Quilt No.165NB - Nell Bell
Description:
Double sided patchwork quilt in coloured patterned cottons. Side A has frame pattern aound a central pieced rectangle containing a piece of lace curtaining. Colours are ornage, brown, yellow, green, red and black. Side B has windmill blades (4 blades) in printed cottons with solid colour centres appliqued on to a dark brown background. Hand and machine sewn. Padding is fleece wool in an old commercial eiderdown.
1829 x 915mm
1829 x 915mm
History:
Made by Nell Bell at Eltham (VIC) in the late 1950s, and owned by her.
Story:
"These were my first attempts at patchwork quilts. I had never seen patterned ones either in reality or in books. I worked them out myself. Had seen Waggas as a child. Side B attempt at windmills against dark blue sky.
"Made because old eiderdown [had] worn out & needed extra coverings because child Gordon born 1957 needed a bed not a cot so about 1960-61 I guess - Side A a crude attempt at a pattern, mainly dress materials or overall materiala. 1 band flowers on black background a tea towel. Lace panel in centre from curtains. Side B similar materials mix of hand & machine sewing."
Related Quilts:
The quilt consists of 2 layers of random pieces of woollen coating and suiting materials machined together, very dark colours on one side and a mixture of dark and lighter on the other. The 2 layers are quilted together with a row of machining and has a folded and machine stitched edge. There is no padding.
1270 x 950mm
1270 x 950mm
150 x 210mm pieces of bound suiting samples overlapped and machined together then herringboned with gold/yellow thread. Each piece has an embroidered motif, using single thread, mainly non Australian birds and animals. '1903' is embroidered on a centre piece. It is hand quilted. The backing is a black floral print. There is no padding.
1800 x 1940mm
1800 x 1940mm
Block pattern consisting of a circle, hexagon and circle within a square. Cotton dressmaking fabrics with a few plain creams. Hand pieced and hand quilted. At some stage has been machine reinforced. Now faded, worn and damaged especially one end. Quilting pattern is four leaf clover inside large cable. The backing is 4 different pink toned fabrics in longitudinal stripes. Cotton batting. 2620 x 2300mm
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1524 x 1372mm
1524 x 1372mm
Grandmother's Flower Garden, also known as French Bouquet. The quilt comprises 181 flowers. No padding is used. Each flower has seven hexagonal patches, cut from a metal template pattern. Floral and plain silk materials are used and mounted on pale blue moire taffeta.
3050 x 2031mm
3050 x 2031mm
Cotton quilt made from squares of patterned and plain materials. It has a mauve cotton flounce around the border and a mauve cotton backing. There is no padding.
2700 x 1350mm
2700 x 1350mm