Quilt No.519FW - Fran Williams

Fran Williams
Owner: 
Fran Williams
Location: 
TAS
Maker
Maker: 
Unknown
Made in
AUSTRALIA TAS
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Mainly cotton top and backing, some silks and satins. Machine construction. Patches, mainly rectangles, joined in strips and then the strips joined to form the top. The back is a similar construction but larger pieces. The padding is made from lots of hand and machine knitted woollen pieces, including jumpers. It is very heavy. It is not quilted. It is not used. The owner calls it a Wagga.
1200 x 1630mm
History: 

Given to Fran Williams, the owner, in 1996, by Dinnie Cameron*who in turn had been given two similar quilts of which this is one. It is thought they originally came from a CWA cottage at St. Helens Tasmania and were probably made in the 1950s.
* Dinnie Cameron is a well known textile and quilt expert in Tasmania.

Related Quilts:

Cressida Mary Webb Challis
Quilt of machine pieced squares and rectangles using a wide variety of materials in plain colours and patterns. It is one of a pair. There is no padding and the backing is 90cm strips of calico.
2500 x 2130mm
Jean Gill
Patchwork quilt featuring centre block of log cabin surrounded by borders. Handsewn. Wide variety of materials including some velvet. Appliqued flowers.
1703 x 1575mm
Jan Tregoweth
Square patchwork quilt made from rectangles of woollen tailors' samples, each patch outlined with machine fancy stitch using red thread. Machine sewn. The backing is a green and white check fabric. No filling.
Bev Johnston
Patchwork quilt made from squares and rectangles of pink, blue and white fabric set with a frame of pink and white print around a centre rectangle made of 4 pink triangles. Four corner squares of blue and white stripes, Many squares are pieced from smaller scraps. The Material is a crepe type, possibly used for underwear. Handsewn and machined. Backing is made from cotton scraps, possibly lawn or similar. Padding is flanellete or similar. Edges are bound in a striped material. Quilt shows signs of wear.
620mm x 520mm
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Machine constructed log cabin quilt using a wide variety of strips of used clothing including cottons, men's suitings and wools. Each square is about 250mm and arranged in the 'light and dark of the fire' variation of log cabin. There is no padding. The backing is brown twill with an orange pattern and is probably a replacement backing.
2180 x 1710mm
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