Quilt No.762PHM - Powerhouse Museum

Powerhouse Museum
Owner: 
Powerhouse Museum
Location: 
NSW Sydney
Maker
Maker: 
Elizabeth Garrett
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1901 - 1920
Description: 
"A double-sided patchwork quilt machine-pieced from plain and patterned rectangular woollen patches, each 130 x 200mm. The fabrics came from a tailor's swatchbook of men's, and possibly women.s, suiting samples and are mainly in tonings of olive green, brown, blue and cream. The two layers are bound together with a pieced border strip that forms the outside edge. There is no filling or quilting." [PHM]
2140 x 1660mm
History: 

The maker was Elizabeth Garrett , born Elizabeth Butler about 1870 and died 1946. It was made about 1910 at Box Hill Melbourne. The quilt was passed from Elizabeth Garrett to her daughter Elsie Garrett Hanna, and then to Elsie's daughter Mrs. Val Skinner of Mosman. Val Skinner gave the quilt to the Australian Costume and Textile Society and it subsequently came to the Powerhouse Museum when the ACTS collection was transferred there in 1983. It is used for research and exhibition purposes only.

Story: 

"The family landed at Portland and joined the gold rush; later they moved to James Street, Box Hill, where this quilt was made and later still moved to the bush outside Melbourne. Elizabeth was one of seven girls and one boy and was the dressmaker for the family. Elizabeth was married and had three children at the time the quilt was made, around 1910. Her first daughter Elsie was born in 1893."
"In January 1986 Val Skinner, the maker's granddaughter, said that everyone in the family used the quilt when they went camping and that later on, when they could afford to buy bed covers, it went under the bed." [PHM]

Elizabeth Garrett c.1910
Elizabeth Garrett c.1910

Related Quilts:

Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
Quilt has a centre panel of white velvet roses and green leaves with embroidered spider webs, on red velvet. Two side panels are in crazy patchwork in plain and patterned silks and velvets. All patches are edged with feather, herringbone or blanket stitch. Many patches are embroidered, including 'Minnie', 'Good Luck', birds, flowers, anchor, boat, fish, shell, spider web, crown,, 2 crossed flags, tennis racquets, Australian motifs including wattle. The centre panel has a row of ruched olive green ribbon each side and the whole quilt has a border of dark blue velvet. The padding is cotton wadding and the backing is cream cotton printed with red and pink chrysanthemums and green leaves.
2113 x 1995mm
Albury Regional Museum
Patchwork quilt or cloth made from pieces of woollen material used for regimental uniforms in England last century. Star pattern in colours, red, pale blue, green, maroon, yellow [white] and brown. Hand pieced probably by more than one person. Red fringe machined on. Red flannelette backing in poor condition. Two layers, not quilted.
1780 x 1700mm
Alison Tunney
Quilt in mauve, pale blue and white squares, with wide borders of floral and off white. The quilting is a centre medallion with leaves on the border, and cross hatched over all. The padding is cotton batting, and the backing is plain white cotton. 2180 x 1900 mm.
Hazel Jarmyn
Patchwork quilt made from cotton hexagon patches in the 'grandmother's Flower Garden' pattern, in bright prints and plains, with cream 'paths' made from dress material. Padding is flannel sheeting, and backing is the same cream material as the 'paths'. The centre of the 'flower' patches are autographed with friends' names and dates, as are some 'petals' and cream patches, in black ink.
1550 x 1400mm
Cressida Mary Webb Challis
Quilt of machine pieced squares and rectangles using a wide variety of materials in plain colours and patterns. It is one of a pair. There is no padding and the backing is 90cm strips of calico.
2500 x 2130mm
Barbara McCabe
Patchwork quilt made of rectangles of woollen fabrics from dressmaking projects. Pieces have been stitched together in no particular order. Colours are predominantly dark red and light grey, with some green, pink and blue. Fabrics are plain, checks and weaves. No padding or quilring. Backing is yellow curtain fabric.
2200 x 1100mm