Quilt No.694YR - Yvonne Renfree
1850 x 1100mm
This utilitarian quilt was probably made by Mary Studholme in Bendigo in the early 1930s and later owned by Victoria May Francis who was an aunt of the maker. The present owner, Yvonne Renfree, is Victoria May Francis's daughter. The quilt is not used and is kept in a display cupboard with other quilts.
"My mother Victoria May Francis (nee Hosking) was orphaned at 18 months of age. Her mother's sister, Mary Studholme took her and three brothers and reared them She herself was a widow / deserted wife? And so they were hard times. She cleaned and ironed for other people to raise money for her 'adopted' children and her own two daughters who were about 10 and 12 years older than my mother. She also was a good seamstress and made many of the children's clothes."
[Yvonne Renfree 5.7.2000]
Related Quilts:
2500 x 2000mm.
The coverlet is decorated with rows of pieced work surrounding appliquéd and embroidered scenes. A panel down the LHS of the quilt and a smaller panel lower RHS depict animals and floral images. In the centre RHS an elderly couple sit beneath a tree. In the upper left a bride and groom accompanied by three flower girls are showered with petals from a wicker basket carried by a very large angel. Glass beads, sequins and a button have been used to highlight the appliqué and embroidery.
As with all of Mary Jane Hannaford's quilts, the work is stitched by hand and quite crudely, but the naivety of the images is overwhelming with their charm." [NGA] The quilt is not padded or lined. 1950 x 1690mm
