Quilt No.424AM - Alys Mercer

Alys Mercer
Owner: 
Alys Mercer
Location: 
QLD South West
Maker
Maker: 
Elizabeth Hart
Made in
AUSTRALIA QLD
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
This Adelaide Chronicle quilt or bedcover is single thickness white linen with a double thickness wide green border hemstitched in place. The cover is divided into blocks and in each alternate block an Australian bird has been worked in fancywork using stranded cottons.
2019 x 1144mm
History: 

The maker was Elizabeth Hart (born Schunke) 1862-1947 while living on a farm at Yalangor north of Toowoomba. It was made in 1933 and passed by maternal descent to L. Bach and then to Alys Mercer (born Hart) Elizabeth's grand- daughter. It is not used now.

Story: 

"As mentioned, this quilt was entirely hand made. My grand parents had settled here on the Darling Downs in 1902, previously having lived in South Australia. They still had the Adelaide Chronicle sent weekly and this is where my grandmother obtained the wild flower designs, getting a different one each week as they were published. There was no electricity on the farm so this would have been worked with the aid of a kerosene lamp. Daylight hours were certainly not used for such frivolities as fancy work and not a stitch would be sewn on Sunday."
[Barbara Bullock 24.11.97]

The Hart sisters, Barbara, Alys, Lorna,Linley
The Hart sisters, Barbara, Alys, Lorna,Linley

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.
Margaret Wilson
Hand stitched appliqued quilt or banner. Different hand stitching indicates applique was probably done by several people. There is no padding. The backing is calico.
2230 x 2140mm
Heather Leonard
This 'Quilt' is made from an army great coat from the second world war. The seams have been unpicked and pieced together by machine zig-zagging the flat edges (with Singer treadle sewing machine). The pocket slits are turned back and seamed rather than being pared off. The outside edges are turned over and blanket stitched in red. It does not have a backing.
1620 x 1180mm
Flora Noyce
Hand worked wholecloth Chinese quilt. Background is cream with a central motif of a dragon embroidered in various shades of orange. The border has floral and leaf decoration at each corner joined by a stem interspersed with leaves, berries and butterflies. The border is dull gold satin finished cotton with a fine gold braid machined on. The backing is fine brown cotton.
1730 x 1700mm
Kereake Wray
Wholecloth Greek quilt. "The fabric is a beautiful silk satin with a formal pattern of soft yellows and pinks on a turquoise background. Surrounding this is a 40cm wide border also of silk satin (cerise coloured). The quilt is machine pieced but hand quilted. The method of quilting is very interesting. A thick cream twist has been used and at first glance it seems that the quilt is tied as there are long pairs of stitches with gaps of about 4cm between them. However, either a long needle was used to make a pair of stitches OR each side may have been quilted separately with the needle only going half way into the wadding which is about 2 cms thick." [Kereake Wray] The padding is kapok approx 2 cm thick and the backing is deep coral pink satin. 2200 x 1960 mm.