Quilt No.245RC - Ruth Collins

Ruth Collins
Owner: 
Ruth Collins
Location: 
SA Country
Maker
Maker: 
Selina Pavy
Made in
AUSTRALIA SA
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
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
History: 

Made by Selina Pavy (born Martens) (1873-1950) at Lameroo (SA), in the 1920s. Given to her elder daughter Melva and then to her son and owner, the oldest grandchild, Mr Collins.

Story: 

"Selina Martens was born on 12th February 1873, at Clare, a rural town north of Adelaide in South Australia. She was the seventh child in a family of five daughters and three sons. The Martens family later moved to Port Germein where Selina grew up. Her father died at the age of 50 when she had only recently celebrated her 12th birthday.
Selina (who was called Lena) was obviously taught excellent sewing skills by her mother, and prior to her marriage she was the sewing mistress at the Port Germein school, and gave this as her occupation upon her marriage to Ernest (Ern) Pavy on 25th April 1893.
Following their marriage Lena and Ern lived in Port Germein, where their son and first daughter were born, then in Jamestown and Wilmington during which period they had another daughter. Finally, in 1910 they were among the early settlers who opened up virgin mallee land north of Lameroo, in another part of the state. This was a time of hardship and poverty, of clearing mallee and developing a farm, with some assistance from their two elder children. Lena, like all pioneer women of this era, assisted her husband where possible, as well as caring for her family under difficult circumstances, some distance from amenities such as medical care and shops. She used her considerable sewing skills to clothe the family to quite an extent, and in doing so passed on her talents, particularly to her elder daughter.
Unfortunately, after years of hard work, the farm had to be sold in the early 1920s due to the ill health of Ern and following the loss of their only son on the battlefields of France in June 1918. They lived in the township of Lameroo thereafter, and Lena is remembered by her grandchildren as a very caring and hardworking woman.
The quilt would probably have been made by Lena in the 1920's and some of her older grandchildren can recall this, and other similar items being in their grandparents' home � The quilt was later given to her elder daughter who in turn passed it on to her son (Lena's oldest grandchild), in whose possession it now rests. This grandson recalls the quilt being used in the base of the buggy during his childhood, and how soft and warm it was for he and his sisters to sleep on, while travelling home along the country roads at night after visiting their grandparents.
The quilt has been used through the years by various family members, and a great grand-daughter enjoyed its cosiness as a play rug beneath her play-pen in the early 1960's. A friend of Lena and Ern conducted a tailoring business in Lameroo, and it was from this source that the material samples were obtained, and crafted into the quilt.
Another surviving piece of Lena Pavy's needlework, which dates from the early 1930's, is a small doll's quilt made for her oldest granddaughter. Although now somewhat faded, it is still treasured by a great granddaughter, and is made from small pieces of cotton material worked onto a backing with a herringbone stitch."
[From information provided by Ruth Collins.]

Selina Pavy
Selina Pavy

Related Quilts:

June Johnson
Hand sewn cotton cot quilt with pattern of red and white lozenge shaped hexagons measuring approximately 65mm from top to bottom. A centre flower is constructed from 2 circles of 19 hexagons in red and white. This is surrounded by 8 smaller hexagon flowers. Additional single red hexagons are scattered at random on the white background around the rows of flowers. The quilt is not quilted or tied but is attached at all 4 edges. Writing on the back of the quilt (probably added later) reads "Made by Sarah Hodge, Newport, Wales UK for her first child John." There is no padding and the backing is white cotton. 1000 x 1250 mm.
Mare Carter
Patchwork quilt, all cotton including cotton filling. Pink and white. Large plain pink blocks with white pieced blocks in between in arrow type pattern based on rectangles. Hand sewn and hand quilted
1931 x 1728mm
National Gallery of Australia
"The Rajah "quilt" is a patchwork and appliquéd bed cover or coverlet. It is in pieced medallion or framed style: a popular design style for quilts in the British Isles in the mid 1800's. There is a central field of white cotton decorated with appliquéd (in broderie perse) chintz birds and floral motifs. This central field is framed by 12 bands or strips of patchwork printed cotton. The quilt is finished at the outer edge by white cotton decorated with appliquéd daisies on three sides and inscription in cross stitch surrounded by floral chintz attached with broderie perse on the fourth side. All fabrics used in the Rajah quilt are cotton with the exception of small amounts of linen and silk threads. The quilt shows evidence of being produced by many hands." [NGA] The quilt is not padded or lined. 3372 x 3250mm
Mare Carter
Quilt of alternate green and fawn squares (100mm) in knitted fabric, originally swatches of sample fabrics. Padding is a piece of old blanket. Backing is fawn flannelette, and the quilt is finished with a flannelette ruffle.
1423 x 1124mm
Catherine Ringwood
The top of this quilt is 6 x 5 alternating squares and rectangles of check woollen material in 12 or more colour ways. Herringbone stitch in yellow stranded cotton is worked along each join and border.The border is plain grey wool. There is no padding and the backing is light blue crepe.
1118 x 814mm
Glenda Wilkinson
Small quilt made from pieces of heavy weight wooollen coat material cut into strips and machined together. It is reversible. Each side is made from different materials but in similar colours of aqua, blue, green and beige. The 2 layers are quilted together with a few machined lines of straight stitching. It has a folded and machine stitched edge. There is no padding.
950 x 790mm