 75cms. The pattern is made up of a large circular design in the centre with smaller circles around the edge, with close lines of running stitches in white cotton outlining the design." [ Victor Harbour National Trust]
Skin rug believed to be platypus pelts, 28 in all. It has a brown cotton backing. 1300 x 900mm
Hand pieced quilt with geometric repeat pattern on both sides. One side has a wide red border and geometric piecing in red, blue and pale coloured printed cotton fabric. The other side has a similar geometric pattern but is worked in paler fabrics in pink, brown and pale blue prints. Pieced sides attached to cream woollen blanket [filling] with parrallel rows of machine stitching.
2160 x 2160mm

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