Quilt No.521FW - Fran Williams
Description:
Hand pieced cotton quilt in Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern. Shirtings, chintzes, roller prints. 240mm ruffle in paisley pattern on 3 sides, probably a later addition. The backing is a heavy Indian cotton possibly also put on later. There is no quilting at all. There is no padding.
2000 x 2240mm
2000 x 2240mm
History:
The maker is unknown. The present owner and others believe the materials date the quilt around the 1880s. It was originally purchased in the 1950s, with a cedar bed, by Mrs. Ada Ball from a Mr. Hortin, antique dealer, Tasmania. Ada gave it to her friend Dr. Geraldine Archer, a well known gynaecologist. When Gerry adopted a thalidomide boy Ada became his nanny. Gerry didn't like the quilt so it was put in a pillow case and into the linen closet for 40 years. On her death in 1991 there was a huge sale but as the quilt was one of the things Ada had given her she took it back. The Greens wanted a donation for a fund raising auction so she gave it to them. Fran Williams purchased it at the Greens auction.
It is not used.
Related Quilts:
Patchwork quilt in Log Cabin pattern, arranged in 'furrows', and made from cottons, wool and suiting fabrics. Centres of blocks are pastel or dark; dark colours are black, brown, purple blue and red. Pastel side of blocks includes a bright pink. Quilt backing is pieced, with a centre rectangle of cotton surrounded by 5 borders of plain and alternate rectangular pieced strips, in wool and suiting fabrics. Colours are black, dark blue, brown, green, grey and pastels. Inner lining is of cotton pieces, to which the Log Cabin blocks have been machined.
1620 x 1360mm
1620 x 1360mm
Patchwork quilt has a centre of a square within a square, with rows of scraps added around it. The scraps are mainly cotton shirting fabrics and are cut in different sizes and shapes. The two long sides have a narrow red edging folded from the back. The other two sides have been 'bagged'. Filling is an unusual weave thought to be wool. Backing is a pink, red and beige floral cotton.
2080 x 1650mm
2080 x 1650mm
The top has a segmented circle in the centre surrounded by a border of small rectangles. The circle is featherstitched on to the background. Materials are wools and cottons and it is hand pieced. The other side appears to have been originally men's suiting materials strip pieced. It is now covered with a children's print in light cotton joined in long rectangles. The padding is coarse heavyweight cotton.
1410 x 1080mm
1410 x 1080mm
Hand sewn hexagons over paper templates in a pattern known as 'Grandmother's Flower Garden'. Materials are printed dress cottons, patterned and plain, mainly in pinks, blues and browns. The border and backing is grey linen and is machine stitched on. There is no padding. 2060 x 1579 mm.
Machine sewn quilt made from 125mm squares of scraps left over from dressmaking joined in strips and then the strips joined. There is a border of fawn cotton and the backing is the same material. The padding is an old blanket and the border is padded with sheep's wool.
1400 x 925mm
1400 x 925mm
Hand pieced patchwork quilt with blue and black checkerboard central frame surrounded by 4 borders of irregular sized rectangles. Mainly dress materials with possibly some furnishing material. It is not quilted or tied. The backing is a large rectangular red check table cloth with 3 borders of irregular shaped pieces down 2 sides and 1 border down 2 sides. There is no padding.
1860 x 1730mm
1860 x 1730mm