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:

Griffith Pioneer Park Museum
Patchwork quilt made from hexagon patches of cotton, silk, brocade, sateen and wool. Some silk patches are individually lined. Colours are mainly red, blues, purple, black, yellow and brown, with some pastels. Many silk patches have disintegrated, showing the paper templates. Quilt has a brown cotton inner lining, then a blue cotton backing, and is edged on the reverse with checked silk. Hand sewn by more than one person: one experienced sewer, one not so experienced.
1370 x 1170mm
Shelley Cameron
Cotton scrap quilt with shapes of squares and diamonds and strips. There is no padding and the backing is calico.
2125 x 1440mm
National Museum of Australia
A 'Farm Life Quilt' made from alternate squares of beige linen and brightly coloured cotton headcloth. The coloured squares are farm animals and birds in a variety of embroidery stitches. The beige squares have a cornucopia design embroidered in dark brown stem stitch. There is a wide border front and back of beige linen. The backing is brown and white check cotton. There is no padding.
Mrs Joan McGregor
Large and small pieces, mainly rectangles and mainly cottons, machine sewn. One side has replacement materials in red check, brown, tan, blue and pink materials. The padding is an old woollen blanket.
1950 x 1327mm
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
Patchwork quilt made from silk and challis and velvet hexagons set to form diamond shapes. The centre shape has 8 hexagons surrounded by a row of 16 hexagons. The outer border of the quilt is 2 rows of 'Tumbling Blocks' set amongst a variety of black silk and satin patches. There is a wide fringe in red, green, blue and yellow. There is no padding and the backing is a recent addition in red cotton, synthetis mix.
1770 x 1740mm
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
The quilt consists of a central field within a main field within a narrow border a main border and then an outer border. The centre field consists of embroidered Prince of Wales feathers with 4 embroidered motifs, parrot, duck, open fan and 4 playing cards within an appliqued sunburst border. The quilt has many embroidered and appliqued motifs, some just abstract shapes, many with a Chinese Japanese theme. It is quilted and padded but the type of padding is unknown. The backing is red cotton sateen.
2280 x 2240mm