Quilt No.866AG - Annette Gero

Annette Gero
Owner: 
Annette Gero
Location: 
NSW Sydney
Maker
Maker: 
Lillian Head et al
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
Double sided quilt made from mainly rectangular pieces of woollen tailors' samples and suiting materials. It is machine sewn and there is no padding.
1670 x 1220mm
History: 

Made by Lillian Head and her mother and aunts in Sydney c.1930. Now in the collection of Annette Gero.

Story: 

"Lillian Head and her mother and aunts ran a 'sweat shop' in the back of their house in Petersham Sydney, where they stitched up vests (illegally) for extra cash. With the remains and spare suiting they made 'depression' waggas from the tailors' samples and off cuts. These were made together with her mother, grandmother and her aunts from the 1920's through to the 1940's."
" 'The backroom of our house was turned into a sewing room with two sewing machines. We used to go to Blackmore's Tailors near St. Peters (Sydney) and pick up pre-cut men's vests, which we took home to sew. The tailor often gave us swatches and offcuts from which we produced waggas - we gave many away. They were often lined with sugar bags which we got from the grocers. We were making them in 1927 when the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and the present Queen Mother), came to Australia to open Parliament House and I remember taking along a box of swatches to sew whilst waiting to see their carriage pass when they opened the Royal Agricultural Show in Sydney that year.'
After Lillian's marriage in 1940 she continued to make them for her children up till 1947."
[Annette Gero]

Lillian Head
Lillian Head

Related Quilts:

Margery Creek
Cotton quilt in 'Pyramid Charm' pattern. Made in the USA and thought to have come from Louisiana. Hand pieced and hand quilted with the quilting following the triangular shapes. The quilting is quite coarse. The backing is black printed material and there is cotton padding.
1931 x 1855mm
National Trust of Australia (QLD)
Quilt made of tailors' swatches, machine constructed around a central frame that is mainly mid brown pieces. This is surrounded by rectangles of mainly charcoal greys and the outer border is navy blues. The backing is a heavy cotton with random green and cream and grey stripes.
1651 x 1220mm
June Dean
Pieced hexagons, English paper method. Large hexagons form the centre with a border of smaller hexagons. The fabrics are all cotton in a wide range of colours and patterns. There is no padding. The backing is cotton, large white floral design on dark blue. The hexagons are hand pieced and the edges machined.
2480 x 1420 mm
National Gallery of Australia
"This is a coverlet of pale blue cotton muslin, highly decorated with appliquéd pieced bands, figures, and embroidery. The edge of the quilt is finished with bands of yellow, white and green cotton attached with ladder stitch.
Down the centre field of the design and 4 poems embroidered in quite crude chain stitch. Each piece of prose is accompanied by an appliquéd illustration. For example a large clock accompanies a poem of time. 'While shepherds watch their flocks at night�.'is illustrated with a beautiful scene of the manger watched by an angel, cows and sheep. The appliqué and embroidery is executed crudely with large stitches in running and overcasting. The quilt is signed, 'M.J.H. aged 84 yrs.1924.' " [NGA] There is no padding or lining. 1640 x 1540mm
Dubbo Museum & Historical Society Inc
"English patchwork pieces. 1110mm x 1500mm. Hand pieced by at least two people. Made from scraps, cut down clothing and sheeting. Backing made from shirtings, dress fabrics, furnishing fabric and ticking. No synthetics. Machine quilted. Condition, fragile�.." [Dubbo Museum]
Margery Smith
Patchwork quilt made from hexagons 63mm across in a variety of cotton prints and plains. The bright coloured patches came from children's clothes and dressmaking scraps. The 'set included a large cot cover, a pillow cover and a circular stool cover. No padding. Backing of unbleached calico. Hand sewn.
2300 x 1840mm