Quilt No.298WHF - National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame

National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame
Owner: 
National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame
Location: 
NT
Maker
Maker: 
Nicholes Wallace
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1881 - 1900
Description: 
Patchwork top made in the Log Cabin pattern in cotton fabrics, 10 x 10 squares. Hand sewn. Most fabrics are patterned, colours in darks and lights include blues, red and pink, greys, browns. The wide border is made from 3 rows of blunt ended triangles (tumbler), the edge is bound with a narrow strip of patterned grey and white fabric. Each corner of the border has 3 chequered squares set on the diagonal. Hand sewn, the binding is machine sewn. No padding or backing.
2360 x 2340mm
History: 

Made about 1895 in Carlston, near Violetown, North East Victoria, by Nicholes Wallace for her daughter-in-law, Alma Gibbs, who married her son John Brown. It then passed to Mrs Pat Fleming, Nicholes' grand-daughter who donated it to the National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame, Alice Springs (NT).

Story: 

Nicholes Wallace was the second wife of Isaac Wallace, who was a farmer in Carlston, near Violet Town (Vic). Isaac was Nicholes' second husband. She had four sons by her first marriage to a Mr Brown, and made quilts for all her daughters-in-law. Nicholes had a daughter, Elizabeth, from her marriage with Isaac. Her son John, married Alma Gibbs in 1902. Nicholes died in 1905.
Pat Fleming, grand-daughter of Nicholes was the last family owner of the quilt.
"In Memorium Pat Fleming 1915-1995.
���.Pat was committed to preserving the heritage of the Alice. A life member of the National Trust of Australia Pat had been a committee memberof the Trust's MacDouall Stuart Branch in Alice Springs since its establishment in 1979 and served as branch secretary, councillor and treasurer before retiring from these posts in 1994. Pat's life story is both fascinating and uplifting, encompassing the true essence of the pioneering spirit in the harsh outback of Australia.
Daisy Alma Wallace (known as Pat) was born on 2 March 1915 at Gowangardie in Victoria. She married the Rev. Tom Fleming, an ordained Baptist minister who, in 1950 was appointed missionary at the Yuendumu Aboriginal settlement.
The move from the south east coast to Central Australia must have involved dramatic changes in Pat's life style.
We read that 'the mail came in every 2 weeks, supplies every 2 months and electricity only after 9 years. The Flemings had to rebuild a white- ant ridden house and started virtually from scratch.
Pat recalls what a challenge it was to make a home and garden in the desert and to educate her own 2 sons in isolation to secondary level, but with hard and rewarding effort she coped - and did much else besides.
There was no school at Yuendumu when the Flemings arrived so Pat voluntarily conducted a pre-school for young Aboriginal children for 8 years while assisting her husband with all aspects of his work as missionary. She visited 3 cattle stations per fortnight to talk with and assist the women with schooling their children.
Pat also managed the local store from 1965 onward. This evolved into a supermarket and with Pat as assistant Manager had an annual turnover of $175.000 by the time of her departure in 1975.'
Following the Fleming's retirement to Alice Springs they became involved in church activities and the National Trust. Unfortunately Pat was never to publish the book based on her diaries kept since her arrival in Central Australia."
[Source: Pioneer Women, a publication of the National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame Inc. December 1995. Vol 2 No.4]

Related Quilts:

Euroa and District Historical Society
Handsewn cotton hexagons in a wide variety of patterns. Centre oval of hexagons with 2 outer rings. There is no padding and the backing is white cotton.
2490 x 2200mm
National Trust of Australia (QLD)
Crazy patchwork quilt with mainly patterned pieces in a wide variety of designs and colours. Backing is wholecloth patterned cotton. The quilt is edged with a checked bias binding. Machine construction.
2299 x 1449mm
Sue Batzloff
Patchwork quilt for a child made from suiting pieces from the Castlemaine Woollen Mills in Victoria. One side has dark rectangles in greys and navy, the other side uses pieces in light browns, cream and rust, with dark grey. The edging is also made from suiting. No padding Machine sewn.
1347 x 1271mm
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
Mrs. F.A.C.Clemons
Quilt made from blocks in a fan pattern, 5 blocks across by 6 down. Fans are set on a black background, materials are wool and cotton in a mixture of plains and patterns. Edges of fans are decorated with cream herringbone stitch. Machine pieced with hand stitched repairs.Cream cotton backing folded over to make binding, stitched with pink herringbone stitch. Tied regularly with pink thread. The quilt is padded with wool.
2000 x 1720mm
National Trust of Australia (WA)
Frame quilt of dress cottons, including some glazed cottons. The centre is 4 triangles pieced to make a rectangle. This is surrounded by a plain border, a border of triangles, plain border, triangles border, plain border, border of triangles pieced to form squares, square and triangle border, then rows of squares. The outer border is of glazed floral chintz with a brown background. The backing is cream linen pieced lengthways in 3 sections. There is no padding. It is quilted all over in a large clamshell pattern. The top is covered with netting.
2615 x 2280mm