Quilt No.962NGA - National Gallery of Australia

Owner: 
National Gallery of Australia
Location: 
ACT
Maker
Maker: 
Frances Baker
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
The front face of this quilt consists of rows of rectangles and squares of multicoloured prints pieced together. The fabrics are cotton and include a few early synthetics such as rayon, and all work is machined. The back is fully lined with an olive green moire synthetic fabric. The lining has been brought around to the front face of the quilt for approx 5cm to provide an edge border. The quilt is a wonderful showcase of the fabrics of the 20's and 30's." [NGA]
The quilt is not padded. 2160 x 1910 mm
History: 

The quilt was made by Frances Baker in Granville NSW. The National Gallery of Australia purchased it from its owner in NSW in 1992.

Story: 

"Mrs. Frances Baker nee Garnett (1879-1958) was born in Yorkshire, Great Britain and died in Granville, New South Wales. Her parents came to Australia in 1883 and, two years later, Frances and her brother arrived to join them. The family settled in Parramatta.
In 1908 Frances married Edward A. Baker of Granville. Rheumatic fever contracted in 1912 left Frances with a severe arthritic condition. Frances continued to sew, using one of the earliest electric sewing machines that she had bought before her marriage and later, had fitted with a knee control. She could handle small pieces of material and thus the patchwork quilts came into being. Frances used the leftovers from various dresses and she made all her quilts by 1938. This work was made in Granville.

Related Quilts:

Pioneer Settlement Authority
Cot quilt of cotton hexagons. There is a central diamond of hexagons and then a repeat diamond motif radiating to the edge. Each hexagon is 40mm. The backing is sheeting or similar and the padding is dacron type.
1200 x 700mm
Kay Bruce-Smith
Quilt top. The centre piece is appliqued with cross strips and triangles with 'Chester 4 �.' printed on a centre blue strip. The last letters are difficult to read. The borders are triangles, rectangles and squares in cottons (including dimity) and some chenilles.
1860 x 1760mm
Joyce Lannin
Machine stitched quilt made from tailors' samples cut into squares. The colours are mainly greys, browns and fawns. There is no padding and the backing is a grey herringbone heavy woollen material with a white fleck. This is folded back to the front to make a 75mm border and finished with a dark grey braid where it meets the patchwork top. 1525 x 1225mm
National Trust of Australia (WA)
Patchwork quilt in Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern, consisting of 7 patch rosettes with white 'paths'. Cotton dress and shirting materials have been used in blues, pinks, brown, turkey red and Prussian blue. The quilt is hand sewn and each hexagon is 25mm wide. The backing is cream twill cotton in three panels. There is a hand sewn binding in red/pink cotton. There is overall quilting in chevron or zigzag pattern.
2415 x 2110mm
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
The quilt consists of a central field within a main field within a narrow border a main border and then an outer border. The centre field consists of embroidered Prince of Wales feathers with 4 embroidered motifs, parrot, duck, open fan and 4 playing cards within an appliqued sunburst border. The quilt has many embroidered and appliqued motifs, some just abstract shapes, many with a Chinese Japanese theme. It is quilted and padded but the type of padding is unknown. The backing is red cotton sateen.
2280 x 2240mm
Meg Orr
All over pattern of rows of hexagons with each unit made up of 4 hexagons each 45mm. Patterned and plain materials thought to date from the 1930s including cotton and linen dress materials, synthetics and synthetic crepe. It was an unfinished top and Meg Orr, the present owner, finished it by machine stitching some of the hexagon rosettes to the red twill background and stitching on a backing. There is no padding.
1740 x 1210mm.