Quilt No.49EB - Elsie Bennett

Owner: 
Elsie Bennett
Location: 
NSW Riverina
Maker
Maker: 
Elsie Bennett
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Domestic Wagga made from bags with a top of irregular patches of cotton material, mainly from dress scraps, and a backing of calico.
1578 x 1094mm
History: 

Made by Elsie Bennett around 1952, and currently used by her at Ariah Park, NSW.

Story: 

"� around 1952 I made one [Wagga rug] from wheat bags and made a cover of patchwork pieces from frocks I had made for my daughter or worn out pillow slips or other items. The patchwork is not in patterns but whatever shape suited the bit of material. I still use the Wagga rug on my bed. It is a 3/4 bed size as that was the size bed we had in the spare room when we were first married and since the death of my husband I moved into that size bed."
[Elsie Bennett]

Related Quilts:

Narryna Heritage Museum
Cotton quilt in 'Wedding Ring' pattern. Background material is calico type in cream and the rings are in pastel colours, yellow, pink, blue and green prints and plains. It is hand pieced and hand quilted and the edges of the quilt are scalloped and finished with a pale pink binding. The backing is cotton and the padding is cotton.
2200 x 1900mm
Mary and Max Robertson
Traditional Wagga rug made from 3 wheat bags joined along the long side by sewing with bag needle and twine. Machined twill cover was put on later in the 1960s. Originally no padding but now the bags are the padding. One of a pair(identical).
1790 x 1160mm
Gillian Sullivan
Quilt made of 9120 very small Suffolk Puffs, each one about the size of a 20 cent piece. "Each piece backed and the front of it drawn up like a reticule. It was not backed and was rather fragile, so I backed it on to a sheet, as it was heavy and in danger of tearing when lifted." [Gillian Sullivan]
2360 x 2230 mm
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 (TAS)
Small rectangular bed cover, probably child's or even doll's, made from rectangles of cream linen stitched together with hand sewn french seams. The top surface is decorated with small squares and rectangles of coloured silk, velvet, wool and cotton attached approximately 25mm apart, with 3 stitches in centre of patch to attach to background. Bright pink wool patches stand out.
935 x 635mm
Jan Hanslow
Hexagon quilt with 60mm hexagons in cottons. No particular design or pattern. Patches are plain and patterned in reds, blues, pinks, browns and greys. There is a 70mm wide lace trim. The quilt is padded and the backing is wholecloth green with a floral design in pink and cream. 1860 x 1640mm