Quilt No.95YH - Yvonne Hore

"Circles and Squares"
The quilt was commenced by my grandmother who stitched everything by hand because she never owned a sewing machine.
My grandmother was very poor. Her husband died when my Mother (eldest daughter) was about five years old. My Mother had twin sisters three years younger. There were no pensions in those days and my grandmother (the youngest of eight girls) survived by washing and ironing and rearing state wards.
In later years one of her twin daughters, Rita, purchased an old Century treadle sewing machine and became the local dressmaker. All the left over pieces were used in the quilts.
My Mother was never a sewer, however, she made the backing out of old men's clothes, jumpers, cardigans, trousers etc.
The second world war came and things changed dramatically in our town. An American naval base hospital was set up and many of the local women went to work there.
My grandmother always lived with her younger daughter Rita until she died. My mother lived with me until she died so the quilt came into my hands. Because much of it was hand sewn I zig zagged over the seams and clouted it together (you couldn't call it quilting) in circles and squares. I also squared it up and bound the edges.
�...As you can see no templates were used the squares are quite irregular. It is showing signs of wear.
It is made from bits and pieces of fabric both cotton and woollen - what ever was available at the time."
[Yvonne Hore 1996]