Quilt No.862AG - Annette Gero

Annette Gero
Owner: 
Annette Gero
Location: 
NSW Sydney
Maker
Maker: 
Gil Jackson
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
Domestic Wagga made from wheat bags sewn together and covered with large pieces of material.
1400 x 1230mm
History: 

This domestic Wagga rug was made by Gil Jackson (1906-1995) in the Nowra district NSW c.1926. It is now in the collection of Annette Gero.

Story: 

"Gil was the second eldest son of a family of four sons from Gloucestershire. He always had a hankering to see more of the World. Read about the 'Dreadnought Scheme' and applied for assisted passage. When first arriving in Australia in 1925, Gil, like every 'boy' who came out from England with the 'Dreadnought Scheme' was sent to Scheyville Farm up the north coast and trained in farming.
After three months at Scheyville, Gil was sent to Nowra, to Murphy's farm, at Lower Nimba. This is where he made the 'Wagga' quilt. He certainly didn't have many possessions at this stage. 'Murphys' was a happy place, a big family of three boys and three girls.
After three years in Nowra, wishing to better himself, he moved to Sydney. He had a rough time getting permanent work, tried all sorts, when things got really tough with the depression, he 'humped his bluey' and took to the road.
During his stay in Sydney he stayed in many cheap boarding houses. He met his first wife during this time. The woollen fabric may have been her shirt and there is also a small child's dress covering the original hessian bags. The wagga must have been special to him as he kept it till his death in 1995." [Annette Gero]

Related Quilts:

Diana Cameron
Small patchwork piece possibly made from salesman's samples. There is no opening in the back so it is not a cushion cover. There is no padding. The backing is green polished cotton. There is a 40mm fringe around the edge.
520 x 520mm
National Trust of Australia (TAS)
Patchwork quilt of cotton hexagons in a random mix of colours and prints, the predominant colours being blue, red, green, light yellow and pastels. Patches hand sewn. There is no padding and the backing is a grey wool blanket. The top is machine stitched around the edge to the blanket.
1645 x 1060mm
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.
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Single bed quilt made up entirely of hexagons in 'Granny's Flower Garden' pattern. The rosettes are made up of 8 hexagons and a central one. Native flower prints, including wattle, on a white background. Plain hexagons in white, yellow and blue form a scalloped border. Hexagons are hand stitched and the 2 layers are quilted in running stitch. The backing is a pieced sheet.
2400 x 1500mm
N.S.W. Parks and Wildlife Service
Large double sided quilt of rectangles and squares of men's suitings, patterned and plain on both sides. The top has a central motif of a circle of three segmented rings radiating from a single hexagon. The outer ring is all tailors' samples and the inner rings are a variety of materials. There is some featherstitching in red. The quilt is sparsley machine quilted.
Anne Langford
Hexagon quilt with rosettes centred in an all over diamond pattern. It is hand pieced and hand quilted. All the materials are either linen or pure cotton. The quilt is padded with batting (American) and the backing is floral cotton.
2360 x 1800mm