Quilt No.513NHM - Narryna Heritage Museum

Narryna Heritage Museum
Owner: 
Narryna Heritage Museum
Location: 
TAS Hobarty
Maker
Maker: 
Mary Harper
Made in
IRELAND
Patterms
Patchwork, Frame
Date: 
pre 1850
Description: 
The centre rectangle consists of rosettes of hexagons. It is surrounded by borders of hexagon rosettes and squares with one long strip of diamonds. The colours are predominantly pink and fawn. It is hand stitched. In the 1980s the quilt was mended and a calico backing added.
2000 x 1800mm
History: 

The quilt was made by Mary Harper of County Dublin, Ireland c.1830 for her trousseau. In 1851 Mary and David and their 2 children came to Van Diemen's Land and settled in Fingal. The quilt remained in the family but was not specifically handed down from one generation to the next. In 1955 it was donated to the Narryna Heritage Museum by the Misses Pat and Etta Weetman great grand-daughters of Mary Harper. The quilt is displayed in a wall cabinet at the Museum

Story: 

Mary Gall (?-1878) came from Dublin and probably met her future Scottish husband, David Harper, when she was staying in Scotland in 1833. They were married in 1837 at Dunboune near Dublin and had 2 children, Alexander born in 1837 and Rosa in 1839. In 1851 the family came to Van Diemen's Land where David was steward or manager to William Talbot at Fingal. He later took over the flour mill at Millbrook, Mt. Nicholas. Rosa, the donor's maternal grand-mother married John Stanfield of 'Speyside' Fingal in 1866. Rosa and John's daughter, Rosetta Mary was born in 1867 and Mary Margaret in 1869. John Stanfield's diary of 1870 refers to domestic details such as "Rosa papering the dining room today" and "Mary walked for the first time".
Rosa's elder daughter did not marry but Mary married Percy Weetman in 1905 and their 2 daughters, Mary Patricia b.1906 and Rosetta (Etta) b.1910 were the donors of the quilt to the Narryna Heritage Centre c.1955.*
[Ref: Compilation by Anne Piesse, Hobart, 1985 from notes, letters and interviews with Etta Weetman]

Related Quilts:

Muriel Thompson
Quilt No.1002MT - Muriel Thompson
Quilt in pattern known as 'double weeding ring'. All cotton, using old prints, plaids, checks and solid colours, with plain blues and red squares at the intersections of the circles. White background. Hand pieced. Padding is Hobbs Heirloom: cotton 80%, polyester 20%. Backing is cream quilted cotton. 2500 x 2100 mm.
Patchwork, Pieced Repeat Block
Wangaratta Historical Society
Quilt No.488WHS - Wangaratta Historical Society
9 large blocks of crazy patchwork in silks and velvets. The blocks are divided by strips of deep ruby coloured silk. There is a wide ruby border with peaks to which is attached cream lace. The backing is beige silk. The main blocks are outlined with feather stitch in gold thread and many individual patches are outlined in fancy stitches and have embroidered motifs some of which are Australian eg centre patch has Sturt's Desert Pea flowers, parrots, wattle. There are also English flowers, Japanese motifs, flags, domestic objects and Marianne's initials. Embroidery is in a variety of threads including chenille.
2250 x 2180mm
Patchwork, Pieced Random, Crazy, Typically Australian
National Gallery of Australia
Quilt No.979NGA - National Gallery of Australia
" Reversible patchwork quilt of woollen suiting/upholstery fabrics in khaki, greys, blues and browns. Both sides have different designs. The front of the quilt has 13 rows of 12 vertical rectangles flanked on either side by a column of 22 horizontal rectangles. The reverse has a more interesting and complex design of small and very large rectangles, squares and triangles; with khaki contrasting with the duller greys and blues. The patchwork layers are joined at the edges with machine stitching and the quilt is machine quilted along 3 horizontal lines following joins in the patchwork; therefore not being totally straight. These lines are more noticeable on the reverse. The reverse face has been on display at the NGA." [NGA] There is a cotton blanket used as padding. 2054 x 1451mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Rectangle, Typically Australian, Tailors' samples
Glenda Wilkinson
Quilt No.474GW - 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
Patchwork, Pieced Random, Typically Australian, Tailors' samples
Phyllis Dowling
Quilt No.550PD - Phyllis Dowling
Hand pieced cot quilt made from small rectangular shapes of a great variety of materials including cottons, silks, wools and velvets. The backing is cotton sateen in 3 colours and is brought to the front to form a border of pink, cream and yellow.
1170 x 920mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Rectangle
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Quilt No.622PWH - The Pioneer Women's Hut
Patchwork top with a centre frame of a mauve cross outlined in black within a square bordered with pink. The rest of the top is rectangles and squares in a wide variety of materials. There is no padding. The backing is brown, possibly curtain material.
1910 x 1480mm
Patchwork, Frame