Quilt No.721ES - Elsie Shephard

Elsie Shephard
Owner: 
Elsie Shephard
Location: 
NSW Riverina
Maker
Maker: 
Elsie Shepherd
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Double sided patchwork quilt/rug constructed from squares machined together in strips and then the strips joined. The squares average about 27cms. The materials are mainly woollens, fleck tweed, school jumpers, gren check, and chenille and all are from used clothing.
1800 x 1170mm
History: 

This quilt was one of many made by Elsie Shephard at Rosewood NSW between 1957 and 1970. They were made for warmth on the children's beds. It is still owned by Elsie and still used.

Story: 

"Patchwork Rugs
When my husband was seriously hurt in a road accident in 1956 he was in hospital for a year then another two years recovering until he was fit enough to get a permanent job.
There were no Government handouts to needy families then so you had to do your best to balance the budget and make ends meet. Having a young family, people were very kind to me, giving me clothes for my children their children had grown out of that were in good order, some were slightly worn and needed patching.
When my husband had a permanent job people still gave me clothing because I had six children, even though I could afford to buy clothes for them. Because of their kindness I could never say 'no'. I would thank them saying 'nothing will be wasted, I'll make use of what you have given me'.
Being so cold at Rosewood I decided to make patch work rugs for all my children's beds out of garments I knew would never be worn, keeping my word 'I'll make use of what you have given me'.
There was no design or pattern in anything I made, I just kept cutting things up into squares, then stitching the squares together into rows, then sewing the rows together. Whatever colour was in the bobbin I sewed with. I never lined the rugs as I had always sewn enough squares together to just fold the sewn rows over and have the rug doubled. I made some rugs for my husband to take camping.
My eldest daughter slept in the coldest room in the house. One night I finished her rug, put a lining in it and put it on her bed when she was asleep. It was that heavy that during the night she woke up thinking an animal was on top of her bed! I took the lining out."
[Elsie Shephard 1.4.2000]

Related Quilts:

Margaret Hedges
Crazy patchwork quilt with small patches in velvet, silk, brocade and cottons most with hand embroidery over the seams. There are many motifs such as flowers, butterflies, birds also dates, initials and names of local properties. It is padded with a thin soft material and the replacement backing (old) is satin. There is a wide rose coloured frill on all sides.
1680 x 1380mm
Queen Victoria Musuem and Art Gallery
Quilt with log cabin blocks forming centre rectangle with border of crazy patchwork, in silks and velvets, handsewn on to backing of blue, beige, white woven cotton. Log cabin blocks are in rich dark and light rows forming diagonal stripes. The crazy patchwork has edges decorated with yellow and cream feather stitch. Mostly plain materials with some checks and stripes. The quilt appears to have had the edges cut down. The outer border is a dark blue figured velvet. There is no padding and the backing is maroon silk with a woven yellow motif.
1655 x 1215mm
Annette Gero
Cotton frame quilt with a diamond in the centre of the frame and a border of straight pieces. The outer border is diamonds. The quilt is hand sewn and hand quilted.
1910 x 1830mm
Barbara McCabe
Patchwork quilt made from squares of cotton fabrics, from curtains, left over from dress making projects, and new fabrics. Colours are bright primaries and some pastels, prints are checks, florals, stripes and plain. Pieces were stitched together without any particular order. No padding or quilting. Backing is a cotton bedspread in turquoise and blue stripes.
2520 x 1600mm
Lyn Uppill
Patchwork quilt of hexagons, handsewn, in print and plain cottons and rayon. Central star group has diamond shaped groups of patches, with smaller flower shapes, an inner border of a star shape in yellow hexagons, and an outer border of hexagons in vertical bands. Colours are mainly blues, reds, greens and yellow, the 'paths' and border are a pink print. The backing is herringbone stitched to the border or sashing, which has mitred corners.
2400 x 2340mm
Heather Roobol
Patchwork quilt has three centre squares, one in blue/white/brown in a cross pattern, one in framed square, one with diagonal strips in a pink frame. The rest of the quilt is made from strips of rectangles in different sizes sewn in rows. There is a narrow pieced frame, then an outer border of pieced rectangles. Mostly pastel colours. No padding. Backing is calico. There is a little embroidery.
2160 x 1601mm