Quilt No.1114JH - Jan Hanslow

Jan Hanslow
Owner: 
Jan Hanslow
Location: 
VIC Melbourne
Maker
Maker: 
Grace Nicholas
Made in
SHIPBOARD
Date: 
1851 - 1880
Description: 
Hexagon quilt with 60mm hexagons in cottons. No particular design or pattern. Patches are plain and patterned in reds, blues, pinks, browns and greys. There is a 70mm wide lace trim. The quilt is padded and the backing is wholecloth green with a floral design in pink and cream. 1860 x 1640mm
History: 

The quilt was made by Grace Nicholas in 1853 on board the 'Monteagle' between England and Australia. Grace (married name Cole) passed it to her daughter, Mary Jane Williams (born Cole) and it then went to her daughter Grace Williamson (born Williams). From Grace the quilt went to the parents of the present owner as William Harold James Cole was a cousin of Grace Williamson.

Story: 

"Grace Nicholas was born in Lelant, Cornwall on 20.2.1834. After her father died in 1849, her mother lost possession of the family farm (it passed to another male member of the Nicholas family). Her mother Mary Nicholas (nee Travener) migrated to Melbourne with her 7 children aged between 24 and 8. They came on the
'Monteagle', arriving on 12.4.1853. There were 52 deaths on board. Grace married Arscott Cole of Clawton, Devon at St. James old cathedral on 30.9.1854. Grace and Arscott Cole (blacksmith) lived at Darebin Creek where 7 of their children were born. Their 8th child was born at Yan Yean in 1873. Arscott was at that time working at Hazel Glen farm in Doreen (owned by the Reid family). Around 1876 the family moved to Waggarandal where they had a farm and also a smithy which was on the corner of the Benalla-Tocumwal Rd and the St. James road. In the 1890s they moved to Lardner, Warragul where they probably lived with their daughter Mary-Jane Williams or their son Samuel Cole... For some time my mother had the quilt on a bed in the 'spare' room. My father died in 1983. My mother remarried and moved to another house, the quilt at that stage going into 'storage'. She passed it on to me just recently." [Jan Hanslow 4.2.2002]

Grace Cole (born Nicholas) 1834-1916
Grace Cole (born Nicholas) 1834-1916

Related Quilts:

Val Wilkinson
Scrap quilt made from a myriad of different materials, cottons, silk types velvets etc. Alternate rows have triangles and odd shaped pieces with in between rows of squares and rectangles in smaller pieces. It is completely machine pieced. There is no padding. The backing is blue slub rayon and is brought to the front to form a border.
2200 x 1520mm
Marian Russell
Patchwork quilt made from squares of wool, cotton, tweed, corduroy, tartan and stretch knit fabrics. Colours are mainly reds, greens, blues, pink and orange, mostly solid colours with some checks, stripes and florals. Padding is an open weave hessian material. Backing is a loosely woven cotton, pieced, buff coloured with a woven red and orange thread. Machine pieced, machine quilted in a large rectangle.
1601 x 915mm
Art Gallery of South Australia
Rectangular patchwork crazy quilt pieced in squares (3 across by 4 down), in silks and wool, with red sashing between blocks and red border, quilted. Colours are dark, with red and light blue. Embroidery includes double feather, rope, herringbone, satin, cross, sword edge, buttonhole and coral stitches, and French knots. Embroidered flowers include lily of the valley, rose, daisy, and sunflower, also butterflies. Backing is pieced in the frame style, with a large centre red square, within 10 frames or borders. Embroidered "In Most Loving Memory of My Darling 1883", "V.H.B." Hand sewn.
1900 x 1500mm
Joyce Lannin
A hand sewn quilt of more than 6,536 hexagon pieces in cottons, silks and polyester mix. There is a centre circular pattern of hexagons within a larger hexagon and small hexagons form larger hexagons in a random pattern on the quilt top. There is no padding and the backing is a plain fawn sheet with a floral edging in hexagons. 2880 x 2550 mm.
Ella Jarvis
Quilt made with a rectangular centre panel of cotton fabric printed with red poppies and black flowers in a japanese style. The panel is surrounded by a wide black satin border. The backing is of black cotton, covering a previous backing of green floral cotton fabric. The padding is feathers.
1700 x 1370mm
National Gallery of Australia
" Reversible patchwork quilt of woollen suiting in grey, blue, navy, maroon and brown. The fabrics appear to be new tailor's sample pieces (the sizing is still present on the fabric, signifying it has never been washed). The patches are rectangular and vary in size. Both sides have different designs. The front of the quilt has 4 rows of 12 vertical rectangles then below this are 4 rows of 7 horizontal rectangles followed below by 4 rows of 11 vertical rectangles. The reverse of the quilt has a section at the top and bottom composed of 5 rows of 9 horizontal rectangles. The central area is made up of a centre section of 6 rows of 5 vertical rectangles; flanked on either side by a column of 10 horizontal rectangles and two columns of 8 smaller vertical rectangles.
The patchwork layers are joined at the edges with machine stitching. The patchwork layers and padding are machine quilted on the front down 2 vertical lines following joins in the patchwork; therefore not being totally straight. The lines are more noticeable on the reverse as the 2 sides do not match. The front face is displayed at the NGA.
Between the patchwork layers is a striped cotton blanket in black, sky blue, white and cream." [NGA]
2082 x 1386mm