Quilts

California Rose applique in green and pink on cream background. The central block is set on point with the same decorative grape leaf and grapefruit design used as a border. The quilt is hand sewn and finely quilted. There is no padding and the backing is calico.
2450 x 210mm
Embroiderers' Guild Victoria
Hexagon shaped patchwork cover in an all over design based on very small hexagons in plain colours and prints. It is unfinished and there is no backing. Some of the materials have been dated to the 1830s and it is thought they came from old garments.
1600 x 1800mm
Quilt top has a white background with pink and purple applique hearts and stars in the centre within a pink circle and square border, letters are appliqued in pink. Inscription is: 'Mary Hunt is my name Dapto is my dwelling place When I am dead and all my'� (incomplete)
1000 x 1000mm
"This is a crazy quilt consisting of nine panels of crazy patchwork joined together with bands of olive cotton sateen fabric. The fabrics of the patchwork are a rich variety of silk brocades, silk ribbons, fabrics with metallic threads and velvets. The embroidery is of a variety of silk threads, including chenille.
The quilt is padded with a layer of cotton wadding backed with a piece of tarlatan. The padding is only present beneath the patchwork panels and the bands that join them. There is no padding in the edge border of the quilt. The layers are quilted with machine sewing.
The quilt is fully lined with the olive sateen fabric used to join the patchwork panels on the front face." [NGA]
Quilt of floral linen and cotton with a damask centre. Lined with raw cotton and filled with kapok.
1800 x 1350mm
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.
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
Patchwork quilt made up of machine pieced squares and rectangles of cotton dress materials. The backing is a large piece of furnishing material. The padding is an old cream blanket.
1750 x 1350mm
The front face of this quilt consists of rows of rectangles and squares of multicoloured prints pieced together. The fabrics are cotton and include a few early synthetics such as rayon, and all work is machined. The back is fully lined with an olive green moire synthetic fabric. The lining has been brought around to the front face of the quilt for approx 5cm to provide an edge border. The quilt is a wonderful showcase of the fabrics of the 20's and 30's." [NGA]
The quilt is not padded. 2160 x 1910 mm
Children's coverlet, has a floral covering with chenille layered insert with Italian black cloth.
Val Bensen
A scrap quilt constructed in blocks, each block pieced differently and all linked by the same printed cotton. Machine pieced and hand quilted with thread saved from 'feed sacks'. The padding is cotton and the backing is brown checked cotton twill.
2033 x 1677mm
Wholecloth quilt from Macedonia. Both sides are made of satin. Old gold colour on one side and burgundy on the other. It is machine quilted with 3 parallel lines of stitching around the edge and a double row of stitching forming triangles in the centre. The padding is raw cotton grown in (FYRO) Macedonia.
2000 x 1500mm
"This patchwork is pieced from twelve contained panels of Crazy Patchwork. Each panel is formed of rich silks of various weaves and textures couched on to a calico ground, each patch overlaid to create interesting 'artistic' shapes and contrasts. The rug is backed with gold polished cotton and bordered in blue and green cotton to three edges, maroon to the fourth. Embroidery in several colours, but predominantly gold, is used to advantage in the variety of stitches which define the edges of the pieces, and occasionally on the patches themselves."
[Historic Houses Trust ' Sydney Quilt Stories' catalogue]
1880 x 1500mm
Quilt of men's suitings. Machine stitched, red backing.
1800 x 1100mm
Wholecloth quilt of cotton material, pink one side and yellow the other. The padding is raw cotton. Hand quilted in an all over geometric pattern of parallel lines.
2000 x 1460mm
"A rectangular patchwork quilt made in the 'tumbling blocks' pattern using dark and lighter patterned silks. In 'tumbling blocks', one light, one medium and one dark toned diamond piece are joined to form a hexagonal shape. The hexagons are pieced with the different tones regularly oriented so that they create a three dimensional illusion of rows of cubes or blocks. The quilt is hand pieced throughout and bordered with a tobacco-coloured glazed chintz. The backing papers have been removed." [PHM]
There is no padding or backing.
3012 x 2002mm
Hand sewn frame quilt featuring appliqué. There is a centre square surrounded by two wide borders. The design consists of a large basket in each corner of the square with leaves and buds scattered at random. The 2 borders have flowers and leaves and the outer wide border has a small basket in each side. Colours are pale and strong pinks, blues shading to indigo, browns-beiges and dusty red. The centres of the flowers are all reverse appliqué. There are signs that there has been a backing but it is now one layer. 2700 x 2700 mm.
Quilt top. "Handsewn (edges machine sewn only). Quilt, poor, faded, torn. Red and white patches. Red star and white circle with 4 diamonds in centre. Red and white triangle pieces and plain border. No padding or backing."
[K.D.H.S. 19.2.1997]
2030 x 1941mm
Patchwork quilt made in Log Cabin blocks from silk velvet and grosgrain. The pattern variation is known as 'straight furrow'. No padding. The backing is made from cream silk with a floral monogram embroidered in satin and stem stitch, featuring the letter 'M'.
1620 x 1620mm
Norma Gilchrist
Cotton cot quilt in checkerboard pattern. 30 squares each 180mm machined together. Alternate squares have Australian birds fancyworked in stem stitch and chain stitch using 2 threads of coloured stranded cotton. Alternate squares are plain royal blue and there is a royal blue border 120mm wide. The backing is the same royal blue cotton.
1340 x 1070mm
This is an Adelaide Chronicle pattern reprinted in 'The Weekly Times'.

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