Quilt No.177EQ - Janette McInnes

Janette McInnes
Owner: 
Janette McInnes
Location: 
VIC Melbourne
Maker
Maker: 
Elizabeth Perry
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
Pieced and appliqued quilt of pink, blue and brown wool. Centre motif is an applique whirligig or flower in pink and blue on tan, with two pink side borders topped by smaller appliqued whirligigs or flowers in the same colours. The outer frame is made of strips of pink, blue,and brown, with a border of brown. Some silk embroidery on the applique edges. No padding. Backing is of cretonne.
1423 x 1144mm
History: 

Made by Elizabeth Perry, at Brunswick (VIC), probably during the Depression. Given to an Op Shop by Elizabeth's niece, Mrs Beryl Chalmers. Now owned by Essendon Quilters Inc.

Story: 

"The quilt was donated to Essendon Quilters. It had been bought at an op shop for $2.00. I had become very interested in the quilt and after a bit of research found the person who gave it to the op shop. That was Mrs Chalmers. Beryl Chalmers remembers the quilts (there was another) when the family lived in Brunswick (Vic) and feels they were made for a move the family made to Hampton.
Later on the quilts were used at a beach house at Lorne and withstood a lot of hard work. Although the quilt is quite small by our standards today it was made for a single bed.
Elizabeth Perry was born around 1895 and died in 1975. Her niece remembers her as a remarkable lady being able to produce fine hand work or turn to heavy work such as crocheting etc. She was a great seamstress and also did fancy work and made baby clothes as well."

Letter from Janette McInnes, 1997:
"Elizabeth Perry never married and lived with her parents until they died. The qult was made in Brunswick where the family lived at 8 Barrow St, brunswick. The family moved to Hampton about this time - 60 years ago. Mrs Chalmers feels that the quilt was made to be used in their new home.
Elizabeth Perry worked at the Commonwealth Clothing Factory during World War I and Mrs Chalmers thinks she continued working after that but doesn't know where. She seems to have worked as a machinist or perhaps hand tailoring? Mrs Chalmers remembers her as a very talented sewer, who also crocheted, made beautiful baby clothes and did fine hand work.
She doesn't remember her grandmother sewing and her own mother did sew but didn't have the skills that Elizabeth had. �"

Elizabeth Perry, 1975
Elizabeth Perry, 1975

Related Quilts:

Irene Treneman
Cotton quilt, checks, plains and patterns. Machine construction. Rectangles stitched together in strips and then strips joined. The backing is a cotton print. There is no padding and no quilting.
2420 x 1220
Mare Carter
Patchwork quilt, all cotton including cotton filling. "8 pointed star" with turkey red surround, white background. Hand stitched and hand quilted.
2109 X 1727mm
Joan McGregor
One side of this quilt is large pieces of check and striped material surrounding a small patterned supper cloth with a border of scrap pieces. The other side is small, floral, check, spotted, striped and plain cotton pieces surrounding a tablecloth. It is machine sewn and is not quilted. The padding is an old woollen blanket.
1825 x 1625mm
National Trust of Australia (VIC)
Double sided patchwork quilt. One side has a centre of pieced hexagons enclosed by borders of plain strips and pieced stars and squares. The other side has a printed Royal Coat of Arms (lion and unicorn) 'Honi Soit Qui Mal y Pense, Dieu Et Mon Droit', surrounded by wide borders of plain and printed materials in the style of frame quilts.
2400 x 2300mm
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Patchwork top with a centre frame of a mauve cross outlined in black within a square bordered with pink. The rest of the top is rectangles and squares in a wide variety of materials. There is no padding. The backing is brown, possibly curtain material.
1910 x 1480mm
National Trust of Australia (NSW)
Handsewn quilt pieced in red, blue, green and yellow print cottons in 'Lone Star' pattern, with diamond shaped patches. The main star is edged with a red and cream sawtooth border. In each corner is a star made up of 4 rows of diamonds, surrounded by small 8 point stars in red and green. The background material is a cream and brown spot print. The backing is a printed cotton in a small all over purple leaf and bud print on cream. Quilting is in an all over wave pattern.
2320 x 2320mm