Quilt No.985VD - Virginia DeFriest
Description:
One of a pair for twin beds. Frame quilt entirely in rectangles of squares radiating from small central rectangle. Alternating rows of plain and patterned cottons. All squares are on edge. Padding is cotton and backing is plain white muslin. 2220 x 1540 mm.
History:
The maker is unknown but it is thought the quilts were made in Arkansas USA. They were owned by Mr. and Mrs. Homer DeFriest and now by their daughter-in-law. Both quilts are still used and each is kept at the foot of the twin bed in the owner's home.
Story:
The quilts were given to the present owner and her husband in 1955 and went with them to the various countries in which James Ellis DeFriest worked: Kenya, Sierra Leone, New Zealand, Ghana and Australia.
Related Quilts:
The top has a segmented circle in the centre surrounded by a border of small rectangles. The circle is featherstitched on to the background. Materials are wools and cottons and it is hand pieced. The other side appears to have been originally men's suiting materials strip pieced. It is now covered with a children's print in light cotton joined in long rectangles. The padding is coarse heavyweight cotton.
1410 x 1080mm
1410 x 1080mm
Patchwork cot quilt made from hexagons 63mm across in a variety of cotton prints and plains. The bright coloured patches came from children's clothes and dressmaking scraps. No padding. Backing of unbleached calico. Hand sewn.
1524 x 1169mm
1524 x 1169mm
Rectangular quilt of print and plain
cottons pieced in squares and rectangles within 2 frames, the inner border or frame of blue/green check material, then 2 rows of squares and rectangles, the outer frame of a grey and red geometric pattern and 2 rows of squares or rectangles. Backing of plain fabric. Machine stitched on a treadle machine.
cottons pieced in squares and rectangles within 2 frames, the inner border or frame of blue/green check material, then 2 rows of squares and rectangles, the outer frame of a grey and red geometric pattern and 2 rows of squares or rectangles. Backing of plain fabric. Machine stitched on a treadle machine.
Machine sewn quilt made from 125mm squares of scraps left over from dressmaking joined in strips and then the strips joined. There is a border of fawn cotton and the backing is the same material. The padding is an old blanket and the border is padded with sheep's wool.
1400 x 925mm
1400 x 925mm
Cotton quilt , octagons of printed floral joined with squares of printed and plain. Yellow floral border. Cotton backing with very intrictae pattern in machine stitching.
2540 x 2490mm
2540 x 2490mm
Double sided utility quilt made from machine pieced squares of tailors' samples and men's and boy's suitings. The padding is 5 or 6 layers of pieced used clothing including darned, threadbare socks, part jumpers, blanket pieces etc.
2090 x 1340mm
2090 x 1340mm