Quilt No.538WH - Wendy Hunter
Owner:
Wendy Hunter
Location:
NSW Sydney
Maker
Maker:
Gwendoline Mary Harrison
Made in
AUSTRALIA
Patterms
Date:
1921 - 1940
Description:
Crazy quilt with one large panel. Materials include wools, velvets, silks and crepes. Each piece embroidered in herrigbone stitch to the adjoining piece. 25mm blue border chain stitched on, then 75mm border of black wool crepe with a crocheted edge. The padding is an old blanket and the backing is red/brown printed cotton.
1730 x 1040mm
1730 x 1040mm
History:
The quilt was made by Gwendoline Mary Harrison 1895-1968 who was married to Archibald Alexander Johnston. It was probably made in the 1930s. It was then owned by Nellie Bischoff and now by Wendy Hunter her niece. It is not used.
Story:
"A family story handed down for many years tells: Gwen made many crazy quilts and gave them to the Red Cross. One quilt ended up in a hospital in England on the bed of a soldier of the 1st world war.
Queen Mary on touring the hospital admired the quilt and asked to have one. When the Red Cross approached Gwen her answer was - no. I make for the poor not the rich."
[Wendy Hunter 29.8.98]
Related Quilts:
Suffolk Puff quilt made from a variety of scraps of dress materials including cottons and terylene. It is backed with white cotton sheeting and edged with a frill of white terylene. There is a matching pillow sham.
1740 x 1300 mm.
1740 x 1300 mm.
" This well worn quilt is of pieced diamonds set into squares (221 make up the quilt). Thick woollen fabric has been used for the pieces. These are with plain dyed fabrics or tartans and checks. All work on the quilt is hand sewn. The quilt was lined with a fine blue cotton." [NGA] The quilt is not padded. 1835 x 1400mm
Pieced patchwork quilt of hexagons in cottons, chintzes and linen. The centre is pieced in 6 point hexagon stars, then radiating out are large hexagons alternating with tumbling blocks, then 6 piece hexagon stars and 4 piece hexagon diamonds. Some pieces have Egyptian patterns dating from 1800 - 1805. The backing is cream linen.
2450 x 2200mm
2450 x 2200mm
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
"The quilt consists of 12 blocks of crazy patchwork with an embroidered border. The quilt is made of 167 different fabrics; most of these are silk. These velvets, printed silks and satins are beautifully embroidered with flowers, household items and Kate Greenway images of children at play. Many of the motifs have a strong influence from the Aesthetic Movement. The edge of the quilt carries a border in maroon silk decorated with tendrils and daisies in very fine embroidery.
The patches are joined with hand sewing and embroidery, however the 12 panels are joined with machine stitching (chainstitch machine stitching). The blue silk lining was hand sewn into position with silk thread." [NGA]
"The quilt does consist of three layers but the central layer is not padding. The crazy patch pieces were sewn together and this was lined with white cotton fabric prior to the embroidery at the edges of the 12 panels being placed. This in turn was lined with a fine blue silk." [NGA] 1810 x 1460 mm
The patches are joined with hand sewing and embroidery, however the 12 panels are joined with machine stitching (chainstitch machine stitching). The blue silk lining was hand sewn into position with silk thread." [NGA]
"The quilt does consist of three layers but the central layer is not padding. The crazy patch pieces were sewn together and this was lined with white cotton fabric prior to the embroidery at the edges of the 12 panels being placed. This in turn was lined with a fine blue silk." [NGA] 1810 x 1460 mm
Patchwork quilt in Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern, consisting of 7 patch rosettes with white 'paths'. Cotton dress and shirting materials have been used in blues, pinks, brown, turkey red and Prussian blue. The quilt is hand sewn and each hexagon is 25mm wide. The backing is cream twill cotton in three panels. There is a hand sewn binding in red/pink cotton. There is overall quilting in chevron or zigzag pattern.
2415 x 2110mm
2415 x 2110mm