Quilt No.114MD - Mary Lennox Denyer
Owner:
Mary Lennox Denyer
Location:
QLD South West
Maker
Maker:
Jean Gavin
Made in
SCOTLAND
Patterms
Date:
1881 - 1900
Description:
Cotton suffolk puff quilt. Puffs are in printed and plain fabrics and 4 puffs of the same colour/pattern are placed together.
2413 x 2363mm
2413 x 2363mm
History:
Made in Scotland in about 1900 by Jean Gavin and now owned by her daughter Mary Lennox Denyer who lives in Toowoomba, Queensland. The quilt is not now used.
Story:
Jean Gavin was born in Scotland in 1850 and widowed in 1895 when she was pregnant with her fourth child. Her husband was William Reid Gavin and they lived in Dalmellington, Ayrshire. The death of her husband changed family life dramatically. The eldest son left his studies to work in the mines to support the family. They emigrated to Australia in 1925 settling in Toowoomba Queensalnd. Jean Gavin died in 1932.

Mary Denyer with her quilt
Related Quilts:
Dresden plate quilt with pointed pieces set around a white centre. Fabrics are checks, floral patterns and plains of the 1930s. The twenty blocks are sashed with plain mauve fabric which does not meet evenly in some places. The padding is two layers of cotton bedspreads. The backing is open weave rough quality cotton.
1860 x 1550mm.
1860 x 1550mm.
Hexagon quilt constructed over papers; all seams oversewn with featherstitch embroidery. Materials are vyella and clydella scraps from childhood dresses of the maker's first four children, augmented with scraps from a dressmaker and a book of samples. There is no padding; backing is plain, pale blue, brushed cotton.
2200 x 1720 mm.
2200 x 1720 mm.
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
520 x 520mm
Single bed quilt hand pieced from silk hexagons using the English method. The border, backing and central rosette of hexagons are black. All other hexagons are a mixture of plain colours, stripes and florals. They are randomly placed. It is quilted in a diamond pattern. The padding is a thin cotton woven material.
1550 x 1330mm
1550 x 1330mm
Quilt made of 9120 very small Suffolk Puffs, each one about the size of a 20 cent piece. "Each piece backed and the front of it drawn up like a reticule. It was not backed and was rather fragile, so I backed it on to a sheet, as it was heavy and in danger of tearing when lifted." [Gillian Sullivan]
2360 x 2230 mm
2360 x 2230 mm
"English patchwork pieces. 1110mm x 1500mm. Hand pieced by at least two people. Made from scraps, cut down clothing and sheeting. Backing made from shirtings, dress fabrics, furnishing fabric and ticking. No synthetics. Machine quilted. Condition, fragile�.." [Dubbo Museum]