Quilt No.549JL - June Loewenthal

June Loewenthal
Owner: 
June Loewenthal
Location: 
NSW Sydney
Maker
Maker: 
Unknown
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Hand made cotton quilt in repeat block with appliqued Iris pattern. It is a kit quilt. "The Iris, Design "R" of the 'Mountain Mist Series' of Quilt Patterns" from The Stearns & Foster Company, Lockland, Cincinnati, Ohio. Copyright 1930. The backing is cotton and the filling also.
2439 x 1981mm
History: 

The maker is unknown but is said to have been a Scandinavian woman. The present owner purchased the quilt at Tinker Tailor, a shop in the Sydney suburb of Pymble, in the 1950s. It was used as a bedspread at Roberton Park, Kirkham Road, Glengarry NSW an early stone house. It is now used sometimes in the owner's Sydney home.

Story: 

June Loewenthal recognised the pattern in a magazine many years after she had purchased the quilt. She then sent to America for it.
The pattern gives detailed instructions and figures for the block in actual size.
"The charm of this beautiful and unusual Iris Quilt lies in the natural treatment of the design. The finished quilt is a veritable garden of bloom in actual Iris colous!"
"MOUNTAIN MIST PATTERNS are obtainable only with the purchase of Mountain Mist Quilting Cotton. One pattern, (no choice of design), is furnished free with each bat purchased, and also a coupon good for one other pattern at a very low price."
[Extracts from "The Iris, Design 'R' of the "Mountain Mist Series' of Quilt Patterns"]

Related Quilts:

Mare Carter
Quilt of alternate green and fawn squares (100mm) in knitted fabric, originally swatches of sample fabrics. Padding is a piece of old blanket. Backing is fawn flannelette, and the quilt is finished with a flannelette ruffle.
1423 x 1124mm
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Double sided utility quilt made from machine pieced squares of tailors' samples and men's and boy's suitings. The padding is 5 or 6 layers of pieced used clothing including darned, threadbare socks, part jumpers, blanket pieces etc.
2090 x 1340mm
Annette Gero
Utilitarian quilt made from large pieces of wool, flannel and cotton. Machine construction and the padding is wool.
1570 x 152Omm
Alison Barlow
Quilt in traditional design called 'Seven Sisters'. Seven stars, each of six diamonds are set against a cream background, surrounded by bright pink triangles. Hand pieced and hand quilted. Padding is cotton, and backing is cream calico. 2100 x 1850 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]
Sandra Jones
Crazy patchwork quilt in silks and velvets. Centre circle of embroidered flowers and outer border of diamonds in tunbling block pattern. Most pieces have embroidered flowers and all joins are embroidered in fancy stitches. The owner's mother had a pink silk quilted backing and a thick edge cord added to the quilt by Rocke's of Collins street Melbourne c.1960
1620 x 1595mm