Quilt No.160WHS - Williamstown Historical Society

Owner: 
Williamstown Historical Society
Location: 
VIC Melbourne
Maker
Maker: 
Mrs Hansen
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1901 - 1920
Description: 
Quilt made of squares of calico joined together. These have embroidered signatures of army personnel and names of battles zones, from World War I. It is lined with muslin.
2000 x 1500mm
History: 

The quilt was put together by Mrs Hansen during World War I. It was given to the Williamstown Historical Society (Vic) by Mrs Hansen in memory of her son Captain Hansen, a soldier who was killed in World War I.

Story: 

"Mrs Hansen and other mothers sent food parcels to their soldier relatives serving overseas during World War I. The tins containing the food were wrapped in calico. Mrs Hansen asked her son to get his men to sign the pieces of calico and send them back home. She then got her friends to embroider over the signatures. The squares of calico were then joined together to form a quilt. The names of the various battle zones were also embroidered on the quilt. The qult is lined in muslin. It has never been used as a bed quilt, but hangs in our Museum. �"
[Lois Swaby Sec. Williamstown Historical Society]

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.
Maria Ahilas
The quilt top is of rose-pink satin and the backing is a lighter pink cotton. The quilting pattern is a large central 'wheel' motif repeated from each corner like a fan. The centre 'wheel' is surrounded by a single feathered wreath and diamond fill pattern. Hand quilted. The padding is cotton wadding from cotton grown on Lesvos island.
2000 x 1600mm
Rosemary Blake
Single bed quilt made from sugar bags stitched together covered with a ticking type fabric. This inner layer is then covered with muslin, dyed yellow. It is similar in construction to 80RB but much lighter as the sugar bags are lighter than the heavy jute potato bags.
1520 x 990 mm
Julie Atkinson
Reversible wholcloth quilt with elaborate hand quilting. One side is rose pink and the other black with quilting done in black thread. It is padded but the type of padding is unknown,
2250 x 2100mm
Mary and Max Robertson
Traditional Wagga rug made from 3 wheat bags joined along the long side by sewing with bag needle and twine. Machined twill cover was put on later in the 1960s. Originally no padding but now the bags are the padding. One of a pair(identical).
1790 x 1160mm