Patchwork Quilts

Fran Williams
Quilt with centre area of silk triangles framed with small squares and the rest of the top is larger squares. Wide variety of prints and plain materials. There is no padding. The backing is cotton and "E.M.B." is cross stitched in one corner. "Back is interesting as it's all the same fabric, joined but it appears to have been stitched with a running stitch (cf quilting) before it was attached to the front. It was definitely done after being joined as the stitching design follows through the seams." [Fran Williams]
2500 x 2500mm
Ryder Lundy
"Hexagons pieced over cardboard hand-sewn together. Each rosette was then machine quilted 1/8th to 1/4 inch from edge of rosette in shape of each rosette. Quilt is mainly cottons with a few rayons. Some checks and stripes are used but mainly florals. Has been machine quilted in rosette shape using green on green fabrics, lemon on lemon, orange on orange and red on red." [Ryder Lundy] There is no padding and the backing is gold curtain fabric extended at the end and one side with matching taffeta. 2220 x 1270 mm.
Greg Davies
Patchwork quilt, log cabin with central patch plus 2 logs. Many different materials from 1950s and 1960s. Machine pieced. The padding is a woollen blanket and the backing is a flannelette sheet. The quilt is tied with yellow cotton at each corner.
2170 x 1880mm
Mare Carter
Patchwork quilt, all cotton including cotton padding. 'Tree of Life' pattern. All 'Trees' are on white squares and are red or blue. Alternating squares are fawn or white. Simple diagonal quilting. Hand stitched.
1880 x 1728mm
Lorna Calder
Patchwork quilt of multi coloured silks and brocades. Crazy patchwork borders, mainly rectangular fabrics pieced together in diagonal patterns, radiating from a central frame embroidered with flowers. Many pieces are extensively embroidered in a great variety of stitches and motifs; butterflies, sunflowers, cats, daffodils, crown, pawn broker's symbol, 'money to lend', 'good night', the initials of family members and 'mater 1890'. The quilt has a deep border of maroon sateen. There is no padding visible but it is possibly a blanket. The backing is green/gold silk with a self stripe with red cotton damask showing underneath, possibly an earlier backing.
2165 x 2165mm
Powerhouse Museum
Reversible cot quilt, hand pieced, in the log cabin pattern; the blocks measure 150mm square. The patches have been cut from plain and patterned dress, pyjama and men's shirt fabrics. Strong diagonals were created in the overall design through using light and dark colours, often a strong red, to divide the log cabin blocks in half diagonally. The back is made from rectangles of striped men's shirt fabrics in pastel blues, pinks and browns with a large 'flowe' in each corner, each pieced from six hexagon patches around a central seventh hexagon. There is no padding.
[PHM] 1720 x 1150mm
National Trust of Australia (NSW)
Utility quilt hand and machine sewn. The top has a centre frame of hand sewn hexagonal patches in a mix of dress materials and shirtings with four corner flowers and a roughly circular ring in red and blue stripe. The inner border has rectangular pieces in red/yellow/green/white hexagon printed material alternating with a blue/white spot. The outer border consists of large pieces of material, predominantly pink and blue stripes and checks. The backing is mainly red/white printed cotton. It is quilted all over in a diamond pattern. The padding is mainly flannel and has been made from another quilt.
1975 x 1675mm
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
Doncaster-Templestowe Historical Society
Quilt made of Suffolk Puffs or flattened circles, in different bright colours in cotton and silk. Large single bed size.
Mare Carter
Patchwork quilt, all cotton including cotton filling. "8 pointed star" with turkey red surround, white background. Hand stitched and hand quilted.
2109 X 1727mm
Mr. Michael and Mrs. Mary Dilworth
Pieced repeat block, hand pieced over papers in a diamond pattern. Blue patterned border. There is no padding and the quilt has been recently backed with calico. The 2 layers are tied together. 2240 x 1830 mm.
Narryna Heritage Museum
Cotton quilt in 'Wedding Ring' pattern. Background material is calico type in cream and the rings are in pastel colours, yellow, pink, blue and green prints and plains. It is hand pieced and hand quilted and the edges of the quilt are scalloped and finished with a pale pink binding. The backing is cotton and the padding is cotton.
2200 x 1900mm
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
N.S.W. Parks and Wildlife Service
The top is strips of mainly wools in blue, maroon and purple. The backing is imitation fur in brown and grey. They is no quilting. The padding appears to be a double sided pieced quilt from men's suitings or tailors' samples.
1500 x 1130mm
Eileen Dinning
Quilt of over 6000 suffolk puffs (also called yo yos) in a mix of cotton and synthetic materials. The top is hand stitched on to a satin backing.
2413 x 1626mm
Julie Bos
Crazy patchwork quilt with pieces made from cottons, rayons, silks and taffetas. Each piece is stuffed with kapok and machine sewn to a backing then a wholecloth floral cotton backing has been added.
920 x 164o mms
National Gallery of Australia
" This well worn quilt is of pieced diamonds set into squares (221 make up the quilt). Thick woollen fabric has been used for the pieces. These are with plain dyed fabrics or tartans and checks. All work on the quilt is hand sewn. The quilt was lined with a fine blue cotton." [NGA] The quilt is not padded. 1835 x 1400mm
The Embroiderers' Guild of S.A.Inc Museum
Yellow and white cotton Durham quilt with centre panel of patchwork blocks in counterchange design called 'Plate'. There is a wide yellow border and square white corner blocks. It is padded and there is a yellow backing. It is quilted all over following the patchwork pattern in the centre panel. Feather pattern border.
2120 x 1720mm
Jean Gill
Pieced quilt featuring log cabin and tumbling block patterns. It is handsewn and has some appliqued flowers.Materials are mainly velvet with a small amount of cotton. There is no padding and the backing is cotton flannelette.
1525 x 1220mm
National Trust of Australia (WA)
Patchwork quilt in Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern, consisting of 7 patch rosettes with white 'paths'. Cotton dress and shirting materials have been used in blues, pinks, brown, turkey red and Prussian blue. The quilt is hand sewn and each hexagon is 25mm wide. The backing is cream twill cotton in three panels. There is a hand sewn binding in red/pink cotton. There is overall quilting in chevron or zigzag pattern.
2415 x 2110mm

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