Quilt No.954AP - Agnes Pratten

Agnes Pratten
Owner: 
Agnes Pratten
Location: 
QLD South East
Maker
Maker: 
Mrs Ball
Made in
AUSTRALIA QLD
Patterms
Wholecloth, Re-used clothing or blanket, Utilitarian, Typically Australian
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
Wholecloth quilt covered front and back with the least worn parts of old curtains. The padding is a carded wool sheet from Ipswich Woollen Mills placed between layers of cheesecloth.
1800 x 1225mm
History: 

This utilitarian quilt was made in Queensland by Nessie Pratten's mother, Mrs. Ball, when Nessie was 15 years old. It was made during the depression and Nessie used it for many years and it is still owned by her. "[it is used] when I have a full house, or if someone has to sleep on the floor [it is] used underneath." [NP]

Story: 

"The wool for this was brought out during the depression years, to help the wool industry and also to help keep people warm, as blankets were too dear to buy, think it would have been about 25 shillings, cheese cloth about 6 pence a yard. This would not have been its original cover, but it would have been covered with cretonne from curtains I am sure.
During the depression my father was a War Pensioner from first world war and due to war wounds was unable to work and my mother had to manage with 5/- five shillings to keep us on (State children got 10/- ten shillings). She thought it really did not pay to get married. But as you can imagine life was not easy, but would have been a lot worse if she had not been clever with her fingers and a good manager."
[Nessie Pratten, Queensland, October 2000]

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
Pauline Munro
Quilt No.494PM - Pauline Munro
Quilt of woollen rectangles, probably tailors' samples. Machine pieced. The backing is floral cotton similar to curtain material.The backing has a french seam down the centre back and is folded over to the front to form a binding. There is no padding.
1440 x 1260
Patchwork, Mosaic, Typically Australian, Tailors' samples
Maria Patounas
Quilt No.922MP - Maria Patounas
The cotton quilt top is blue featuring a floral design in the centre and a matching border. The main quilting pattern relates to this. There is a wide gold cotton border with a quilting pattern of parallel lines and diamonds. The backing is plain red cotton. The padding is cotton wadding.
2040 x 1750mm
Wholecloth, Quilting as major design element, Greek
The Embroiderers' Guild of S.A.Inc Museum
Quilt No.926ESA - The Embroiderers' Guild of S.A.Inc Museum
4 Pieces of a patchwork quilt which was formerly a whole quilt. It is pieced in cottons in blues reds and browns in many prints. There are whole circles and pieced circles against a plain cream calico background. It is wool lined and is quilted. There are the initials 'A.B.' and '1828' on a central piece. The 4 pieces are various sizes.
Patchwork, Pieced Random, Wholecloth, Quilting as major design element
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Quilt No.823TMAG - Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Cot quilt of mixed textiles and techniques. Made in sections and stitched together possibly with some padding. It features embroidered and appliqued animals (cats, donkey, elephant, squirrel, birds, kangaroo, emu) and nursery rhyme characters. Materials are cotton, silk, wool, imitation fur. There is a black velvet patch with a cross stitch parrot and embroidered date and initials 'May 1925 AE'. The backing is woven self patterned curtain material. There is a ruffle around the edge in the same material.
1400 x 930mm
Patchwork, Mosaic, Typically Australian, Motifs or Names