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:

June Brown
This quilt has been strip pieced with no regular pattern. It seems a large quilt has been made then folded in half. The materials used are woollen skirting pieces in a variety of colours. It could be used either way. There is no padding and it is very heavy.
2100 x 1950mm
Alicia Murdoch
Cotton quilt entirely of hesagons. Some are formed into rostttes or flowers and have a print border of 12 hexagons, an inner circle of 6 hexagons in a plain colour and a yellow hexagon centre. The padding is cotton wool and the backing plain off white cotton.
2210 x 1430mm
Narelle Grieve
Silk quilt in diamonds with hexagon border. "Toward the edge of the quilt, the design of diamonds made into blocks offers an optical illusion, where the diamonds can be seen to form stars. The border is made up of these stars and half-diamonds, and the entire quilt is trimmed with lace and triangular flaps made of tiny hexagons." [extract unidentified magazine article supplied by quilt owner.]
The backing is maroon cotton. 1600 x 1600 mm.
National Gallery of Australia
"The quilt consists of 12 blocks of crazy patchwork with an embroidered border. The quilt is made of 167 different fabrics; most of these are silk. These velvets, printed silks and satins are beautifully embroidered with flowers, household items and Kate Greenway images of children at play. Many of the motifs have a strong influence from the Aesthetic Movement. The edge of the quilt carries a border in maroon silk decorated with tendrils and daisies in very fine embroidery.
The patches are joined with hand sewing and embroidery, however the 12 panels are joined with machine stitching (chainstitch machine stitching). The blue silk lining was hand sewn into position with silk thread." [NGA]
"The quilt does consist of three layers but the central layer is not padding. The crazy patch pieces were sewn together and this was lined with white cotton fabric prior to the embroidery at the edges of the 12 panels being placed. This in turn was lined with a fine blue silk." [NGA] 1810 x 1460 mm
Gillian Albers
Patchwork quilt made from hexagons in 'Grandmother's Flower Garden' design, in blue and aqua cottons, polyester and flannelette. Quilt is backed. No padding or quilting.
2380 x 2320mm
Dianne Thompson
Patchwork quilt made from Suffolk Puffs in a mixture of bright and pastel prints and plains, mainly in cotton materials. Hand sewn. No padding or backing.
1630 x 1440mm