Quilt No.223RA - Rozanne Andrew

Rozanne Andrew
Owner: 
Rozanne Andrew
Location: 
SA
Maker
Maker: 
Bertha Fechner
Made in
AUSTRALIA SA
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Quilt, single bed size, made from reused clothing roughly handstitched on to a backing of a wool/linen blanket type fabric in green, cream and brown stripes. Clothing is fronts and backs of old jumpers, vests etc as well as opened out sleeves in red, brown and grey. They are stitched together in several layers with long stitches. Another top may have been intended to cover the stitched down layers of clothing.
1500 x 1040mm
History: 

Made by the owner's grandmother, Bertha Fechner, in Loxton, SA in the late 1940s. Owned by Rozanne Andrew.

Story: 

"Further on from last correspondence regarding information on 3 quilts I own from my paternal grandmother. � This is information on grandmother's life. Name - Bertha Fechner & Philip Fechner
D.O.B 19/5/1888 D. 20/12/73 D.O.B 1/6/1893 D. 5/12/46
Lived all their married [lives] at Loxton, South Australia, a town on the River Murray.
Both people of German descent but born in Australia.
Both very frugal in their use of food and possessions. Always preserved all their fruit, killed own animals, grown most of their fruit and vegetables. Grandmother of course made own clothes and many quilts in her lifetime. Many traditions from Germany passed down and carried on through the generations including language. Being able to knit, crochet, sew, embroider an essential part of education. Strong church followers always.
� Grandfather was a blacksmith and wheelright. Grandmother did 'home duties".
[Letter from Rozanne Andrew 20.12.95]

Related Quilts:

N.S.W. Parks and Wildlife Service
The top is strips of mainly wools in blue, maroon and purple. The backing is imitation fur in brown and grey. They is no quilting. The padding appears to be a double sided pieced quilt from men's suitings or tailors' samples.
1500 x 1130mm
King Cottage Museum
Hand sewn hexagons over paper templates in a pattern known as 'Grandmother's Flower Garden'. Materials are printed dress cottons, patterned and plain, mainly in pinks, blues and browns. The border and backing is grey linen and is machine stitched on. There is no padding. 2060 x 1579 mm.
Friends of the Hawkesbury Art Society
Patchwork Quilt consisting of diamond shapes forming a Tumbling Block pattern. All cotton, mainly patterned pieces, with signs of blotting paper templates. Hand sewn. The outer border of patches consists of off-cuts from nurses' uniforms of the times as 2 of the maker's daughters were nurses. It is thought most other squares were probably from material samples from large city stores such as Anthony Horderns. Backing is red cotton in a paisley design.
2030 x 1890mm
Marie Thomas
150mm squares of old material scraps, mostly cotton, including some curtain material. There is no padding and the backing is brown lawn.
2540 x 2370mm
Una Braby
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
National Gallery of Australia
"This quilt follows the traditional hexagon patchwork pieced pattern, which are then joined and sometimes edged with a contrasting border. The edges of the quilt have been turned and then scalloped edges made of identical patches to the main body of the quilt have been attached to the edge. The quilt is fully lined, and the lining is visible front the front face through the gaps between the scalloped edge. The lining is attached to the patchwork with a row of stitches along the edges; there are no stitches in the centre field. The fabrics of the quilt are plain weave cotton in simple floral and geometric designs. Most of the fabrics are monochromatic. Several different colour ways of the same fabric are evident which could suggest some fabrics were from manufacturer samples. The lining is a William Morris print.
Each of the patchwork pieces (there are several thousand present) are sewn together with very fine overcasting stitches. The quilt is entirely hand sewn. There is some evidence that templates from the hexagon pieces possibly blotting paper, remain in situ���The quilt is not padded or quilted. The lining is fine twill weave cotton printed in pink and pale purple. The design follows William Morris's 'Strawberry Thief design'." [NGA] 2075 x 1911mm