Quilt No.164MC - Marion Coleman

Marion Coleman
Owner: 
Marion Coleman
Location: 
VIC Gippsland
Maker
Maker: 
Marion Coleman
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Quilt made of Tailors' wool samples in stripes, checks and plain,, rectangles in different sizes machined together in strips. Colours are grey, navy, brown, light grey and cream. Lining or backing is of patterned cotton, in three layers as it has worn and been replaced. Machine and zigzag quilting.
1626 x 1271mm
History: 

Made by the owner Marion Coleman in 1956 -1957, in Maffra (VIC). Used as a car rug, picnic rug, camp rug, bed blanket and knee rug.

Story: 

"I made it about 1956-7 when I was only a new wife and mother, living in Maffra away from my family & friends who we had left in Melb. In those years housing was impossible to obtain in Melb. & my new husband liked working in the country, so we made our move (have never regretted it) but money was tight.
This Wagga quilt is still used but now more appreciated than it has been over the years. One of the first 'Time Payment' purchases we made was a PHOENIX sewing machine which did zigzag, had cams for fancy stitches, was a portable model semi industrial.
As money was tight, time was available and pure wool sample books had been given to me by my tailor maternal grand-father. I sewed them together, some smaller than other larger samples so making a sort of pattern - prob. so they would 'fit' together.
My g'father, a Scot, had his Tailor's shop in Glenfeerie Rd, Malvern, Vic. for many years. He made suits - jacket & trousers or jacket & skirts as ordered & fitted personally. I went to his shop on Sat. mornings to 'help' - probably my company was the only 'help'."
[Marion Coleman]

Related Quilts:

Ruth Collins
Patchwork quilt of rectangular wool and cotton tailors' samples, in browns, greys, navy, black and beige, in plains and patterned weaves. Padding is a woollen blanket, and the backing is a patterned cotton.
1956 x 1702mm
National Gallery of Australia
"This is not a true quilt, but a pieced coverlet with a lining. The entire front face of the quilt is of pieced hexagonal and part hexagonal printed cotton patches. Pieces are joined with hand sewn over casting stitches of many different coloured cotton threads. The joining of the patches forms a 'daisy' pattern in some areas and in others it is random. The edge of the front face of the quilt carries a 40mm strip of cotton Chinoiserie which is then folded to the reverse of the quilt and becomes part of the lining. The template for the hexagon patches remains in many of the patches: writing paper and news print." [NGA]
The work is not padded "The lining at the edge of the quilt (for approx.175mm) is a plain weave fabric of a Chinoiserie design. The centre field of the lining is a rectangular panel of a twill weave brushed cotton fabric with a striped floral design." [NGA] 2215 x 2070mm
The Embroiderers' Guild of S.A.Inc Museum
This Adelaide Chronicle wildflower quilt has alternating squares of green and fawn headcloth embroidered with Australian wildflowers on the fawn squares and stylised floral motifs on the green squares. It is bordered and backed with the same green material. It is padded.
2350 x 1530mm
Heather Leonard
This 'Quilt' is made from an army great coat from the second world war. The seams have been unpicked and pieced together by machine zig-zagging the flat edges (with Singer treadle sewing machine). The pocket slits are turned back and seamed rather than being pared off. The outside edges are turned over and blanket stitched in red. It does not have a backing.
1620 x 1180mm
Lyn Uppill
Scrap quilt made of vertical strips of rectangles alternating with narrow strips of pieced triangles. Colours are subdued, blues, pinks, red, browns and black, in small patterns and stripes. Fabrics are suiting, rayon, crepe, gaberdine, taffeta and blazer wool. The padding or middle layer is pieced from hessian and suiting fabric, knitted cotton. and khaki and brown twill (uniform material). The middle layer is then handsewn to the back.
1550 x 870mm
Betty Johnson
Pieced wool quilt, machined. Rectangles and squares, from a wide variety of materials including tartans, checks, tweeds, herringbones, joined in strips and then the strips joined. The backing is scraps of woollen material with a seal motif aookiqued on. There is no padding.
1350 x 800mm