Quilt No.500RB - Rosemary Brazelis

Rosemary Brazelis
Owner: 
Rosemary Brazelis
Location: 
VIC Melbourne
Maker
Maker: 
Ellen Malkin
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Square log cabin quilt of 16 blocks (4 x 4 rows) constructed mainly from cotton dress materials, flannels and woollens printed and plain. Machine construction (treadle sewing machine) with the pieces sewn on to cream cotton material. Later addition of polyester padding and cotton backing and the quilt tied off in each square with Perle cotton.
1030 x 1030mm
History: 

The quilt was made by Ellen Malkin between 1939 and 1945 at Underbool in the Mallee. It was then owned by Fay Bennett (born Robinson) grand-daughter of the maker and then passed on to Rosemary Lynne Brazelis (born Robinson) great grand-daughter of the maker who completed the quilt by adding a backing, padding and tying it off. It is not used.

Story: 

"Ellen Malkin nee Roe was born on the 1st August 1867 at "Bolindavale" station, Donnybrook, Victoria. She married Fredrick Malkin. They were the first settlers to select land at Underbool, North West Victoria, and grow wheat in 1910-1911.
They cleared the land of mallee scrub and lived in a tent, until they built a 4 roomed, unlined weatherboard house, with a corrugated iron roof, a kitchen and a fly-wired room at the back.
The railway line was just being laid out from Ouyen, but a camel train would bring supplies from Ouyen and carry back salt from the salt lakes (Pink lakes) out from Linga. The local store was in a tent." [Rosemary Brazelis 18.11.1999]
Ellen Malkin used dressmaking scraps, pieces given to her by friends and also materials she received by mail order from The Weekly Times. She enjoyed various crafts including sewing, tatting, knitting, crochet and mending. "She was never idle." [RB]

Ellen Malkin
Ellen Malkin

Related Quilts:

Barbara McCabe
Patchwork quilt made of squares and rectangles in woollen fabric, stitched together without any particular pattern. Colours are mainly green, grey, blue, black, pink and some yellow. Fabrics are plain, checks and stripes. No padding, quilting or binding. Backing is a remnant of synthetic fabric. The quilt has been well sued and is very worn with fabric torn and marked in some places.
1400 x 400mm
National Gallery of Australia
"This is not a true quilt, but a pieced coverlet with a lining. The entire front face of the quilt is of pieced hexagonal and part hexagonal printed cotton patches. Pieces are joined with hand sewn over casting stitches of many different coloured cotton threads. The joining of the patches forms a 'daisy' pattern in some areas and in others it is random. The edge of the front face of the quilt carries a 40mm strip of cotton Chinoiserie which is then folded to the reverse of the quilt and becomes part of the lining. The template for the hexagon patches remains in many of the patches: writing paper and news print." [NGA]
The work is not padded "The lining at the edge of the quilt (for approx.175mm) is a plain weave fabric of a Chinoiserie design. The centre field of the lining is a rectangular panel of a twill weave brushed cotton fabric with a striped floral design." [NGA] 2215 x 2070mm
Mrs. L. M. Chick
Hexagon quilt made by hand from a wide variety of cotton materials. There is no padding and the backing is calico.
2286 x 915mm
Barbara McCabe
Patchwork quilt made of rectangles of woollen fabrics from dressmaking projects. Pieces have been stitched together in no particular order. Colours are predominantly dark red and light grey, with some green, pink and blue. Fabrics are plain, checks and weaves. No padding or quilring. Backing is yellow curtain fabric.
2200 x 1100mm
Annette Gero
Hand pieced frame quilt with centre frame of hexagons and radiating borders of cotton and chintz. There is a heart at each of the 4 corners on the second border. It is hand quilted. There is no padding.
1900 x 1900mm
National Gallery of Australia
"A medallion or framed quilt in design. There is a central field of small patchwork diamonds, and from this radiates plain stripes of fabric bordering areas of patchwork panels. The edge of the quilt carries bands of red cotton, which are slightly larger at the top and bottom edges, and here the band is additionally decorated with appliqué diamonds. The fabric of the patchwork is cotton in fine plain weave of pale coloured florals and small geometric designs. The framing and border stripes are of bright red twill weave cotton. The small diamonds of the central field are hand sewn, with more use of machine stitching around the outer edge of the quilt.
The quilt is not padded. The patchwork is fully lined with a printed plain weave cotton fabric with a design commemorating Queen Victoria's Jubilee. The design is based on a repeated grid of circles. In the centre of each circle is a cameo of Queen Victoria, surrounded by images of the national flowers of England, Scotland and Ireland: the rose, the thistle and the shamrock. The edge of the front face of the quilt is trimmed with a red and white cotton braid." [NGA] 2380 x 2220mm