Quilt No.954AP - Agnes Pratten

Agnes Pratten
Owner: 
Agnes Pratten
Location: 
QLD South East
Maker
Maker: 
Mrs Ball
Made in
AUSTRALIA QLD
Patterms
Wholecloth, Re-used clothing or blanket, Utilitarian, Typically Australian
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
Wholecloth quilt covered front and back with the least worn parts of old curtains. The padding is a carded wool sheet from Ipswich Woollen Mills placed between layers of cheesecloth.
1800 x 1225mm
History: 

This utilitarian quilt was made in Queensland by Nessie Pratten's mother, Mrs. Ball, when Nessie was 15 years old. It was made during the depression and Nessie used it for many years and it is still owned by her. "[it is used] when I have a full house, or if someone has to sleep on the floor [it is] used underneath." [NP]

Story: 

"The wool for this was brought out during the depression years, to help the wool industry and also to help keep people warm, as blankets were too dear to buy, think it would have been about 25 shillings, cheese cloth about 6 pence a yard. This would not have been its original cover, but it would have been covered with cretonne from curtains I am sure.
During the depression my father was a War Pensioner from first world war and due to war wounds was unable to work and my mother had to manage with 5/- five shillings to keep us on (State children got 10/- ten shillings). She thought it really did not pay to get married. But as you can imagine life was not easy, but would have been a lot worse if she had not been clever with her fingers and a good manager."
[Nessie Pratten, Queensland, October 2000]

Related Quilts:

Yvonne Hamdorf
Quilt No.1016YH - 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.
Wholecloth, Quilting as major design element
John Tomkin
Quilt No.1005JT - 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.
Wholecloth, Embroidered and/or Appliqued
Bundaberg & District Historical & Museum Soc. Inc.
Quilt No.664BHM - Bundaberg & District Historical & Museum Soc. Inc.
World' quilt of linen squares , autographed, embroidered in stranded cotton and the squares sewn together.
2000 x 2000mm
Embroidered and/or Appliqued, Motifs or Names, Signature, Wholecloth, Typically Australian
Christina Kazaglis
Quilt No.726CK - Christina Kazaglis
Both sides of this wholecloth quilt are made from different floral cottons with a third pattern used to form borders. It is hand stitched and the quilting pattern is squares. The padding is raw cotton.
1740 x 1240mm
Wholecloth, Quilting as major design element, Greek
National Trust of Australia (QLD)
Quilt No.435NTQ - National Trust of Australia (QLD)
Quilt made of tailors' swatches, machine constructed around a central frame that is mainly mid brown pieces. This is surrounded by rectangles of mainly charcoal greys and the outer border is navy blues. The backing is a heavy cotton with random green and cream and grey stripes.
1651 x 1220mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Typically Australian, Tailors' samples
N.S.W. Parks and Wildlife Service
Quilt No.557NPW - N.S.W. Parks and Wildlife Service
Large double sided quilt of rectangles and squares of men's suitings, patterned and plain on both sides. The top has a central motif of a circle of three segmented rings radiating from a single hexagon. The outer ring is all tailors' samples and the inner rings are a variety of materials. There is some featherstitching in red. The quilt is sparsley machine quilted.
Patchwork, Typically Australian, Tailors' samples