Quilt No.462MW - Margaret Wood

Margaret Wood
Owner: 
Margaret Wood
Location: 
VIC Melbourne
Maker
Maker: 
Mrs Tadgell
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
Velvet log cabin quilt. The background is black and the colours are shades of pale blue to royal blue, apple green to forest green, purple and a deep salmon. Original backing of artificial silk now replaced (1940s) with striped folk weave bedspread hand stitched on.
1860 x 1290mm
History: 

Mrs. Doris Rodgerson, mother of the present owner, asked Mrs. Tadgell in 1936 to make the quilt for her daughter. Mrs. Rodgerson supplied the materials and Mrs Tadgell made it on her treadle sewing machine. It has never been used and always stored in the linen press firstly in Margaret's parents' homes and then in Margaret's homes all in the Box Hill and Blackburn areas. In 1998 the quilt was offered to the Museum of Lilydale.

Story: 

"Early this century, my grandparents William and Maria Young, bought some bushland running down to the Olinda creek, below Mt. Evelyn. On the hillside, they built "Kookaburra Cottage" which they referred to as their Mountain house. Beside them, a Mr. Clarrie Earl built a luxurious log cabin, with Charlie Mezgar (?) as resident caretaker. It is now known as Chateau Wyuna. Ours was a timber shack, where our family and friends spent so many happy week-ends. They travelled by buggy prior to their Fiat owning years, setting off from Box Hill on Friday evenings.
Down the hill and across the creek on the flats, I remember Mrs. Tadgell's farm, with cows. It was about 1935 that Mrs. Tadgell sewed on her treadle machine, a velvet patchwork quilt for my single bed������The final backing was an artificial silk, which later suffered moth damage. My Mother replaced this in the early post-war years, when material was scarce, by hand stitching on a striped folk weave cotton fabric. It is not in keeping with the quilt's elegance, but does hold it firmly on the bed. The velvet surface is without blemish or wear. It has remained in our linen press, being considered too delicate to stand up to children's wear and tear. The stitching is perfect and a lasting tribute to Mrs. Tadgell's ingenuity and skill in creating this lovely quilt."
[Margaret Wood July 1998]

Related Quilts:

Jeanette McGeoch
Crazy patchwork quilt made from pieces of silk, velvet, silk ribbon and brocade in a variety of patterns and plains, in a range of colours. All patches are edged with embroidery, in blanket, feather, herringbone and other stitch variations. Many patches are embroidered with flowers, butterflies, leaves and initials of family members, and there is some beading. 1901 is embroidered in one corner. Quilt has a wide border of gold velvet. Patches are stitched to a base fabric. Backing is dark green sateen.
1470 x 1060mm
Gundagai Historical Museum
Patchwork cot or pram quilt made of diamond patches in the Tumbling Block pattern. Patches are made from cotton, corduroy and velvet, with red, black, teal blue, green, brown and cream predominating. No padding. Backing is of green wool and the quilt is bound with dark red crushed velvet.
780 x 560mm
Gabrielle Carter
Crazy quilt of velvet upholstery fabrics, and cigar ribbons with surface embroidery. Patches are outlined in embroidery stitches, and one patch has 'Dec 12 1886' on it. There is no padding, and the backing is cotton. 1720 x 1580 mm.
Val Ireland
Utilitarian quilt. The padding is pieced used clothing and possibly reused blanket. The top and backing are machine pieced cotton scraps in a wide variety of pattern and colours.
1626 x 1601mm
Red Cliffs Historical Society
Hexagonal log cabin quilt. Hexagons constructed of strips with half hexagon dark and half light. These hexagons are then joined to form diagonal light and dark stripes. Machine and hand sewn. Materials are wools, printed cottons, velvets, corduroys, rayons, flannelettes, brocades, pique and taffetas. The backing is a single piece of brocatelle (rayon brocade). There is probably a thin layer of padding.
1400 x 1200mm
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
Patchwork quilt made from silk and challis and velvet hexagons set to form diamond shapes. The centre shape has 8 hexagons surrounded by a row of 16 hexagons. The outer border of the quilt is 2 rows of 'Tumbling Blocks' set amongst a variety of black silk and satin patches. There is a wide fringe in red, green, blue and yellow. There is no padding and the backing is a recent addition in red cotton, synthetis mix.
1770 x 1740mm