Quilt No.44JP - Julie Pearce

Julie Pearce
Owner: 
Julie Pearce
Location: 
NSW South East
Maker
Maker: 
Elizabeth Louise Williams
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Rectangular quilt of print and plain cottons pieced in squares and rectangles, the centre group of pieces surround a larger piece of pale blue fabric, within a frame or border, of bright pink material, then 3 rows of squares and rectangles. Backing of plain fabric. Machine stitched on a treadle machine.
History: 

Made by Elizabeth Louise Williams (nana), great-grandmother of Julie Pearce, in the 1960s, for Julie and her sister. Owned by Julie Pearce and used on her children's beds in Thirroul, NSW.

Story: 

"My paternal great-Grandmother � was a keen sewer in her time and over 30 years ago made my sister and myself a functional quilt for our beds. She made them on her treadle machine and used fabric scraps that my mother had left over from clothing that she herself had made for us. As a child I clearly remember lying on my bed reminiscing over favourite fabrics and special dresses and reliving memories of times and places the dresses were worn. The time spent on those quilts was well appreciated and is still admired as my children now learn the stories behind the quilts I treasured when I was much younger than they both are now. I am so thrilled they are wiling and happy to share these quilts which mean so much to me.
My Great-Grandmother, Elizabeth (Nana) Williams of Canterbury, Sydney throughout her many productive years, kept herself busy with her sewing. No doubt having eight boys, she had little need to sew pretty dresses so put her skills and time to an equally practical use. She regularly made quilts, at times using fabric supplied to her by The Smith Family, which upon completion she donated to the Aboriginal Missions. Some quilts were used by other family members � I can clearly remember several other quilts of hers that I have seen, one using black imitation fur strategically cut and placed to use the play of light as its feature, another, crazy patchwork squares adorned with feather stitch. �Nana Williams made perhaps hundreds of quilts in her time, which she mostly gave away. She lived a very frugal lifestyle herself and lived to be well into her eighties when she was still actively sewing."
"I estimate the quilts I have were made very early in the 60s although these particular 2 would have been nana's most recent."
[Julie Pearce 20.2.98]

Related Quilts:

Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
Quilt has a centre panel of white velvet roses and green leaves with embroidered spider webs, on red velvet. Two side panels are in crazy patchwork in plain and patterned silks and velvets. All patches are edged with feather, herringbone or blanket stitch. Many patches are embroidered, including 'Minnie', 'Good Luck', birds, flowers, anchor, boat, fish, shell, spider web, crown,, 2 crossed flags, tennis racquets, Australian motifs including wattle. The centre panel has a row of ruched olive green ribbon each side and the whole quilt has a border of dark blue velvet. The padding is cotton wadding and the backing is cream cotton printed with red and pink chrysanthemums and green leaves.
2113 x 1995mm
National Trust of Australia (WA)
Silk and velvet frame quilt with centre patchwork block of squares and triangles with a top and bottom border of silk in Royal Stewart tartan. This rectangular centre frame is surrounded by plain and 'saw tooth' (triangles) borders. The outer border is dark grey silk embroidered in pastels in stem stitch in a meandering vine and leaf pattern. There is no padding or quilting. Backing originally of mustard wool material machine stitched along turned in edges. Dark red cotton is attached to original backing.
2015 x 1320mm
National Trust of Australia (WA)
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
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Machine pieced cot quilt made from squares of material including tweed, wool, blanket and pyjama material. The squares are joined in rows with colours randomly placed. There is a pink satin edging. The backing is part of a pale pink blanket.
1150 x 900mm
Meg Orr
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.
Jindera Pioneer Museum
Quilt made of 26 x 13 rectangles of woollen men's suiting samples. Each rectangle is about 70 x 130 mm. Wide variety of patterns, mainly stripes, and colous. The padding is part of a worn cream blanket and joined pieces of woollen clothing. The backing is a well worn piece of brushed cotton. Machine made.
11900 x 1870 mm