Patchwork Quilts

Ann Hockey
Patchwork quilt made from rectangles of samples of men's woollen suitings, in greys and blues and some browns. The rectangles were machine sewn together and then sewn in rows or strips. Originally the quilt had a rabbit skin backing, removed due to deterioration. No padding. Machine sewn.
1550 x 1420mm
Joyce Lannin
The centre of the quilt is a small blue 6 pointed star surrounded by a larger blue star. Blue stars also form a border to the quilt. The background material is a multicoloured small floral pattern on white cotton. The quilt is all hand worked over templates. The padding is cotton and the backing is polyester sheeting with a border of stars.
2650 x 2475 mm
National Trust of Australia (WA)
Silk and velvet frame quilt with centre patchwork block of squares and triangles with a top and bottom border of silk in Royal Stewart tartan. This rectangular centre frame is surrounded by plain and 'saw tooth' (triangles) borders. The outer border is dark grey silk embroidered in pastels in stem stitch in a meandering vine and leaf pattern. There is no padding or quilting. Backing originally of mustard wool material machine stitched along turned in edges. Dark red cotton is attached to original backing.
2015 x 1320mm
Oakey Historical Museum Society Inc.
Cotton patchwork cover constructed from hand sewn hexagons (65mm) in cotton and linen furnishing materials. The curved edges are bound with blue and cream printed striped cotton. The backing material is not visible.
941 x 261mm
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Machine pieced cot quilt made from squares of material including tweed, wool, blanket and pyjama material. The squares are joined in rows with colours randomly placed. There is a pink satin edging. The backing is part of a pale pink blanket.
1150 x 900mm
Barbara McCabe
Patchwork quilt made from squares of woollen fabric scraps from dressmaking. Squares are stitched together in no particular order. Colours are bright, with pink, yellow, green, brown and light blue predominating. Fabric is plain, checks and stripes. No padding or quilting. Backing is a cotton bedspread, striped in pinks and magenta.
2530 x 1640mm
Barbara McCabe
Patchwork quilt made from rectangles of mostly woollen fabrics sewn in strips and then stitched together. Fabrics left over from dressmaking projects. Machine stitched. Colours mainly green, purple, blue, pink, pastels, in plain, checks and spots. No padding or quilting. Lining is an old bedspread.
2200 x 1440mm
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.
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
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
Gwen Cordinglay
Patchwork quilt made from hexagon patches in silks and rayons, in pinks, blues, red, yellow mainly, with pastels. No padding. Bordered and backed with green satin.
1829 x 1372mm
The Queensland Women's Historical Assoc.
Quilt top of plain, floral and printed cotton hexagons in a diamond pattern, separated by plain white hexagons. Hand written letters have been used as templates and some are still in position but the ink is faded and the writing now illegible. Tacking stitches are still in place.
3048 x 2210mm
Mare Carter
Patchwork quilt made for a child. All cotton with cotton padding. White blocks have embroidery depicting different nursery rhymes eg Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary ; Old Mother Goose. These blocks are separated by rectangular strips of teal cotton. The quilt is hand stitched and heavily quilted.
1677 x 1271mm
Amanda Smith
Unfinished crazy parchwork quilt using a wide variety of mainly cotton scraps in patterns and plains. Machine sewn on to calico base.
1956 x 1677mm
National Trust of Australia (SA)
Patchwork frame quilt made from cotton prints. Quilt centre has four pieced squares set within a star shaped border of square patches, set within a square frame (74cm square) edged with half triangles, then set within a red frame (114cm x 114 cm), diamond shaped or 'on point'. In the 4 triangles are double diamond shapes, then a wide border of squares and 'square within a square' patches with red triangles. Red binding. Padding is probably wool. Backing is a cotton print in browns in a floral paisley. All over quilting. Handsewn.
1880 x 1850mm
Powerhouse Museum
"A tied patchwork wagga quilt made from swatches of men's wool suiting fabrics in blue/grey and pink/brown tonings. Rectangular swatches have been cut in half diagonally, and the resulting right-angled triangles paired to form larger equilateral triangles which alternate dark with light across the field. The quilt has been machine and hand pieced, then machined in vertical stripes.
The centre field is bounded by two strip-pieced borders at top and bottom, and three down each side. These are sewn from rectangles, using light pink/brown tones for the inner border and darker colours for the outer borders. The quilt is padded and backed and the side seams are secured with black herringbone stitch. The three layers are tied together invisibly with lazy daisy stitches in black cotton from the back." [PHM] The padding is a wool blanket and the backing is two pieces of cream twill cotton.
2030 x 1440mm
Nancy Dunlap
Quilt top in block design based on hexagons in a variety of patterned cotton with a plain pink hexagon in the centre. The hexagons are linked by triangles of pink cotton. Cottons include florals, stripes, checks, tartans and novelty prints. 2080 x 2300mm
Mary Robertson
The suffolk puffs are mainly cotton in a wide variety of colours and plain and patterned materials. The puffs are small squares rather than the more usual circles. The backing is teal satin hand stitched to the top. There is a teal bow at one end. There is no padding.
1570 x 1100mm
Marjorie Treasy
Machine sewn quilt made from 125mm squares of scraps left over from dressmaking, joined in strips and then the strips joined. There is a border of fawn cotton and the backing is the same material. The padding is an old blanket and the border is padded with sheep's wool.
1400 x 925mm

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