Quilt No.79AR - Annette Rich

Annette Rich
Owner: 
Annette Rich
Location: 
NSW Central West
Maker
Maker: 
Eliza and Margaret Roebuck
Made in
SHIPBOARD
Date: 
pre 1850
Description: 
Unlined quilt. Central square of floral chintz with rectangular and chevron border making a larger frame that is set within another square-on-point frame edged with 2 toned red leaf pattererned chintz. This quilt is mainly pieced (squares, triangles, lozenges) but the hexagon rosettes are appliqued. Dress and furnishing cottons dating from the early 1800s. Raw edged, unfinished. All hand stitched.
2400 x 2400mm
History: 

The quilt was made by sisters Eliza (Lizzie) (1845-1925) and Margaret Roebuck (1842-1917) probably on a windjammer plying between India and Australia. About 1860 Henrietta Roebuck took her children from Scotland to live with her brother at 'Jondaryn' on the Darling Downs, Queensland. Neither Lizzie nor Margaret married and when Margaret died in 1917 Lizzie moved to Sydney to live with relations and took the quilt with her. The present owner is a descendant of Lizzie and Margaret's sister Henrietta Maria Howe.

Story: 

Sisters Margaret and Eliza (Lizzie) Roebuck, who made the quilt, were born in India of Scottish parents, George Douglas Roebuck and his wife Henrietta (Andrew). Major Roebuck was an officer in the 71st Native Infantry of the British Army. He died in 1846 and is buried in India and is said to have died of a burst aorta from yelling at the troops. It is thought that Hentrietta then returned to Scotland with the children.
About 1860 Henrietta, with some of the children (including the youngest Lizzie and Margaret) went to Australia to live with her brother James Andrew at his property on the Darling Downs Queensland.
Margaret died in Queensland in 1917 and Lizzie went to live in Sydney, taking the quilt with her. The present owner is a direct descendant of Margaret and Lizzie's sister Henrietta Maria Howe.

Related Quilts:

Euroa and District Historical Society
Handsewn cotton hexagons in a wide variety of patterns. Centre oval of hexagons with 2 outer rings. There is no padding and the backing is white cotton.
2490 x 2200mm
Sue Batzloff
Patchwork quilt for a child made from suiting pieces from the Castlemaine Woollen Mills in Victoria. One side has dark rectangles in greys and navy, the other side uses pieces in light browns, cream and rust, with dark grey. The edging is also made from suiting. No padding Machine sewn.
1347 x 1271mm
June Johnson
Hand sewn cotton cot quilt with pattern of red and white lozenge shaped hexagons measuring approximately 65mm from top to bottom. A centre flower is constructed from 2 circles of 19 hexagons in red and white. This is surrounded by 8 smaller hexagon flowers. Additional single red hexagons are scattered at random on the white background around the rows of flowers. The quilt is not quilted or tied but is attached at all 4 edges. Writing on the back of the quilt (probably added later) reads "Made by Sarah Hodge, Newport, Wales UK for her first child John." There is no padding and the backing is white cotton. 1000 x 1250 mm.
National Trust of Australia (NSW)
Utility quilt hand and machine sewn. The top has a centre frame of hand sewn hexagonal patches in a mix of dress materials and shirtings with four corner flowers and a roughly circular ring in red and blue stripe. The inner border has rectangular pieces in red/yellow/green/white hexagon printed material alternating with a blue/white spot. The outer border consists of large pieces of material, predominantly pink and blue stripes and checks. The backing is mainly red/white printed cotton. It is quilted all over in a diamond pattern. The padding is mainly flannel and has been made from another quilt.
1975 x 1675mm
Barbara McCabe
Patchwork quilt made from squares of woollen fabric scraps from dressmaking. Squares are stitched together in no particular order. Colours are bright, with pink, yellow, green, brown and light blue predominating. Fabric is plain, checks and stripes. No padding or quilting. Backing is a cotton bedspread, striped in pinks and magenta.
2530 x 1640mm
Ryder Lundy
"Hexagons pieced over cardboard hand-sewn together. Each rosette was then machine quilted 1/8th to 1/4 inch from edge of rosette in shape of each rosette. Quilt is mainly cottons with a few rayons. Some checks and stripes are used but mainly florals. Has been machine quilted in rosette shape using green on green fabrics, lemon on lemon, orange on orange and red on red." [Ryder Lundy] There is no padding and the backing is gold curtain fabric extended at the end and one side with matching taffeta. 2220 x 1270 mm.