Quilt No.194FW - Fred Wood

Fred Wood
Owner: 
Fred Wood
Location: 
VIC North East
Maker
Maker: 
Charlotte Gambold
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1901 - 1920
Description: 
Patchwork quilt made from a variety of printed cottons over 70 prints, using shirting and dress fabrics, fabrics also from pyjamas, curtains, aprons, tablecloths. The centre medallion is a square within a square with white borders, the inner frame made of sawtooth triangles. This is surrounded by pieced triangles, square within a square and crosses. Outer frame of sawtooth triangles, and outer border pieced of squares and triangles. Colours are pinks, blues, burgundy and pastels, with floral, stripe and check prints. Lining of cotton. Backed with a printed cotton. Quilt is bound on all edges.
...
History: 

Made by Charlotte Gambold, c.1900. Previously owned by Mrs Vera Banning, daughter of Charlotte Gambold's sister Elizabeth Bennett. Owned by Charlotte's grand nephew, nephew of Vera Banning.

Story: 

"Charlotte Gambold arrived in the Wangaratta district at about 6 years of age, the eldest of three children, with her parents, Thorres and Mary Gambold, in 1866. Later, her father was a molybdenite miner (this mineral was, and still is, used in the hardening of steel).
When her sister Elizabeth married Mr AH Bennett of 'Highfield', Evarton Upper, Victoria, in 1893 we can only surmise that Charlotte planned a medallion quilt for the happy couple. When it was actually commenced, and when it was finally completed is lost in history, but the quilt has remained in the family throughout its existence. Whether Charlotte designed it from scratch or had seen one of this type of quilt is also lost to us unfortunately. ...
This marvellous Australian quilt is in the possession of a grand nephew of Milawa Victoria, and is in very good condition. He inherited it from his aunt, Mrs Vera Banning, who died in 1994, aged 94. Vera inherited it from her mother, Elizabeth, the 1893 bride, about 1954, when she lived in Cusack Street, Wangaratta. Charlotte died in t he 1950s, and is buried in the Bowman's Forest cemetery, on the Wangaratta/Myrtleford Road.
Charlotte's grand nephew and his brother, both had quilts made for them by their Aunt Charlotte and they remembered seeing this quilt when they were young boys and then forgetting all about it. Their own quilts have long worn out and no longer exist� Their cousin, George Bennett, had one given to him by his mother when he was eight or nine. These quilts were made out of ties and bits of men's materials, and were warm and practical for the boys' sleepout.
Mrs Joan Wood, Milawa, thinks Charlotte made many quilts and had a little business of quiltmaking, as she was a maiden lady, and liked to keep herself occupied."
[From article by Brenda Leitch, 1995, in 'Down Under Quilts', Spring 1995, p.20]

Related Quilts:

Rozanne Andrew
Quilt, single bed size, made from reused clothing roughly handstitched on to a backing of a wool/linen blanket type fabric in green, cream and brown stripes. Clothing is fronts and backs of old jumpers, vests etc as well as opened out sleeves in red, brown and grey. They are stitched together in several layers with long stitches. Another top may have been intended to cover the stitched down layers of clothing.
1500 x 1040mm
Joan McGregor
One side of this quilt is large pieces of check and striped material surrounding a small patterned supper cloth with a border of scrap pieces. The other side is small, floral, check, spotted, striped and plain cotton pieces surrounding a tablecloth. It is machine sewn and is not quilted. The padding is an old woollen blanket.
1825 x 1625mm
Colleen Whitaker
Quilt top, all cotton. Center frame is 600mm square of calico on to which is appliqued red material in an elaborate cut out design. Radiating rows of mainly red and blue triangles. Other materials include, white with abstract plants scattered across it, pink with pin print white dots, white and maroon herringbone with small white flowers with maroon leaf sprays spread 25mm apart. The border is a strip of red not hemmed but with selvedges on the long sides. The quilt is all hand sewn with small back stitch, running stitch and hemming.
National Gallery of Australia
" Reversible patchwork quilt of woollen suiting/upholstery fabrics in khaki, greys, blues and browns. Both sides have different designs. The front of the quilt has 13 rows of 12 vertical rectangles flanked on either side by a column of 22 horizontal rectangles. The reverse has a more interesting and complex design of small and very large rectangles, squares and triangles; with khaki contrasting with the duller greys and blues. The patchwork layers are joined at the edges with machine stitching and the quilt is machine quilted along 3 horizontal lines following joins in the patchwork; therefore not being totally straight. These lines are more noticeable on the reverse. The reverse face has been on display at the NGA." [NGA] There is a cotton blanket used as padding. 2054 x 1451mm
Phyllis Dowling
Hand pieced cot quilt made from small rectangular shapes of a great variety of materials including cottons, silks, wools and velvets. The backing is cotton sateen in 3 colours and is brought to the front to form a border of pink, cream and yellow.
1170 x 920mm
National Trust of Australia (NSW)
Handsewn quilt pieced in red, blue, green and yellow print cottons in 'Lone Star' pattern, with diamond shaped patches. The main star is edged with a red and cream sawtooth border. In each corner is a star made up of 4 rows of diamonds, surrounded by small 8 point stars in red and green. The background material is a cream and brown spot print. The backing is a printed cotton in a small all over purple leaf and bud print on cream. Quilting is in an all over wave pattern.
2320 x 2320mm