Quilt No.986VD - Virginia DeFriest
Owner:
Virginia DeFriest
Location:
VIC Melbourne
Maker
Maker:
Virginia DeFriest
Made in
KENYA
Patterms
Date:
1941 - 1970
Description:
The quilt consists of 9 large rectangles each depicting a house in which the owner and her husband lived in overseas. Each house and location is identified. The houses are appliquéd and embroidered detail has been added to the houses and gardens. Plain cotton rectangles are in between the appliquéd houses. The padding is an old woollen blanket and the backing is pale green cotton percale. The quilt is tied at intervals through the 3 layers. 2180 x 490 mm
History:
The quilt was made by the present owner and is still owned by her. It is still used.
Story:
Virginia and her husband married in 1950. Her husband's work took them to many countries including Kenya, Sierra Leone, New Zealand and Ghana. Virginia appliquéd and embroidered representations of 12 of the houses in which they lived. The quilt was started in 1964 and houses were added as they moved. In 1964 it was awarded second prize in the Royal Agricultural Society of Kenya's show in Nairobi. The certificate reads "Most interesting quilt. Delightful."
Virginia DeFries about the time she made the quilt.
The house in Accra, Ghana depicted on the quilt second from the bottom on the right.
Related Quilts:
Silk quilt in diamonds with hexagon border. "Toward the edge of the quilt, the design of diamonds made into blocks offers an optical illusion, where the diamonds can be seen to form stars. The border is made up of these stars and half-diamonds, and the entire quilt is trimmed with lace and triangular flaps made of tiny hexagons." [extract unidentified magazine article supplied by quilt owner.]
The backing is maroon cotton. 1600 x 1600 mm.
The backing is maroon cotton. 1600 x 1600 mm.
" A wide range of cotton fabrics have been used to make this quilt in the traditional log cabin style. The strips of the log cabin are joined by rows being hand sewn onto a small square backing fabric, each square of strips has then been hand sewn together to form the quilt. The work is backed with a sateen printed fabric decorated with paisley design. A strip of the lining trims the edge of the front face of the quilt. The lining is attached with machine stitching. There are numerous tacking stitches that remain in the front face of the quilt. There are approx 9000 pieces in the quilt, most being only 5mm in width.
The quilt is of three layers because the strips of the log cabin are attached to a backing piece, and then the quilt is lined; however it is not padded." [NGA]
The quilt is of three layers because the strips of the log cabin are attached to a backing piece, and then the quilt is lined; however it is not padded." [NGA]
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
1400 x 930mm
Utilitarian quilt made from large pieces of wool, flannel and cotton. Machine construction and the padding is wool.
1570 x 152Omm
1570 x 152Omm
Log cabin patchwork pieces (2) with each block approximately 120 x 120mm. They are diagonally divided into light and dark side. Materials are mainly silks including silk velvets. Each block is stitched on to a backing square, pieces of old blanket, woollens, cottons, many very worn. There is no other backing.
Quilt is hand pieced.
1000 x 1000mm
Quilt is hand pieced.
1000 x 1000mm
Hand sewn cotton cot quilt with pattern of red and white lozenge shaped hexagons measuring approximately 65mm from top to bottom. A centre flower is constructed from 2 circles of 19 hexagons in red and white. This is surrounded by 8 smaller hexagon flowers. Additional single red hexagons are scattered at random on the white background around the rows of flowers. The quilt is not quilted or tied but is attached at all 4 edges. Writing on the back of the quilt (probably added later) reads "Made by Sarah Hodge, Newport, Wales UK for her first child John." There is no padding and the backing is white cotton. 1000 x 1250 mm.