Quilt No.982SB - Sheila Bruhn

Sheila Bruhn
Owner: 
Sheila Bruhn
Location: 
NSW Sydney
Maker
Maker: 
Changi Prison Girl Guides
Made in
SINGAPORE Changi Prison
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Quilt constructed of blocks of hexagons with 72 'flower' rosettes made from plain and printed cotton scraps. The centre of each rosette has the name of one of the Girl Guides embroidered on it. The one in the centre of the quilt has the Trefoil insignia outlined in satin stitch. The background is white hexagons. There is no padding and it is backed with white cotton. 1880 x 960mm
History: 

The quilt was made by Girl Guides in Changi prison camp in 1942. Elizabeth Ennis, who started the project, took the quilt to Scotland with her when she left the camp in 1945 after the war ended. 'Trish' Ennis gave it to the present owner, Sheila Bruhn, in April 2001 and it is now with Sheila in Australia.

Story: 

This Girl Guide quilt was put together by a group of girls in Changi Prison. The guide group was started by Elizabeth Ennis, an army nursing sister, with the help of a young Dutch girl, Trude van Roode. There were about 20 to 30 girls between 8 and 13 and they collected oddments of material in the camp. The girls' names are recorded on the quilt.

Related Quilts:

Annette Gero
This quilt is of hand pieced hexagons randomly placed and stitched on to a linen backing. They are mainly dress fabrics and chintz with some hexagon flowers in the centre and corners in broderie perse. There is no padding.
2600 x 2600mm
Annette Gero
The top is mainly squares of flannel machined together with patches of dress materials stitched randomly on top. There is no padding and the backing is calico. The top and backing are held together by a binding only. It is one of a pair.
2010 x 1680mm
Muriel Thompson
Hexagon quilt in pattern known as 'Grandmother's flower garden'. Hexagons of prints and plains with yellow centre to each flower, and plain pink outlines. It is hand pieced and hand quilted. Padding is cotton, backing is cream cotton. 2200 x 2000 mm.
Val Ireland
Utilitarian quilt. The padding is pieced used clothing and possibly reused blanket. The top and backing are machine pieced cotton scraps in a wide variety of pattern and colours.
1626 x 1601mm
Narelle Grieve
Folded log cabin, foundation pieced. Machine constructed. Materials are cotton, wool, rayon, flannelette, silk and twill. There is no padding and the backing is cretonne. 2700 x 2100 mm
Agnes Pratten
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