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:

Barbara McCabe
Quilt No.196BM - 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
Patchwork, Mosaic, Square
Kay Jones
Quilt No.1115KJ - Kay Jones
Quilt top with English piecing in a star in polygon pattern. English and French cotton fabrics in a wide variety of patterns and plains constructed over papers with the tacking still in tact. Papers are mainly part envelopes some with stamps and post dated 1898. 2200 x 1800mm
Patchwork, Pieced Repeat Block
Margery Creek
Quilt No.407MC - Margery Creek
Cotton quilt in 'Pyramid Charm' pattern. Made in the USA and thought to have come from Louisiana. Hand pieced and hand quilted with the quilting following the triangular shapes. The quilting is quite coarse. The backing is black printed material and there is cotton padding.
1931 x 1855mm
Patchwork, Pieced Repeat Block
Elizabeth Williams
Quilt No.440EW - Elizabeth Williams
Cotton quilt of plain and patterned hexagons, 6 joined to make a flower. The flowers are arranged in rows with single motifs filling the spaces. Hand sewn. The backing is heavy red cotton material. There is no padding.
2490 x 1803mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Hexagon
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
Quilt No.807QVM - Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
Patchwork quilt made from diamond patches in a variety of cotton materials set in a 'tumbling block' pattern. Patterns include geometrics, stripes, a 'Kate Greenway' print and colours are largely soft pastels, dark browns, with some reds and blues. The quilt has been cut down and a later border added. There is no padding and the backing is cream cotton.
2279 x 2000mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Diamond, Tumbling Block
National Gallery of Australia
Quilt No.959NGA - 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
Patchwork, Mosaic, Hexagon