Quilt No.478RR - Rita Ruchel

Rita Ruchel
Owner: 
Rita Ruchel
Location: 
SA
Maker
Maker: 
Toni Nickolai
Made in
AUSTRALIA SA
Patterms
Patchwork, Mosaic, Tumbling Block
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Quilt of cotton diamond shaped pieces feather stitched together with the pieces slightly overlapping. There is no padding and the backing is a light white cotton
1900 x 1060mm
History: 

Made by Toni Nickolai in the Loxton district of S.A. during WW2 and now owned by her daughter Rita Ruchel. It was used on Rita's bed when she was a teenager and then on her own daughter's bed. It is now on loan to the Willewa Community Pioneer Forest Historical Group in Meringur Vic. [1998]

Story: 

"During World War 2 it was often a struggle to make ends meet with restrictions through rationing of almost everything. There were many do-it-yourself projects. As our mother made a lot of our clothing (8 children) and her own furnishings there were many left over scraps of material. She had trained as a dressmaker before marriage. Droughts and low farming returns made it very necessary to 'make-do'. One of many Aussie battlers so all the otherwise useless pieces of material were made into something useful.
I too am a qualified dressmaker and follow the tradition of making quilts, toys etc from scraps." [Rita Ruchel 30.10.1998]

The quilt maker, Mrs. Tonie Nickolai
The quilt maker, Mrs. Tonie Nickolai

Related Quilts:

Art Gallery of South Australia
Quilt No.301ASA - Art Gallery of South Australia
Patchwork quilt in the Tumbling Block pattern in light and dark silks in bright colours. On both sides and at the bottom is a wide border in Tumbling Blocks, the pattern vertical at the sides and forming a triangle centre bottom, with an edge on both sides of two black bands with pieced diamonds between. Made for a poster bed. Hand sewn.
1790 x 1750mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Tumbling Block
Bev Johnston
Quilt No.205BJ - Bev Johnston
Patchwork quilt made from squares and rectangles of pink, blue and white fabric set with a frame of pink and white print around a centre rectangle made of 4 pink triangles. Four corner squares of blue and white stripes, Many squares are pieced from smaller scraps. The Material is a crepe type, possibly used for underwear. Handsewn and machined. Backing is made from cotton scraps, possibly lawn or similar. Padding is flanellete or similar. Edges are bound in a striped material. Quilt shows signs of wear.
620mm x 520mm
Patchwork, Frame
Joyce Lannin
Quilt No.1027JL - Joyce Lannin
A frame quilt with a pattern using hexagons from crepe de chine and silk material. The centre frame consists of a blue rosette of hexagons surrounded by six rosettes or flowers all with black centres. These are surrounded by rows of hexagons and then a row of flowers and then more hexagon borders. The owner refers to the pattern as 'Grandma's Garden'. 2550 x 2550 mm
Patchwork, Frame
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Quilt No.595PWH - 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
Patchwork, Mosaic, Square, Typically Australian, Tailors' samples
Robyn Gallaway
Quilt No.479RG - Robyn Gallaway
Machine made cotton quilt with 100mm cotton squares placed diagonally with peaks running around the edge. The colours are mainly autiumn tones and the patterns include checks, tartans, florals, geometric and plains. Materials were scraps left over from sewing projects such as children's clothes. There is a matching valance.
Patchwork, Mosaic, Square
Annette Gero
Quilt No.857AG - Annette Gero
This domestic Wagga is two layers of woollen army blankets with the top layer in rectangles joined in rows. The backing is hessian bags that originally contained meat meal.
11650 x 1130mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Typically Australian, Domestic Wagga