Quilt No.769PHM - Powerhouse Museum

Powerhouse Museum
Owner: 
Powerhouse Museum
Location: 
NSW Sydney
Maker
Maker: 
Unknown
Made in
ENGLAND
Date: 
pre 1850
Description: 
"A rectangular quilt made from hexagonal cotton patches, pieced in the traditional 'Grandmother's flower garden' design of scattered rosettes on a plain ground. The rosettes are made from six patterned hexagons around a seventh cream hexagon, which forms the flower centre. The patterned fabrics are a mix of small floral prints with some checks and geometric designs, and the colours are mainly shades of brown, blue maroon, pink and lilac. The ground fabric is plain cream. The quilt was made the English way and is hand sewn. Traces of the paper templates still remain." [PHM] There is no...
History: 

"The quilt was given to James and Emma Buttworth and family 'many years ago' by the last remaining member of the Weeks family, who brought the quilt with them from England to Australia."
"Miss Elva Buttworth gave the quilt to her neice Daphne Evans of Hamilton South, NSW and she in turn gave it to the Powerhouse Museum in 1980." [PHM]

Story: 

"Emma Buttworth was a descendant of the Matthew Boulton family (Boulton and Watt invented the steam engine and were famous silversmiths in Sheffield). She was born in Ghinni Ghinni on the Manning River in 1858. James Buttworth, whom she married in 1878, was the grandson of Sarah Rose the daughter of the first free settlers in Australia who married James Buttworth in 1812. Rose Cottage, the home of the Rose family, still stands today in Wilberforce and is the oldest timber cottage in Australia." [PHM]

Related Quilts:

National Gallery of Australia
"This quilt follows the traditional hexagon patchwork pieced pattern, which are then joined and sometimes edged with a contrasting border. The edges of the quilt have been turned and then scalloped edges made of identical patches to the main body of the quilt have been attached to the edge. The quilt is fully lined, and the lining is visible front the front face through the gaps between the scalloped edge. The lining is attached to the patchwork with a row of stitches along the edges; there are no stitches in the centre field. The fabrics of the quilt are plain weave cotton in simple floral and geometric designs. Most of the fabrics are monochromatic. Several different colour ways of the same fabric are evident which could suggest some fabrics were from manufacturer samples. The lining is a William Morris print.
Each of the patchwork pieces (there are several thousand present) are sewn together with very fine overcasting stitches. The quilt is entirely hand sewn. There is some evidence that templates from the hexagon pieces possibly blotting paper, remain in situ���The quilt is not padded or quilted. The lining is fine twill weave cotton printed in pink and pale purple. The design follows William Morris's 'Strawberry Thief design'." [NGA] 2075 x 1911mm
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