Quilt No.93JM - Jeanne Mims

Jeanne Mims
Owner: 
Jeanne Mims
Location: 
QLD South West
Maker
Maker: 
Nancy Melvina Kelso
Made in
USA
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
Child's quilt. Top pieced in cotton squares in yellow, brown and cream. Backing is plain cream cotton. Padding is a thin layer of cotton. Binding on the edge is machined on and then hand stitched to the back. Hand quilted on a diagonal grid with 10 stitches to the inch.
1347 x 915mm
History: 

The maker was Nancy Melvina Kelso and the quilt was made in North Dakota in 1940 for the birth of the present owner Jeanne Mims. Jeanne came to Australia in 1963 and returned to the US in 1973. She brought the quilt back to Australia with her.

Story: 

Jeanne Mims great aunt, Nancy Melvina Kelso, made the quilt in 1940 for Jeanne's birth. "I was supposed to be a boy hence the colours of cream, yellow and brown." [JM] Nancy Melvina was the daughter who stayed at home to look after aged parents. Later she worked for many years as a secretary in the local (North Dakota) flour mill and made quilts in her spare time.

Jeanne Mackay (Kelso) Mims. USA 1941
Jeanne Mackay (Kelso) Mims. USA 1941

Related Quilts:

Narelle Grieve
Silk quilt in diamonds with hexagon border. "Toward the edge of the quilt, the design of diamonds made into blocks offers an optical illusion, where the diamonds can be seen to form stars. The border is made up of these stars and half-diamonds, and the entire quilt is trimmed with lace and triangular flaps made of tiny hexagons." [extract unidentified magazine article supplied by quilt owner.]
The backing is maroon cotton. 1600 x 1600 mm.
National Gallery of Australia
" A wide range of cotton fabrics have been used to make this quilt in the traditional log cabin style. The strips of the log cabin are joined by rows being hand sewn onto a small square backing fabric, each square of strips has then been hand sewn together to form the quilt. The work is backed with a sateen printed fabric decorated with paisley design. A strip of the lining trims the edge of the front face of the quilt. The lining is attached with machine stitching. There are numerous tacking stitches that remain in the front face of the quilt. There are approx 9000 pieces in the quilt, most being only 5mm in width.
The quilt is of three layers because the strips of the log cabin are attached to a backing piece, and then the quilt is lined; however it is not padded." [NGA]
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Cot quilt of mixed textiles and techniques. Made in sections and stitched together possibly with some padding. It features embroidered and appliqued animals (cats, donkey, elephant, squirrel, birds, kangaroo, emu) and nursery rhyme characters. Materials are cotton, silk, wool, imitation fur. There is a black velvet patch with a cross stitch parrot and embroidered date and initials 'May 1925 AE'. The backing is woven self patterned curtain material. There is a ruffle around the edge in the same material.
1400 x 930mm
Annette Gero
Utilitarian quilt made from large pieces of wool, flannel and cotton. Machine construction and the padding is wool.
1570 x 152Omm
Albury Regional Museum
Log cabin patchwork pieces (2) with each block approximately 120 x 120mm. They are diagonally divided into light and dark side. Materials are mainly silks including silk velvets. Each block is stitched on to a backing square, pieces of old blanket, woollens, cottons, many very worn. There is no other backing.
Quilt is hand pieced.
1000 x 1000mm
June Johnson
Hand sewn cotton cot quilt with pattern of red and white lozenge shaped hexagons measuring approximately 65mm from top to bottom. A centre flower is constructed from 2 circles of 19 hexagons in red and white. This is surrounded by 8 smaller hexagon flowers. Additional single red hexagons are scattered at random on the white background around the rows of flowers. The quilt is not quilted or tied but is attached at all 4 edges. Writing on the back of the quilt (probably added later) reads "Made by Sarah Hodge, Newport, Wales UK for her first child John." There is no padding and the backing is white cotton. 1000 x 1250 mm.