Quilt No.615PWH - The Pioneer Women's Hut

Owner: 
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Location: 
NSW Riverina
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
White cotton quilt of blocks with an embroidered flower in each one. The whole 'garden' is encircled by an appliqued picket fence. There is a cotton backing but no padding.
1840 x 1820mm
History: 

This quilt was made by a group of women from the Boorowa or Cowra districts NSW as a raffle to raise funds for a charity. It was raffled between 1931 and 1935 and the raffle was won by Jessie Jackson, always known as Gipsy. Her daughter Morag Faithfull donated it to The Pioneer Women's Hut. It is occasionally displayed at the museum.

Story: 

The daughter of Gipsy Jackson said the prize for the raffle included a dressed doll and so her mother thought the quilt was a doll's quilt. When the family lived in Queensland and then back in Warren NSW the raffle quilt was always used on the bed in the visitors' spare room.

Margaret Rolfe, well known Australian quilter and quilt historian, recognised the design as one from the American quilt designer, Ruby McKim*, whose designs were also published in the Adelaide Chronicle and republished in the Weekly Times newspaper in the 1930s.

Related Quilts:

Yvonne Hamdorf
Wholecloth pram quilt with a top of pink cotton sateen, and the reverse is a more finely woven, ivory, fabric. All over quilting design as main feature, with stylised hearts, leaves and cross hatching. The padding is cotton batting. 870 x 660 mm.
John Tomkin
Hand stitched, cotton, appliquéd, quilt in a flower pattern on a plain background. Colours are shades of green, apricot and browns. This quilt was known as a 'Bride's Quilt'. Padding is thought to be layers of white fabric raised almost like a wadding. The backing is cotton material. 2470 x 2020 mm.
National Trust of Australia (QLD)
Crazy patchwork quilt with mainly patterned pieces in a wide variety of designs and colours. Backing is wholecloth patterned cotton. The quilt is edged with a checked bias binding. Machine construction.
2299 x 1449mm
Doncaster-Templestowe Historical Society
Patchwork quilt made of hexagons in silks, satins and brocades. Colours are soft, mainly creams and pastels, with some deep pink, yellow, dark grey and bright blue. Quilt is bordered with a wide band of light navy moire or faille. Padded, possibly with a blanket. Backed with cotton twill.
2420 x 1900mm
June Brown
Rectangular cot quilt of green floral cretonne with pleated frill. Machine made. The backing is the same material. It is tied not quilted. The padding is old woollen jumpers.
1050 x 610mm
Jeanette McGeoch
Crazy patchwork quilt made from pieces of silk, velvet, silk ribbon and brocade in a variety of patterns and plains, in a range of colours. All patches are edged with embroidery, in blanket, feather, herringbone and other stitch variations. Many patches are embroidered with flowers, butterflies, leaves and initials of family members, and there is some beading. 1901 is embroidered in one corner. Quilt has a wide border of gold velvet. Patches are stitched to a base fabric. Backing is dark green sateen.
1470 x 1060mm