Quilt No.665DC - Diana Cameron

Diana Cameron
Owner: 
Diana Cameron
Location: 
QLD South West
Maker
Maker: 
Jane Cobbold
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1881 - 1900
Description: 
Cotton quilt of patterned and plain hexagons with central design and borders of hexagons radiating from it. It is hand sewn and most patterns are of roses. Backing is pink sateen and is a replacement backing put on in 1939. Pieced over papers, remnant love letters were found when the new backing was put on.
1981 x 1525mm
History: 

The quilt was hand sewn by Jane Cobbold (Cain) c.1880 at 'Yarra House' in South Yarra, Melbourne and passed to the present owner's great aunt and then to her mother and is now owned by Diana Cameron. It is used occasionally.

Story: 

Diana Cameron's grandmother, Jane Cobbold, was born in England and came to Australia as William Cain's bride c.1875. 'Yarra House' in Anderson Street, South Yarra was built by William Cain who was mayor of Melbourne (before it was a city so he was not Lord Mayor) about 1890. It is opposite the Botanic gardens and the Cains entertained lavishly for over a decade. 'Yarra House' is now Merton Hall and part of the Melbourne Church of England Grammar School.
Diana Cameron, the present owner, went to the Goondiwindi district as a young bride and the quilt has always been part of her married life.
[Compiled from notes supplied by the owner]

Related Quilts:

Narelle Grieve
Silk quilt in diamonds with hexagon border. "Toward the edge of the quilt, the design of diamonds made into blocks offers an optical illusion, where the diamonds can be seen to form stars. The border is made up of these stars and half-diamonds, and the entire quilt is trimmed with lace and triangular flaps made of tiny hexagons." [extract unidentified magazine article supplied by quilt owner.]
The backing is maroon cotton. 1600 x 1600 mm.
National Gallery of Australia
" A wide range of cotton fabrics have been used to make this quilt in the traditional log cabin style. The strips of the log cabin are joined by rows being hand sewn onto a small square backing fabric, each square of strips has then been hand sewn together to form the quilt. The work is backed with a sateen printed fabric decorated with paisley design. A strip of the lining trims the edge of the front face of the quilt. The lining is attached with machine stitching. There are numerous tacking stitches that remain in the front face of the quilt. There are approx 9000 pieces in the quilt, most being only 5mm in width.
The quilt is of three layers because the strips of the log cabin are attached to a backing piece, and then the quilt is lined; however it is not padded." [NGA]
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Cot quilt of mixed textiles and techniques. Made in sections and stitched together possibly with some padding. It features embroidered and appliqued animals (cats, donkey, elephant, squirrel, birds, kangaroo, emu) and nursery rhyme characters. Materials are cotton, silk, wool, imitation fur. There is a black velvet patch with a cross stitch parrot and embroidered date and initials 'May 1925 AE'. The backing is woven self patterned curtain material. There is a ruffle around the edge in the same material.
1400 x 930mm
Annette Gero
Utilitarian quilt made from large pieces of wool, flannel and cotton. Machine construction and the padding is wool.
1570 x 152Omm
Albury Regional Museum
Log cabin patchwork pieces (2) with each block approximately 120 x 120mm. They are diagonally divided into light and dark side. Materials are mainly silks including silk velvets. Each block is stitched on to a backing square, pieces of old blanket, woollens, cottons, many very worn. There is no other backing.
Quilt is hand pieced.
1000 x 1000mm
June Johnson
Hand sewn cotton cot quilt with pattern of red and white lozenge shaped hexagons measuring approximately 65mm from top to bottom. A centre flower is constructed from 2 circles of 19 hexagons in red and white. This is surrounded by 8 smaller hexagon flowers. Additional single red hexagons are scattered at random on the white background around the rows of flowers. The quilt is not quilted or tied but is attached at all 4 edges. Writing on the back of the quilt (probably added later) reads "Made by Sarah Hodge, Newport, Wales UK for her first child John." There is no padding and the backing is white cotton. 1000 x 1250 mm.