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:

Margaret McMillan
Quilt No.571MM - Margaret McMillan
Cotton log cabin double bed quilt. Each square has 52 pieces (i.e. 13 pieces x 4 to make a square). There are 192 squares so a total of 10.092 pieces. There is probably no padding. The backing is calico with a floral pattern done in running stitch.
2200 x 2200mm
Patchwork, Pieced Repeat Block, Log Cabin, Pieced Random
Alice Lemon
Quilt No.347AL - Alice Lemon
Patchwork quilt made from hexagon patches on one side, and squares and rectangles on the reverse. Cottons are used, mostly from dressmaking, in bright and light colours. The hexagons form an indented edge on all sides; on the back the rectangles have been cut at the edge to match the hexagon shapes. Hand sewn, the edge machine sewn.
No padding.
1551 x 1373mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Hexagon
Robert O'Hara Burke Memorial Museum
Quilt No.470BMM - Robert O'Hara Burke Memorial Museum
Miniature crazy quilt either for a baby or a doll. Plain and patterned materials including velvet, satin, sateen and brocade. 4 patches are embroidered and the central patch has a hand painted flower. Each patch is embroidered around the edge with a variation of feather stitch. It has a brown binding and lace edge. The backing is twill cotton.
490 x 390mm
Patchwork, Pieced Random, Crazy
Mare Carter
Quilt No.67MC - Mare Carter
Patchwork quilt, all cotton including cotton padding filler. The design is 'Dresden Plate' or 'Friendship Circle'. Background is white with multicoloured and patterned triangular pieces forming circles. Hand stitched and heavily quilted.
2235 x 1778mm
Patchwork, Pieced Repeat Block
Nancy Dunlap
Quilt No.1099ND - Nancy Dunlap
Grandmother's flower garden pattern. All cottons with plain centres to 'flowers' then row of prints and outer row of plains. One hexagon flower has been repaired. Scalloped edges bound with yellow. Hand quilting around the hexagons. The backing is cream cotton and the padding is thin cotton. 2140 x 1780mm.
Patchwork, Pieced Repeat Block
Ida Blenkiron
Quilt No.269IB - Ida Blenkiron
Rectangular quilt with front and back made of rectangles of cotton samples of shirt materials, in checks, stripes and plains. Colours are soft muted reds, greens, blues, yellows and browns, and pastels. Construction is 3 to 4 rows of rectangles joined across the quilt. Padding is probably an old blanket. There is a row of hand quilting approximately the width of one patch in from the edge, holding the layers together.
1870 x 950mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Rectangle, Typically Australian, Tailors' samples