Quilt No.615PWH - The Pioneer Women's Hut
Owner:
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Location:
NSW Riverina
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date:
1921 - 1940
Description:
White cotton quilt of blocks with an embroidered flower in each one. The whole 'garden' is encircled by an appliqued picket fence. There is a cotton backing but no padding.
1840 x 1820mm
1840 x 1820mm
History:
This quilt was made by a group of women from the Boorowa or Cowra districts NSW as a raffle to raise funds for a charity. It was raffled between 1931 and 1935 and the raffle was won by Jessie Jackson, always known as Gipsy. Her daughter Morag Faithfull donated it to The Pioneer Women's Hut. It is occasionally displayed at the museum.
Story:
The daughter of Gipsy Jackson said the prize for the raffle included a dressed doll and so her mother thought the quilt was a doll's quilt. When the family lived in Queensland and then back in Warren NSW the raffle quilt was always used on the bed in the visitors' spare room.
Margaret Rolfe, well known Australian quilter and quilt historian, recognised the design as one from the American quilt designer, Ruby McKim*, whose designs were also published in the Adelaide Chronicle and republished in the Weekly Times newspaper in the 1930s.
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It is padded with hand carded wool.
1950 x 1935mm
It is padded with hand carded wool.
1950 x 1935mm
Hand sewn quilt (possibly child's or table top) of crazy patchwork in silk, silk ribbon and cotton velvet. The top has surface decoration of embroidery on all seams, feather stitch and blanket stitch variations. Many of the crazy patches are also embroidered. The centre patch has a rooster embroidered in lame thread. Embroidered motifs are hearts, butterflies, guitar, cow, Little Red Riding Hood, horseshoes, crown, clover leaf. Stitches are feather, stem, satin and blanket. Embroidered initials are 'B', 'R', and 'S'. The backing is dark grey silk.
840 x 840mm
840 x 840mm
"This quilt follows the traditional hexagon patchwork pieced pattern, which are then joined and sometimes edged with a contrasting border. The edges of the quilt have been turned and then scalloped edges made of identical patches to the main body of the quilt have been attached to the edge. The quilt is fully lined, and the lining is visible front the front face through the gaps between the scalloped edge. The lining is attached to the patchwork with a row of stitches along the edges; there are no stitches in the centre field. The fabrics of the quilt are plain weave cotton in simple floral and geometric designs. Most of the fabrics are monochromatic. Several different colour ways of the same fabric are evident which could suggest some fabrics were from manufacturer samples. The lining is a William Morris print.
Each of the patchwork pieces (there are several thousand present) are sewn together with very fine overcasting stitches. The quilt is entirely hand sewn. There is some evidence that templates from the hexagon pieces possibly blotting paper, remain in situ���The quilt is not padded or quilted. The lining is fine twill weave cotton printed in pink and pale purple. The design follows William Morris's 'Strawberry Thief design'." [NGA] 2075 x 1911mm
Each of the patchwork pieces (there are several thousand present) are sewn together with very fine overcasting stitches. The quilt is entirely hand sewn. There is some evidence that templates from the hexagon pieces possibly blotting paper, remain in situ���The quilt is not padded or quilted. The lining is fine twill weave cotton printed in pink and pale purple. The design follows William Morris's 'Strawberry Thief design'." [NGA] 2075 x 1911mm