Quilt No.1039JZ - Jenny Gianoula Zounis
The quilt was made by Mr. Stamatis Zounis in Perth WA in 1965 as a 'thank you' present for the mother-in-law of the present owner, Mrs. Jenny Zounis. It is not used.
"This quilt has the distinction of being made by a man - Mr. Stamatis Spahis who was born in about 1935 in Greece. He came to Australia before his marriage in 1964. At the time of his wedding he was an apprentice mattress maker and his brother had taught him in Greece how to make quilts.
Mr. Spahis' bride had only recently migrated from Greece. Her brother had brought her to Australia and also wanted to get married but was obligated by Greek tradition to see that his sister was married first. However, the young couple suffered from a shortage of money so her brother's (Manuel Papadimitridor) father-in-law to be, Nikita Zounis, offered to pay for a double wedding. This happened to be the second time that Nikita Zounis had done the same thing under similar circumstances. And, as Greeks don't do things by halves there were about 300 guests at both double weddings. As a thank you to his brother in law's father in law for paying for the wedding, Mr. Spahis made him the quilt.
At the time Mr. Spahis would have been about 29 or 30 years old. It is apparent that great care was taken by Mr. Spahis as the quilting thread is blue on the blue side and pink on the pink side. The present owner of the quilt says it is the custom to sew a sheet to the border of a quilt to keep it clean. The sheet could then be easily washed." [Mrs. Jenny Zounis]
Related Quilts:
The coverlet is decorated with rows of pieced work surrounding appliquéd and embroidered scenes. A panel down the LHS of the quilt and a smaller panel lower RHS depict animals and floral images. In the centre RHS an elderly couple sit beneath a tree. In the upper left a bride and groom accompanied by three flower girls are showered with petals from a wicker basket carried by a very large angel. Glass beads, sequins and a button have been used to highlight the appliqué and embroidery.
As with all of Mary Jane Hannaford's quilts, the work is stitched by hand and quite crudely, but the naivety of the images is overwhelming with their charm." [NGA] The quilt is not padded or lined. 1950 x 1690mm
Stavroula re-covered this quilt with this material about 20 to 25 years ago. Originally the quilt had a yellow gold satin top with yellow gold cotton backing. Padding is cotton wadding.
1900 x 1600mm
2240 x 885mm
1580 x 1200mm
