Quilt No.937AWM - Australian War Memorial

Australian War Memorial
Owner: 
Australian War Memorial
Location: 
ACT
Maker
Maker: 
Changi Prison Internees
Made in
SINGAPORE Changi Prison
Patterms
Patchwork, Pieced Repeat Block, Typically Australian, Motifs or Names
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
"Quilt made up of 66 embroidered squares, each 'signed' in embroidery with the maker(s) name. All the squares are edged with turkey red chain-stitch. The squares are bounded by a broad white cotton border, and the same material has been used as a backing. The back of the quilt has red embroidery stating 'Presented by the women of Changi internment camp 1942 to the wounded Australian soldiers with our sympathy for their suffering. It is our wish that on the cessation of hostilities that this quilt be presented to the Australian Red Cross Society. It is advisable to dry clean this quilt....
History: 

This quilt is one of 2 signature quilts made by some of the 400 civilian internees in Changi Prison during the first 6 months of their captivity, from March 1942. They were made for the Australian Red Cross and the Japanese equivalent and are at the Australian War Memorial. A third quilt is held by the British Red Cross. It was hoped that the Japanese Red Cross quilt might sway their captors to send the first quilt to Australia. However the authorities returned both quilts to Colonel Collins the senior medical officer, who gave them to Colonel R.M.Webster the medical officer in charge of the Australians at the hospital at Kranji, with the request that one should go to the Australian Red Cross and the other to Colonel Webster's wife. Both were donated to the Australian War Memorial, the latter in 1968 by Mrs. Webster.

Story: 

The quilts were the idea of a Canadian internee, Mrs. Ethel Mulvaney, who had been a Red Cross representative in Singapore. Making the quilts was designed to alleviate boredom, boost morale and pass information to men in other camps. Each woman was asked to put something of herself into her square. As a result some squares contain quite obvious messages and others are purely decorative.

From 66 squares the work of only 4 Australian women are represented: Dr. Margaret Smallwood, Sheila Allen, Judy Good and Helen Loxton.
"It is likely that a quilt was made for the Australian Red Cross not because there were many Australian internees, but because it was assumed that the Australian Red Cross would play a major part in supplying aid to Singapore and POWs in Asia. In the event the Japanese blocked the distribution of Red Cross parcels from Australia."
[Australian War Memorial]

Related Quilts:

National Gallery of Australia
Quilt No.958NGA - National Gallery of Australia
"The Rajah "quilt" is a patchwork and appliquéd bed cover or coverlet. It is in pieced medallion or framed style: a popular design style for quilts in the British Isles in the mid 1800's. There is a central field of white cotton decorated with appliquéd (in broderie perse) chintz birds and floral motifs. This central field is framed by 12 bands or strips of patchwork printed cotton. The quilt is finished at the outer edge by white cotton decorated with appliquéd daisies on three sides and inscription in cross stitch surrounded by floral chintz attached with broderie perse on the fourth side. All fabrics used in the Rajah quilt are cotton with the exception of small amounts of linen and silk threads. The quilt shows evidence of being produced by many hands." [NGA] The quilt is not padded or lined. 3372 x 3250mm
Frame, Motifs or Names, Patchwork, Typically Australian
National Gallery of Australia
Quilt No.965NGA - 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
Patchwork, Mosaic, Hexagon
Elizabeth Williams
Quilt No.440EW - Elizabeth Williams
Cotton quilt of plain and patterned hexagons, 6 joined to make a flower. The flowers are arranged in rows with single motifs filling the spaces. Hand sewn. The backing is heavy red cotton material. There is no padding.
2490 x 1803mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Hexagon
Jan Tregoweth
Quilt No.241JT - Jan Tregoweth
Patchwork quilt of cotton hexagon patches grouped in 'flowers', comprising 4 rings of patches around a central hexagon. Prints and plains are used, the colours mainly browns, greens, yellows, dark blue and dark pink. The 'paths' are in a yellow-brown cotton. Cotton backing. The padding is probably an old blanket. The quilt is an irregular shape, and is tied.
2550 x 1870mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Hexagon
Joyce Lannin
Quilt No.1029JL - Joyce Lannin
The centre of the quilt is a small blue 6 pointed star surrounded by a larger blue star. Blue stars also form a border to the quilt. The background material is a multicoloured small floral pattern on white cotton. The quilt is all hand worked over templates. The padding is cotton and the backing is polyester sheeting with a border of stars.
2650 x 2475 mm
Patchwork, Pieced Random
National Trust of Australia (SA)
Quilt No.1061NTSA - National Trust of Australia (SA)
Randomly patched quilt in many different colours and fabrics. There are appliquéd shapes over many pieces including Suffolk Puffs, hearts, hexagons and other shapes. There is an embroidered inscription "A11 to S11 1829" which is thought to mean AN to SN 1829. There is no padding and the backing is white cotton.
2000 x 2200mm
Patchwork, Pieced Random