Quilt No.1032NG - Narelle Grieve

Narelle Grieve
Owner: 
Narelle Grieve
Location: 
NSW Sydney
Maker
Maker: 
G K Evans
Made in
WALES
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
Wholecloth silk Welsh quilt. "The overall design containing the border, the central motif and corner motifs within lines of quilting is also typically Welsh. The bent leaf and leaf motifs used as mirror image pairs between the tulips in the outer border and inner border help to distinguish this Welsh quilt from those made in other parts of Britain. The scroll patterns contained within the inner border also help to establish this as a Welsh quilt." [Extract from unidentified magazine article supplied by the quilt owner.] 2560 x 2240 mm
History: 

Found by the present owner in a plastic bag at a garage sale in the suburb of Gordon Sydney NSW. Thought to have been designed and possibly made by Miss G.K.Evans, later Mrs Boundy, in Wales in the 1930s. The quilt's history from the 1930s to the garage sale is unknown. It is not used.

Story: 

���"Months after salvaging the quilt from a garage sale in the Sydney suburb of Gordon, Narelle noticed a photograph of an almost identical quilt in Dorothy Osler's book 'Traditional British Quilts'. Correspondence with the author in Britain confirmed the possibility that the two quilts were almost certainly designed and perhaps made by the same quilter, Miss G.K.Evans (later Mrs. Boundy).
��It is assumed that Miss Evans designed and created the quilts during her time under the Rural Industries Bureau Scheme which operated in southern Wales and north east England in the 1930s. The scheme was an attempt to revive enthusiasm for the art of quilting, which had diminished in the regions following the invention of the sewing machine and the consequent desire for machine made bedcovers.
Under the scheme, the Rural Industries Bureau financed an exhibition of traditional Welsh quilts for a display in London. The display, which also included Durham quilts from the north-east of England, was such a success that it resulted in a rush of orders for the designs. The small population of Welsh quilters commissioned by the bureau was unable to cope with the demand and classes in quilting were begun to teach the art.
Under the scheme payment for quilting was good and it attracted many young women, who quickly learned and adapted the traditional techniques taught to them by the more experienced quilters.
This quilt and the one found in Dorothy Osler's book exhibit the traditional designs and styles taught in south Wales during this period. But they also share unique characteristics, such as the tulip motifs which can be attributed to the imagination of Miss Evans." [extract from unidentified magazine article supplied by the present quilt owner.]

Related Quilts:

Yvonne Hamdorf
Wholecloth pram quilt with a top of pink cotton sateen, and the reverse is a more finely woven, ivory, fabric. All over quilting design as main feature, with stylised hearts, leaves and cross hatching. The padding is cotton batting. 870 x 660 mm.
John Tomkin
Hand stitched, cotton, appliquéd, quilt in a flower pattern on a plain background. Colours are shades of green, apricot and browns. This quilt was known as a 'Bride's Quilt'. Padding is thought to be layers of white fabric raised almost like a wadding. The backing is cotton material. 2470 x 2020 mm.
Christine Taylor
Autograph quilt consisting of 372 x 100mm calico squares with signatures worked in green thread. There is a scalloped border. The backing is green paisley flannelette and the padding is an old twill sheet.
2200 x 1840mm
Mary Robertson
Domestic Wagga made from 3 bags joined (the bags feel lighter than the jute wheat or flour bags) and covered back and front with floral cotton featuring large roses in red and oranges. The cover is machined.
1750 x 840mm
Powerhouse Museum
"A quilt or coverlet of natural cotton sheeting with appliqueed motifs cut from a variety of crimson cotton damask. The quilt is hand sewn and nearly square and has a 12 cm border made from the same crimson damasks. The applique motifs consist of a range of hexagons, rosettes, flowers, hearts and stars that radiate outwards from a large centrally placed star shape. All are the same shade of crimson red which suggests they were dyed in the same dye pot. The fabrics are now quite thin and soft which suggests that the quilt, or the fabric it was made from, was well used." [PHM]
1960 x 1950mm
Kereake Wray
Wholecloth Greek quilt. "The fabric is a beautiful silk satin with a formal pattern of soft yellows and pinks on a turquoise background. Surrounding this is a 40cm wide border also of silk satin (cerise coloured). The quilt is machine pieced but hand quilted. The method of quilting is very interesting. A thick cream twist has been used and at first glance it seems that the quilt is tied as there are long pairs of stitches with gaps of about 4cm between them. However, either a long needle was used to make a pair of stitches OR each side may have been quilted separately with the needle only going half way into the wadding which is about 2 cms thick." [Kereake Wray] The padding is kapok approx 2 cm thick and the backing is deep coral pink satin. 2200 x 1960 mm.