Quilt No.626PWH - The Pioneer Women's Hut

The Pioneer Women's Hut
Owner: 
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Location: 
NSW Riverina
Maker
Maker: 
Dorothy McMorran
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
American quilt in 'Dresden Plate' pattern. Hand stitched, Wide variety of cotton materials used in plain and patterned materials. The backing is cream cotton. It is hand quilted. This quilt was made from an American McCalls pattern consisting of transfers for the pieces and for the quilting design.
2400 x 1700mm
History: 

This quilt was made in Sydney in the 1940s by Mrs. Dorothy McMorran and other members of the Canadian Women's Association from a McCalls pattern that was brought from Canada but not used. The quilt passed to Dorothy's daughter, Norma McMorran,who donated it to The Pioneer Women's Hut. It is displayed occasionally in the museum.

Story: 

These quilts were made in the early 1940s by my mother, Mrs. Dorothy McMorran. She was a Canadian who lived in Sydney from 1924 onwards. She came here as a young bride when her husband was sent here to be assistant to the elderly gentleman who at that time represented the Canadian Pacific Railway Company in Australia. Although the appointment was initially for a period of 3 years, it was extended many times and eventually my parents lived in Australia longer than they did in Canada. While loving Australia, they remained very Canadian and thanks to generous 'home' leave were able to maintain their Canadian connections. My mother died in 1974.
She was a very energetic woman with a great interest in handwork - the bigger the project the better. I remember her knitting dresses (she became great friends with the head of the knitting wool department at Farmer's, her favourite store), hooking rugs, crocheting afgahns and in one phase collecting worn out woollen garments to make braided rugs. About 1940 or a little later she was looking for new fields to conquer and was given a McCall pattern for a Dresden Plate quilt by one of the other Canadians living here. It had been brought from Canada and not used.
�����..By this time it was 1946 or 1947 and many members of the group [The Canadian Women's Association] were war brides - Canadian girls who had married Australian R.A.A.F. men training in Canada and many of whom at this stage were battling homesickness, the problems of adapting to a new country and postwar conditions generally. Much homesickness was talked out over the quilting frame and many problems aired. The whole project proved an excellent therapy for these girls."
[Norma McGorran, 1991]

Dorothy McMorran (centre) and members of the Canadian Women's Association. Pix photo 1945
Dorothy McMorran (centre) and members of the Canadian Women's Association. Pix photo 1945

Related Quilts:

Val Ireland
Utilitarian quilt. The top and backing are machine pieced scraps of curtain material and clothing pieces. The centre is an old blanket and possibly clothing pieces.
2033 x 1525mm
Narelle Grieve
Folded log cabin, foundation pieced. Machine constructed. Materials are cotton, wool, rayon, flannelette, silk and twill. There is no padding and the backing is cretonne. 2700 x 2100 mm
Queenscliffe Historical Society Inc
Patchwork quilt made of 1 inch hand paper pieced hexagonal patches (English technique), with plain and floral patterned blue fabrics in clusters at regular intervals throughout the taupe coloured patches. Centre of quilt has a cluster or 'flower' of 4 rings of patches, the centre group embroidered in blue satin stitch: 'MW 1938'. Border consists of 3 rows of medium, light and dark blue hexagons. No padding. Backing is of blue cotton sateen.
2185 x 1372mm
Barbara Levy
"The quilt is made up of many cotton hexagons of various colours, patterns and designs, finely sewn by hand, making a very attractive bedspread. Each patch is lined with lawn. It is quite a heavy quilt, with its plain border, and backing of home-spun cotton or cesarine. The family always called it a 'cottage design'."
No quilting.
2312 x 1905mm
Margery Creek
Cotton quilt made in the USA. Pattern is the 'Evening Star' and each star has a frame. It is hand pieced and hand quilted and uses shirting material. It has been modified along two sides where the block extension is visible, having been turned to make a hem. The backing is calico and the padding is cotton.
1829 x 1575mm
Sallie Cross
Patchwork quilt of pieced repeat blocks in 'T' pattern,mainly cottons. Quilt is constructed with 12 blocks across and 12 blocks down. Some fabrices have been reused from clothing, some blocks have patches which have been pieced from scraps to make enough fabric for the pattern. Padding is' pellon', quilt is backed, bound and quilted.
1600 x 1500mm