Quilt No.454RCH - Red Cliffs Historical Society

Red Cliffs Historical Society
Owner: 
Red Cliffs Historical Society
Location: 
VIC Northern
Maker
Maker: 
Florence Beaton
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Quilt with hexagons forming lozenge or honeycomb pattern. Predominantly greens and pinks in brocatelle (rayon brocade). All hand stitched. The backing is lime green rayon. The padding is probably dacron.
1800 x 1630mm
History: 

The quilt was made by Florence Beaton of Sunshine Farm in the 1950s or 1960s. It is now owned by the Red Cliffs Historical Society at Red Cliffs, Victoria. The society also has a fine collection of Florence and Clara's needlework.

Story: 

Florence (Flo) Beaton (born McNabb) 1920-1996 was the daughter of Clara and Frank McNabb who selected block 46 at Carwarp in the harsh mallee country of north western Victoria in 1913. They called it "Sunshine Farm". Florence was one of 4 childrten (3 boys). She recalled* that her Mother Clara once won a nail driving competition, was an expert with a shotgun, worked on the farm driving a team of horses, had a wonderful garden and was a fine needlewoman as was her mother Ellen before her. Flo carried on the needlework tradition of her mother and grandmother and was accomplished in many types of needlework including making quilts. Flo did not have any children.
*Ref: "A Woman's Work" By Florence Beaton. The story of a Mallee farmer's wife from 1913. Published by The Sunnyland Press, Red Cliffs 1985.

Related Quilts:

The Embroiderers' Guild of S.A.Inc Museum
This Adelaide Chronicle wildflower quilt has alternating squares of green and fawn headcloth embroidered with Australian wildflowers on the fawn squares and stylised floral motifs on the green squares. It is bordered and backed with the same green material. It is padded.
2350 x 1530mm
Elsie Roberts
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
Joyce Lannin
The centre of the quilt is a small blue 6 pointed star surrounded by a larger blue star. Blue stars also form a border to the quilt. The background material is a multicoloured small floral pattern on white cotton. The quilt is all hand worked over templates. The padding is cotton and the backing is polyester sheeting with a border of stars.
2650 x 2475 mm
Dianne Thompson
Patchwork quilt made from Suffolk Puffs in a mixture of bright and pastel prints and plains, mainly in cotton materials. Hand sewn. No padding or backing.
1630 x 1440mm
Charlotte Nattey
Cotton quilt of pieced hexagons and some diamonds made for a baby's basket. Colours are mainly blue and pink and two 'Punch and Judy's' are appliqued in the centre. There is no padding and the backing is a cotton floral in blues and greens.
760 x 660mm
Lurline Lydiard
Unfinished crazy patchwork quilt. Materials are mainly silk, velvet, woven ribbons, woven brocades. Hand embroidery using many different stitches also machine embroidery eg frog. Some individual patches have names, initials, dates probably relating to family members. There are also place names several of which may refer to Australia. Apart from the embroidery on individual patches there are overlaid a number of floral displays across parts of the quilt. Backing is flannelette with selvedges of blue and pink. 1300 x 1300mm