Quilt No.632PWH - The Pioneer Women's Hut

The Pioneer Women's Hut
Owner: 
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Location: 
NSW Riverina
Maker
Maker: 
Amy Shore
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Patchwork quilt made up of 100mm multi coloured squares in a variety of materials including cottons, synthetics, lurex, plain and printed. Each square has dacron padding and is then joined in strips and the strips joined. All hand sewn. The backing is blue synthetic whole cloth 60mm of which is returned to the front to form a border.
1500 x 1200mm
History: 

Amy Shore always said the only sewing she did all her life was darning and mending and making Wagga Rugs from jute, wheat or flour bags with cretonne top and backing. In the 1970s her daughter showed her how to make the quilts because 'she wasn't much good for anything else'. Amy made this quilt, one of many, at Murray's Crossing near Tumbarumba NSW in the 1970s. She donated it to The Pioneer Women's Hut. It is displayed occasionally.
1500 x 1200mm

Story: 

Amy Shore (1901-1999) was married in 1919 and had 8 children. The family always lived on a farm and it was a struggle. "Not long after we came here [Munderoo] things weren't very prosperous and it was coming on Christmas so the boys and I got a drum and made eucalyptus oil to get some money for Christmas. It is quite an interesting job. Anyway we made a gallon and got 9 pound for it.
Some years later I also bred ferrets and at one time, had 70 of them. We used them for rabbiting and would sell the rabbits for meat and also the skins. Mr. Scuppan had a baker's shop in Tumbarumba and we also used to swap small skinned rabbits for bread.I sold the ferrets for 2 pound each and we got our place lined with ferret money. Before that it was hessian���
We also sold beeswax from the native bees to old Mather the skin buyer��..
As my family grew bigger and got older, like all teenagers, were wanting better clothes but money was scarce and not much left after feeding six kids and ourselves. So at one time the kids and I went around to find some dead beasts and get the hair off the manes and tails. We would bring it home and wash it in water and eucalyptus and hang it on the fence. When it dried we would take it in to the old skin buyer. It was a good price as it was wanted to stuff saddles with."
[Amy Shore 'Memories of My Mother' Pioneer Women's Hut publication 1990]

Amy Shore 1997. Photo courtesy Tumbarumba Times.
Amy Shore 1997. Photo courtesy Tumbarumba Times.

Related Quilts:

Port Curtis Historical Soc.Inc.
Cotton Hexagon quilt with a wide variety of patterned and plain materials. Blue binding and a cotton backing. The padding is thought to be cotton wool.
1525 x 1220mm
Christine Barnes
Cotton quilt with rosettes of hexagons. There is a centre hexagon with a surround of 6 hexagons in a contrasting pattern and then an outer row of 12 hexagons in a different pattern. Between each rosette is a single row of hexagons in a print common to the whole quilt. The materials are typical of the 60s period. There is a deep aqua border. It is machine quilted. The backing is cotton.
2515 x 1829mm
Margaret Wright
Crazy patchqork quilt, handsewn, composed of six large squares of patches in brocade, velvet and silk in random shapes and sizes. Patches are stitched to others by blanket stitch in yellow thread. Some patches have surface embroidery, e.g. a dragonfly, flowers, music notes, and names, 'Minnie', 'Loyetta' (house in Ballarat), 'Diana'. There are also five small cream bobbles. Colours are red, gold, brown, pinks, greens and blues. Padding is flannel, and quilt is backed and edged with maroon or burgundy ribbed silk.
1461mm x 687mm
National Trust of Australia (WA)
Patchwork top made of cottons, constructed with 5 by 5 rows of squared 8 point pieced stars alternating with white cross-shaped blocks (made from 4 pieces). On all sides are borders of half stars. The outer border is of rectangles of cotton prints appliquéd on to cotton to form a plaited pattern. The border only is backed with a band of cream cotton. All patches are whip stitched together.
2645 x 2615mm
Glenda Wilkinson
The quilt consists of 2 layers of random pieces of woollen coating and suiting materials machined together, very dark colours on one side and a mixture of dark and lighter on the other. The 2 layers are quilted together with a row of machining and has a folded and machine stitched edge. There is no padding.
1270 x 950mm
Nancy Dunlap
Repeat block in wedding ring pattern. All cottons with cream background and mainly pale mauve and green dressmaking prints in wedding rings. Green border and cream calico backing. The padding is cotton. 1800 x 210mm.