Quilt No.984VD - Virginia DeFriest
Description:
One of a pair for twin beds. Frame quilt entirely in rectangles of squares radiating from small central rectangle. Alternating rows of plain and patterned cottons. All squares are on edge. Padding is cotton and backing is plain white muslin. 2220 x 1540 mm.
History:
The maker is unknown but it is thought the quilts were made in Arkansas USA. They were owned by Mr. and Mrs. Homer DeFriest and now by their daughter-in-law. Both quilts are still used and each is kept at the foot of the twin bed in the owner's home.
Story:
The quilts were given to the present owner and her husband in 1955 and went with them to the various countries in which James Ellis DeFriest worked: Kenya, Sierra Leone, New Zealand, Ghana and Australia.
Related Quilts:
Scrap quilt made from a myriad of different materials, cottons, silk types velvets etc. Alternate rows have triangles and odd shaped pieces with in between rows of squares and rectangles in smaller pieces. It is completely machine pieced. There is no padding. The backing is blue slub rayon and is brought to the front to form a border.
2200 x 1520mm
2200 x 1520mm
Patchwork quilt made from squares of wool, cotton, tweed, corduroy, tartan and stretch knit fabrics. Colours are mainly reds, greens, blues, pink and orange, mostly solid colours with some checks, stripes and florals. Padding is an open weave hessian material. Backing is a loosely woven cotton, pieced, buff coloured with a woven red and orange thread. Machine pieced, machine quilted in a large rectangle.
1601 x 915mm
1601 x 915mm
Double sided quilt machine made from clothing scraps. Shapes are mainly rectangles in corduroy and wool blend. The padding is an old grey blanket.
1524 x 1372mm
1524 x 1372mm
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.
The strip quilt is handsewn and quilted. Quilt top has 13 panels or strips of 3 different cotton lawn floral prints. Some fabrics are now wearing. Backing is of plain white cotton. The padding is wool. Quilting features a triple row cable design with flower motifs.
2100 x 1800mm
2100 x 1800mm
" This is an unfinished section/piece of crazy quilting. Ribbons divide the piece horizontally into three sections; between these are bands of pastel fabrics and embroidery in the crazy quilt tradition. The fabrics and threads employed are very luxurious: laces, satin ribbons and silk velvets. The embroidery is very fine, employing a wide variety of stitches and threads. This patchwork piece is padded with cotton wadding and backed with tarlatan." [NGA] 1170 x 1020mm