Quilt No.21KA - Kathy Allam

Kathy Allam
Owner: 
Kathy Allam
Location: 
WA Perth
Maker
Maker: 
Mrs. Pritchard
Made in
AUSTRALIA
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
"A crazy quilt, but even more crazy because each piece of fabric is stuffed with cotton wool. "[Kathy Allam] The quilt has cotton backing, and the seams are embroidered with a decorative feather stitch. Fabrics are plains and prints, most of the prints are florals. The main colours are yellows, blues, pinks, soft greens and dark browns and black, with a light blue/green binding and edge.
History: 

The quilt was made and owned by Mrs Pritchard, and is now owned by her grand-daughter, Kathy Allam [WA]. The quilt is now a wall-hanging.

Story: 

"The fabrics were collected by my mother and auntie who asked for samples of fabric for their mother. Fabric was scarce and expensive due to the Depression, so each little slither was treasured. Satins, silks, velveteens. Each piece was tacked in place but stuffed before completely tacked and then the decorative stitching was completed."
"My grandmother is now 97 and has been working on a similar quilt over the years, but in this quilt she has been including fabrics that have special meaning to us - the fabric my husband bought for me in the US (before he was my husband)."
[Kathy Allam 22.4.98]

Related Quilts:

National Trust of Australia (WA)
Patchwork quilt in Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern consisting of groups of 7 rosettes and single rosettes with white filler hexagons and a border of rosettes alternating with 'bow tie' shapes of 5 patches in the middle of the quilt. Hand sewn in cotton dress and shirting materials , the colours mostly blues, pinks, reds, brown and white. The quilt top is covered in netting. There is no padding and the backing is cream cotton twill.
2270 x 2080mm
Annette Rich
Unlined quilt. Central square of floral chintz with rectangular and chevron border making a larger frame that is set within another square-on-point frame edged with 2 toned red leaf pattererned chintz. This quilt is mainly pieced (squares, triangles, lozenges) but the hexagon rosettes are appliqued. Dress and furnishing cottons dating from the early 1800s. Raw edged, unfinished. All hand stitched.
2400 x 2400mm
Elsie Shephard
Double sided patchwork quilt/rug. Mainly squares machined together in strips (8 across). Average square 22 to 24cms. One side has a large piece of dark grey woollen material. The materials for the squares include tweed, mohair,many woollens, tartans and cream blanketing all of which were scraps or from used clothing.
1820 x 1680mm
Mare Carter
Patchwork quilt of pieced repeat blocks in cotton in white, blue, green, orange and red prints, plains and checks. Blocks are set between green sashes with white corner blocks. The pattern is 'Saw Tooth Star' or 'Jacob's Ladder' variation. Backing is of cotton, padding of cotton. Hand sewn and hand quilted.
2058 x 1296mm
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
Frame quilt, hand and machine sewn, centre square of squares (7 rows by 7 rows) of 2 triangles, with red border. Alternate rows of triangles, rectangles, 'flying geese' border, squares, squares set on point with triangles, wide red border. Hand quilted throughout in chevrons, single cables and single scallops. The padding is a hand woven cream wool blanket and the backing is cream cotton twill.
2330 x 2030mm
Fran Williams
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