Quilt No.618POW - The Pioneer Women's Hut

Owner: 
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Location: 
NSW Riverina
Maker
Maker: 
Lorna Foster
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Hand and machine pieced top and back using irregular pieces of men's hand and machine knitted jumpers and navy serge. The backing is mainly serge, part of an uncle's bus conductor's uniform. The pockets from the uniform have been left as is. There is no padding.
1850 x 970mm
History: 

This quilt was made by Lorna Foster who lived on a farm at Taradale near Tumbarumba NSW c.1960 It was made for her son John who used it for many years and donated it to The Pioneer Women's Hut. It is displayed occasionally at the msueum.
1850 x 970mm

Story: 

Lorna Foster made other quilts like this one made for John when he was truck driving. He worked at the Manus Prison farm and was a truck driver for Tumba Transport at the weekends. The quilt was made in 1964 for John to take truck driving. He handled large sums of money on these trips and used to hide it in the pockets on the quilt. The family lived on a farm at Taradale near Tumbarumba NSW and John's garndfather was John Ebenezer. John said of his mother "she was sewing and knitting all the time. She even made our long grey trousers."

Related Quilts:

Annette Rich
Unlined quilt. Central square of floral chintz with rectangular and chevron border making a larger frame that is set within another square-on-point frame edged with 2 toned red leaf pattererned chintz. This quilt is mainly pieced (squares, triangles, lozenges) but the hexagon rosettes are appliqued. Dress and furnishing cottons dating from the early 1800s. Raw edged, unfinished. All hand stitched.
2400 x 2400mm
National Gallery of Australia
"The coverlet is of cream cheesecloth, highly decorated with applied figures and pieced fabric bands. The appliqué bands follow the edge of the coverlet for some time and then become circles radiating from the centre. The bands form two framed circular areas that carry appliquéd images. A smaller area lower centre of the cloth depicts birds and insects. In the centre of the work is a bordered oval with two aboriginal figures, an angel, kangaroo, emu and kookaburra, with the words 'Advance Australia Fair' embroidered in black thread. The stitching and construction of the coverlet is quite crude." [NGA] The quilt is not padded or lined. 1640 x 1550mm
Muriel Thompson
Hexagon quilt in pattern known as 'Grandmother's flower garden'. Hexagons of prints and plains with yellow centre to each flower, and plain pink outlines. It is hand pieced and hand quilted. Padding is cotton, backing is cream cotton. 2200 x 2000 mm.
National Trust of Australia (SA)
Double bed patchwork coverlet of pieced blocks in a pinwheel or dresden plate pattern of prints on a cream ground, each block with a 1 3/4" border or sash. Each pinwheel has 10 pieces, and the quilt is constructed 8 blocks by 6. Cotton fabrics are in florals, checks and stripes, in blues, greens browns, pinks, purple. The quilt was in poor repair and has been reduced in size. Conservation work has been done by the State Conservation Centre.
Backing or filling unknown.
National Gallery of Australia
" 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
Oakey Historical Museum Society Inc.
Cotton patchwork cover constructed from hand sewn hexagons (65mm) in cotton and linen furnishing materials. The curved edges are bound with blue and cream printed striped cotton. The backing material is not visible.
941 x 261mm