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:

Lora Busellato
Machine pieced cotton quilt, in random design of geometric pieces. Materials used are cotton sheeting, dress fabrics, broderie anglaise, and seersucker. There is no padding, and backing is white curtain lining.
1540 x 1150 mm.
Helen Jarmyn
Patchwork quilt made in the 'Trip Around the World' pattern, from cottons and some fine dress linen, in bright and pastel solids. Each colour is placed in a diamond shape on the quilt. Patches are 10cm square, quilt has 620 squares. The linen was mainly used to work the cross stitch. Quilt has a 2 inch border in black. Backing is sheeting. Each square is embroidered, with many different stitches, in geometric, floral, animal, insect and abstract designs, in different colours.
2760 x 2350mm
Jindera Pioneer Museum
Quilt made of 26 x 13 rectangles of woollen men's suiting samples. Each rectangle is about 70 x 130 mm. Wide variety of patterns, mainly stripes, and colous. The padding is part of a worn cream blanket and joined pieces of woollen clothing. The backing is a well worn piece of brushed cotton. Machine made.
11900 x 1870 mm
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
Lyn Cottingham
Single bed quilt hand pieced from silk hexagons using the English method. The border, backing and central rosette of hexagons are black. All other hexagons are a mixture of plain colours, stripes and florals. They are randomly placed. It is quilted in a diamond pattern. The padding is a thin cotton woven material.
1550 x 1330mm
Doreen Carter
The quilt is called 'Loved'. The pattern is log cabin and it is made from dress materials and pyjama flannelette. The original filling was a heavy woollen blanket (now flannelette) and the backing is green headcloth - all government issue. With its restoration, the backing was supplemented with a green floral, and the quilt is now tied. The quilt is machine pieced, some restoration work is done by hand.
2260 x 1920mm