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:

Ryder Lundy
"Hexagons pieced over cardboard hand-sewn together. Each rosette was then machine quilted 1/8th to 1/4 inch from edge of rosette in shape of each rosette. Quilt is mainly cottons with a few rayons. Some checks and stripes are used but mainly florals. Has been machine quilted in rosette shape using green on green fabrics, lemon on lemon, orange on orange and red on red." [Ryder Lundy] There is no padding and the backing is gold curtain fabric extended at the end and one side with matching taffeta. 2220 x 1270 mm.
Mare Carter
Patchwork quilt of pieced repeat blocks in cotton in white, blue, green, orange and red prints, plains and checks. Blocks are set between green sashes with white corner blocks. The pattern is 'Saw Tooth Star' or 'Jacob's Ladder' variation. Backing is of cotton, padding of cotton. Hand sewn and hand quilted.
2058 x 1296mm
Lorna Calder
Patchwork quilt of multi coloured silks and brocades. Crazy patchwork borders, mainly rectangular fabrics pieced together in diagonal patterns, radiating from a central frame embroidered with flowers. Many pieces are extensively embroidered in a great variety of stitches and motifs; butterflies, sunflowers, cats, daffodils, crown, pawn broker's symbol, 'money to lend', 'good night', the initials of family members and 'mater 1890'. The quilt has a deep border of maroon sateen. There is no padding visible but it is possibly a blanket. The backing is green/gold silk with a self stripe with red cotton damask showing underneath, possibly an earlier backing.
2165 x 2165mm
Art Gallery of South Australia
Patchwork quilt in the Tumbling Block pattern in light and dark silks in bright colours. On both sides and at the bottom is a wide border in Tumbling Blocks, the pattern vertical at the sides and forming a triangle centre bottom, with an edge on both sides of two black bands with pieced diamonds between. Made for a poster bed. Hand sewn.
1790 x 1750mm
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
Frame quilt, hand and machine sewn, centre square of squares (7 rows by 7 rows) of 2 triangles, with red border. Alternate rows of triangles, rectangles, 'flying geese' border, squares, squares set on point with triangles, wide red border. Hand quilted throughout in chevrons, single cables and single scallops. The padding is a hand woven cream wool blanket and the backing is cream cotton twill.
2330 x 2030mm
National Trust of Australia (VIC)
Double sided patchwork quilt. One side has small 'Tumbling Block' pattern. The other side has larger pattern of pieced stars. It is made of silks, some printed, some solid colours mainly blues, greens cream and black. There is no padding.
2100 x 1800mm