Quilt No.647ME - Margaret Eisenhauer

Margaret Eisenhauer
Owner: 
Margaret Eisenhauer
Location: 
NSW Riverina
Maker
Maker: 
Olive Donaldson
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Patterms
Wholecloth, Utilitarian
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
This is a double sided almost square quilt. Machine made and quilted. Both sides are green cotton. One side has centre square of pink paisley. The other side has a centre square of dark blue/grey with the same material in triangles in each corner. The padding is believed to be raw wool.
1325 x 1350mm
History: 

This quilt was made by Olive Donaldson (born Dolphin) in Melbourne pre 1923. It is now owned by her daughter, Margaret Eisenhauer.

Story: 

Olive Donaldson (1893-1988) made the quilt in Melbourne probably pre her marriage in 1923. Olive came to the Temora district to be a farmer's wife on a mixed farm, sheep and grain (mainly wheat and oats). The furniture and other chattels came up in a horse drawn covered van.
Olive was a superb seamstress and made all the clothing and household furnishings for the family. She had one child, Margaret, and lived on the farm until her husband died in 1969.
Olive's grand parents migrated from Ireland where they had a farm. Olive's mother, Catherine, was born here and the family lived at Girgarry in the Goulburn Valley, Victoria.
Margaret recalled that in summer her mother would put a hand spun, hand woven Irish linen cover on the double bed in the spare room and that it had a big round embroidered piece in the middle. In winter the quilt was on the bed with just a marcella under it.

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