Quilt No.88DS - Dorothy Stevens
1827 x 1423mm
The maker was Emmiline Marsland in Roma, Queensland in the early 1950s. It was given to her friend, Dorothy Stevens, the present owner, in about 1978.
Emmeline was a steward at the ECCA (RASQ Show) before moving to Roma to care for 2 motherless children. She remained unmarried but adored children, stitching children's clothes for the various adopted families over a 30 year period.
"Emmiline Marsland was my very dear friend. I boarded with her when teaching in Roma in 1952-53. She was born 30th July 1901 and died 18 December 1986. A dressmaker by trade , she was skilled in many crafts, fine embroidery to woodwork and had a great love for children. I remember sleeping under the green quilt in Roma and it was probably used for packing precious furniture when moving form Roma to Maryborough to Brisbane."
[Dorothy Stevens 18.3.1996]


Related Quilts:
1010 x 840mm
1740 x 1240mm
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