Quilt No.469NI - Norma Irvin

Description:
Cotton quilt made of octagons with sides measuring 30mm. Material is in various colours and textures in plain, print, stripe and spots. The solid colour blocks are placed in diagonal lines and the patterned ones at random. Hand stitched at 20 stitches to the inch. There is no padding. The backing is cotton headcloth folded to the front, corners mitred then stitched to quilt following outline of octagons.
1150 x 720mm
1150 x 720mm
History:
Made by Miss Joyce Cook in Swan Hill before 1961. It was given to Norma Irvin by Joyce Cook just after Norma's baby was born in 1960. It is not used and is stored in Norma's house in Swan Hill.
Story:
Miss Joyce Cook, deceased, was a teacher at the High School in Swan Hill. She taught typing and shorthand and, when needed, also needlework. Around 1947 she was appointed senior mistress at the high school.
The quilt was put on a trunk that stood under a window in the house in which Joyce Cook boarded. The house was sold in about 1960 and Joyce moved into a unit. She disposed of many things and gave the quilt to Norma Irvin to use on the cot for her new born daughter.
Related Quilts:
Patchwork quilt in Log Cabin pattern, arranged in 'furrows', and made from cottons, wool and suiting fabrics. Centres of blocks are pastel or dark; dark colours are black, brown, purple blue and red. Pastel side of blocks includes a bright pink. Quilt backing is pieced, with a centre rectangle of cotton surrounded by 5 borders of plain and alternate rectangular pieced strips, in wool and suiting fabrics. Colours are black, dark blue, brown, green, grey and pastels. Inner lining is of cotton pieces, to which the Log Cabin blocks have been machined.
1620 x 1360mm
1620 x 1360mm
Patchwork quilt has a centre of a square within a square, with rows of scraps added around it. The scraps are mainly cotton shirting fabrics and are cut in different sizes and shapes. The two long sides have a narrow red edging folded from the back. The other two sides have been 'bagged'. Filling is an unusual weave thought to be wool. Backing is a pink, red and beige floral cotton.
2080 x 1650mm
2080 x 1650mm
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1410 x 1080mm
1410 x 1080mm
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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
Hand pieced patchwork quilt with blue and black checkerboard central frame surrounded by 4 borders of irregular sized rectangles. Mainly dress materials with possibly some furnishing material. It is not quilted or tied. The backing is a large rectangular red check table cloth with 3 borders of irregular shaped pieces down 2 sides and 1 border down 2 sides. There is no padding.
1860 x 1730mm
1860 x 1730mm