Quilt No.386CW - Colleen Whitaker

Colleen Whitaker
Owner: 
Colleen Whitaker
Location: 
NSW Riverina
Maker
Maker: 
Bridget Halloran
Made in
SHIPBOARD Ireland
Date: 
pre 1850
Description: 
Quilt top, all cotton. Center frame is 600mm square of calico on to which is appliqued red material in an elaborate cut out design. Radiating rows of mainly red and blue triangles. Other materials include, white with abstract plants scattered across it, pink with pin print white dots, white and maroon herringbone with small white flowers with maroon leaf sprays spread 25mm apart. The border is a strip of red not hemmed but with selvedges on the long sides. The quilt is all hand sewn with small back stitch, running stitch and hemming.
History: 

The quilt top was made on a ship from Ireland in 1840 by Bridget Halloran (born Tully). It was handed on to her daughter Catherine who married William Hansell and then passed by maternal descent to the present owner who is the great great grand-daughter of the maker (fifth generation). It is not used and is stored in a camphor wood box.

Story: 

The family suggest that the reason the quilt was not finished (backed) may have related to the time available on the ship. If the quilt wasn't finished on arrival there wasn't time in the 'new country'.
"This (the quilt) is believed to have been made on the ship from Ireland in 1840 by Bridget Tully, daughter of Michael and Mary Tully of Ballynakill. Born in the county of Galway in 1816. One of ten children. In 1838 she married Michael Halloran. In 1840 she immigrated to Australia on The Isabella, with her daughter Ellen and sisters and their husbands. She left behind an ailing husband, Michael Halloran who was supposed to join them later.
Patrick Tully, her brother, already in Australia, filled in an appplication form for the Hallorans to immigrate as farm workers, the fare being paid by the N.S.W. Government. In all, nine of the Tully siblings came to settle in the Goulburn district.
She had arrived in Sydney and moved by dray, with her daughter and sister Catherine to Ryansvale, a farm run by the Ryan brothers 12 miles from Goulburn, near Bungonia. In 1841 Bridget gave birth to another daughter called Catherine. She had become sick on the boat. At first they thought she was sea sick but discovered she was pregnant, father being Michael Halloran.
In 1843 she received news through her brother in law Michael Costello that her husband Michael Halloran had died.
In 1849 she married James Clark Armstrong in the Church of England at Bungonia, although she remained a praticing Catholic. Armstrong went off gold prospectring most of the time while Bridget supported her daughters by selling milk and butter from their small farm.
In 1871 Bridget became a widow again when James died at the gold fields of Araluen aged 65 years. She lived the rest of her life with her grandson at Windellama (in the same area). She died in 1902 and is buried at Bungonia."
"This information on Bridget was obtained from writings about the Tully family by James Abbey descendant of Catherine Tully and Alexander Abbey. Bridget's niece Mary Costello married Patrick Durack. Her brother or nephew Patrick and Patrick Durack were mining mates whose family had come from the same part of Ireland to join the large Irish community around Goulburn."
[ Colleen Whitaker, 8.3.1999]

Related Quilts:

Art Gallery of South Australia
Patchwork quilt or table covering dark and light silks in bright colours, pieced from diamond shapes into stars with black patches between the stars. Plain and patterned silks are used for the stars. Border is made from a single row of Tumbling Blocks in plain silks with an edging on each side of truncated black diamonds on blue on the inside, orange on the outer edge. There is a star pieced of diamonds in each corner. Hand sewn.
1830 x 1800mm
The Embroiderers' Guild of S.A.Inc Museum
This Adelaide Chronicle wildflower quilt has alternating squares of green and fawn headcloth embroidered with Australian wildflowers on the fawn squares and stylised floral motifs on the green squares. It is bordered and backed with the same green material. It is padded.
2350 x 1530mm
The Queensland Women's Historical Assoc.
Wool patches in large Tumbling Block pattern. Plain colours, blues, orange, gree, red. Seams are over embroidered with silk thread in herringbone stitch. Backing is 'Molleton', red with yellow pansy design.
2490 x 2236mm
Dianne Thompson
Patchwork quilt made from Suffolk Puffs in a mixture of bright and pastel prints and plains, mainly in cotton materials. Hand sewn. No padding or backing.
1630 x 1440mm
National Trust of Australia (WA)
Frame quilt in cottons with a centre motif of pieced 8 point star surrounded by borders, 2 from red/white material printed to represent Tumbling Block patchwork. The remaining borders are, one plain, one of pieced squares, one of pieced large triangles with squares in the corner. The outer border is plain. The padding is wool and the backing is cream cotton. It is elaborately quilted.
2400 x 2260mm
Lurline Lydiard
Unfinished crazy patchwork quilt. Materials are mainly silk, velvet, woven ribbons, woven brocades. Hand embroidery using many different stitches also machine embroidery eg frog. Some individual patches have names, initials, dates probably relating to family members. There are also place names several of which may refer to Australia. Apart from the embroidery on individual patches there are overlaid a number of floral displays across parts of the quilt. Backing is flannelette with selvedges of blue and pink. 1300 x 1300mm