Quilt No.89DS - Dorothy Stevens

Dorothy Stevens
Owner: 
Dorothy Stevens
Location: 
QLD South West
Maker
Maker: 
Emmiline Marsland
Made in
AUSTRALIA QLD
Patterms
Wholecloth, Re-used clothing or blanket, Utilitarian, Typically Australian
Date: 
1940 - 1970
Description: 
Utilitarian quilt made for a child's bed. Padding is hand and machine knitted pieces of clothing. Top and backing is wholecloth of the same cotton fabric. Machine quilted in a simple pattern.
1728 x 864mm
History: 

The quilt was made by Emmiline Marsland in 1964 in Brisbane for Andrew, the 4 year old son of Dorothy Stevens,the present owner. "I have used it now and then as a floor rug for visiting babies and as an underlay on a camp stretcher."
[Dorothy Stevens 18.3.96]

Story: 

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]

Emmiline Marsland
Emmiline Marsland
Andrew Stevens
Andrew Stevens

Related Quilts:

Yvonne Hamdorf
Quilt No.1016YH - Yvonne Hamdorf
Wholecloth pram quilt with a top of pink cotton sateen, and the reverse is a more finely woven, ivory, fabric. All over quilting design as main feature, with stylised hearts, leaves and cross hatching. The padding is cotton batting. 870 x 660 mm.
Wholecloth, Quilting as major design element
John Tomkin
Quilt No.1005JT - John Tomkin
Hand stitched, cotton, appliquéd, quilt in a flower pattern on a plain background. Colours are shades of green, apricot and browns. This quilt was known as a 'Bride's Quilt'. Padding is thought to be layers of white fabric raised almost like a wadding. The backing is cotton material. 2470 x 2020 mm.
Wholecloth, Embroidered and/or Appliqued
National Trust of Australia (TAS)
Quilt No.826NTR - National Trust of Australia (TAS)
Child's quilt, reversible, top and ruffle of cotton patterned with pink and off white roses on a green background. The reverse has had a large piece of red and green paisley printed cotton hand sewn over the rose print. Machine stitched in rectangles in 5 rows with pink cotton. The padding is cotton or kapok.
1150 x 840mm
Wholecloth, Utilitarian
Wangaratta Historical Society
Quilt No.488WHS - Wangaratta Historical Society
9 large blocks of crazy patchwork in silks and velvets. The blocks are divided by strips of deep ruby coloured silk. There is a wide ruby border with peaks to which is attached cream lace. The backing is beige silk. The main blocks are outlined with feather stitch in gold thread and many individual patches are outlined in fancy stitches and have embroidered motifs some of which are Australian eg centre patch has Sturt's Desert Pea flowers, parrots, wattle. There are also English flowers, Japanese motifs, flags, domestic objects and Marianne's initials. Embroidery is in a variety of threads including chenille.
2250 x 2180mm
Patchwork, Pieced Random, Crazy, Typically Australian
National Gallery of Australia
Quilt No.978NGA - National Gallery of Australia
" Reversible patchwork quilt of woollen suiting in grey, blue, navy, maroon and brown. The fabrics appear to be new tailor's sample pieces (the sizing is still present on the fabric, signifying it has never been washed). The patches are rectangular and vary in size. Both sides have different designs. The front of the quilt has 4 rows of 12 vertical rectangles then below this are 4 rows of 7 horizontal rectangles followed below by 4 rows of 11 vertical rectangles. The reverse of the quilt has a section at the top and bottom composed of 5 rows of 9 horizontal rectangles. The central area is made up of a centre section of 6 rows of 5 vertical rectangles; flanked on either side by a column of 10 horizontal rectangles and two columns of 8 smaller vertical rectangles.
The patchwork layers are joined at the edges with machine stitching. The patchwork layers and padding are machine quilted on the front down 2 vertical lines following joins in the patchwork; therefore not being totally straight. The lines are more noticeable on the reverse as the 2 sides do not match. The front face is displayed at the NGA.
Between the patchwork layers is a striped cotton blanket in black, sky blue, white and cream." [NGA]
2082 x 1386mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Rectangle, Typically Australian, Tailors' samples
Santa Maltese
Quilt No.398SM - Santa Maltese
A 'foot' quilt, "copri piedi" used on the bed. Pink satin top and blue satin backing. The pink top is hand embroidered in a trellis pattern in shadow stitch and within each section there are hand embroidered sprigs of flowers in silk threads. The whole top is elaborately quilted. The silk cord binding is twisted into four decorative loops at each corner. There is a thick padding of cotton grown locally in Sicily.
1260 x 650mm
Wholecloth, Quilting as major design element