Quilt No.92JM - Jeanne Mims

Owner:
Jeanne Mims
Location:
QLD South West
Maker
Maker:
Nancy Melvina Kelso
Made in
USA
Patterms
Date:
1921 - 1940
Description:
Quilt top is 35mm squares of white, pink, green and blue plain cotton set asymetrically within blue diamonds. The back is plain white cotton. Each square is hand quilted. There is a blue binding.
2591 x 2160mm
2591 x 2160mm
History:
The quilt was made in Iowa or North Dakota in the 1920s by Nancy Melvina Kelso who was the great aunt (on the paternal side) of the present owner. It was brought to Australia in 1975 by Jeanne Mims Mother on one of her visits to their sheep property near Winton, Qld.
Story:
The maker, Nancy Melvina Kelso, was born in 1874 in Wayne County, Iowa, and died in 1964 in the same place. She was one of 8 children of Daniel and Fannie Kelso. Nancy was the daughter who stayed at home to look after aged parents. In north Dakota she worked for many years as a secretary in a flour mill (Minot) and made quilts in her spare time.

The Kelso family c.1895. Nancy back row left.

Nancy Melvina Kelso c.1888
Related Quilts:
Patchwork quilt in Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern, consisting of 7 patch rosettes with white 'paths'. Cotton dress and shirting materials have been used in blues, pinks, brown, turkey red and Prussian blue. The quilt is hand sewn and each hexagon is 25mm wide. The backing is cream twill cotton in three panels. There is a hand sewn binding in red/pink cotton. There is overall quilting in chevron or zigzag pattern.
2415 x 2110mm
2415 x 2110mm
All over pattern of rows of hexagons with each unit made up of 4 hexagons each 45mm. Patterned and plain materials thought to date from the 1930s including cotton and linen dress materials, synthetics and synthetic crepe. It was an unfinished top and Meg Orr, the present owner, finished it by machine stitching some of the hexagon rosettes to the red twill background and stitching on a backing. There is no padding.
1740 x 1210mm.
1740 x 1210mm.
Cotton quilt of pieced hexagons and some diamonds made for a baby's basket. Colours are mainly blue and pink and two 'Punch and Judy's' are appliqued in the centre. There is no padding and the backing is a cotton floral in blues and greens.
760 x 660mm
760 x 660mm
The centre of the quilt is a small blue 6 pointed star surrounded by a larger blue star. Blue stars also form a border to the quilt. The background material is a multicoloured small floral pattern on white cotton. The quilt is all hand worked over templates. The padding is cotton and the backing is polyester sheeting with a border of stars.
2650 x 2475 mm
2650 x 2475 mm
Cotton log cabin double bed quilt. Each square has 52 pieces (i.e. 13 pieces x 4 to make a square). There are 192 squares so a total of 10.092 pieces. There is probably no padding. The backing is calico with a floral pattern done in running stitch.
2200 x 2200mm
2200 x 2200mm
Miniature crazy quilt either for a baby or a doll. Plain and patterned materials including velvet, satin, sateen and brocade. 4 patches are embroidered and the central patch has a hand painted flower. Each patch is embroidered around the edge with a variation of feather stitch. It has a brown binding and lace edge. The backing is twill cotton.
490 x 390mm
490 x 390mm