Quilt No.964NGA - National Gallery of Australia

Owner: 
National Gallery of Australia
Location: 
ACT
Maker
Maker: 
Constance Bright & May Bright
Made in
AUSTRALIA TAS
Date: 
1881 - 1900
Description: 
"This is a crazy quilt consisting of nine panels of crazy patchwork joined together with bands of olive cotton sateen fabric. The fabrics of the patchwork are a rich variety of silk brocades, silk ribbons, fabrics with metallic threads and velvets. The embroidery is of a variety of silk threads, including chenille.
The quilt is padded with a layer of cotton wadding backed with a piece of tarlatan. The padding is only present beneath the patchwork panels and the bands that join them. There is no padding in the edge border of the quilt. The layers are quilted with machine sewing.
The quilt...
History: 

The quilt was made by 2 sisters, Miss Constance Bright and Miss May Bright in Tasmania about 1893. A member of the Bright family was employed by the Crosby Shipping Company in 1835. A descendant of the Crosby family, Miss Catherine Crosby, later owned the quilt and gave it to her niece, Miss Jean Brodie, in 1930. Miss Brodie, Queensland, donated the quilt to the National Gallery of Australia to mark the occasion of the Bicentenary in 1988.

Story: 

"Miss Constance Bright (United Kingdom c.1812-Australia died c.1915) and Miss May Bright (United Kingdom born c.1813-Australia died c.1915) made this quilt. They were sisters who came to Sandy Bay, Hobart, with their family as free settlers in 1835. The Bright family came from Skiffington Hall, Leicestershire, England and was employed in Hobart by the Crosby Shipping Company in 1835���." [NGA]

Related Quilts:

National Trust of Australia (QLD)
Quilt made of tailors' swatches, machine constructed around a central frame that is mainly mid brown pieces. This is surrounded by rectangles of mainly charcoal greys and the outer border is navy blues. The backing is a heavy cotton with random green and cream and grey stripes.
1651 x 1220mm
Julie Pearce
Rectangular quilt of print and plain
cottons pieced in squares and rectangles within 2 frames, the inner border or frame of blue/green check material, then 2 rows of squares and rectangles, the outer frame of a grey and red geometric pattern and 2 rows of squares or rectangles. Backing of plain fabric. Machine stitched on a treadle machine.
Sharlene Rogers (for Nadia Brookes)
Pieced squares, each square with a cross and 4 small squares in red. Crosses are in rows alternating 2 shades of blue and 2 of brown. Cream background. Now unlined but remnant blanket like material in corners. Originally had a cotton frill. Quilt was made from scraps of material used for making children's clothes.
Mare Carter
Patchwork quilt, all cotton including cotton padding filler. The design is 'Dresden Plate' or 'Friendship Circle'. Background is white with multicoloured and patterned triangular pieces forming circles. Hand stitched and heavily quilted.
2235 x 1778mm
Margery Smith
Patchwork quilt made from hexagons 63mm across in a variety of cotton prints and plains. The bright coloured patches came from children's clothes and dressmaking scraps. The 'set included a large cot cover, a pillow cover and a circular stool cover. No padding. Backing of unbleached calico. Hand sewn.
2300 x 1840mm
N.S.W. Parks and Wildlife Service
Crazy patchwork on to foundation material with the edges of the pieces turned under and machined. It is not quilted. A 25mm red binding has been machined on. There is no padding. The backing is red wholecloth cotton.
1940 x 1540mm