Patchwork Quilts

N.S.W. Parks and Wildlife Service
Double sided quilt. Side 1 has an off centre frame based on a hexagon and including triangles and squares in a concentric pattern. The borders are all small rectangles with a single strip of large rectangles at one end. Side 2 has a central patch of pieced shapes appliqued to the background. The borders are squares and rectangles many in striped shirting cotton. Side 1 has minimal quilting to the interlining but it does not go through to side 2. The padding is a thin sheet.
The circle (sometimes pieced hexagons) is common to other 'Craigmoor' quilts.

1450 x 1230mm
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
Quilt has a centre panel of white velvet roses and green leaves with embroidered spider webs, on red velvet. Two side panels are in crazy patchwork in plain and patterned silks and velvets. All patches are edged with feather, herringbone or blanket stitch. Many patches are embroidered, including 'Minnie', 'Good Luck', birds, flowers, anchor, boat, fish, shell, spider web, crown,, 2 crossed flags, tennis racquets, Australian motifs including wattle. The centre panel has a row of ruched olive green ribbon each side and the whole quilt has a border of dark blue velvet. The padding is cotton wadding and the backing is cream cotton printed with red and pink chrysanthemums and green leaves.
2113 x 1995mm
King Cottage Museum
Hand sewn hexagons over paper templates in a pattern known as 'Grandmother's Flower Garden'. Materials are printed dress cottons, patterned and plain, mainly in pinks, blues and browns. The border and backing is grey linen and is machine stitched on. There is no padding. 2060 x 1579 mm.
National Trust of Australia (QLD)
Quilt made of tailors' swatches, machine constructed around a central frame that is mainly mid brown pieces. This is surrounded by rectangles of mainly charcoal greys and the outer border is navy blues. The backing is a heavy cotton with random green and cream and grey stripes.
1651 x 1220mm
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
Christine Barnes
Cotton quilt with rosettes of hexagons. There is a centre hexagon with a surround of 6 hexagons in a contrasting pattern and then an outer row of 12 hexagons in a different pattern. Between each rosette is a single row of hexagons in a print common to the whole quilt. The materials are typical of the 60s period. There is a deep aqua border. It is machine quilted. The backing is cotton.
2515 x 1829mm
Marie Thomas
150mm squares of old material scraps, mostly cotton, including some curtain material. There is no padding and the backing is brown lawn.
2540 x 2370mm
Margery Smith
Patchwork quilt made from hexagons 63mm across in a variety of cotton prints and plains. The bright coloured patches came from children's clothes and dressmaking scraps. The 'set included a large cot cover, a pillow cover and a circular stool cover. No padding. Backing of unbleached calico. Hand sewn.
2300 x 1840mm
Nancy Dunlap
Repeat block in wedding ring pattern. All cottons with cream background and mainly pale mauve and green dressmaking prints in wedding rings. Green border and cream calico backing. The padding is cotton. 1800 x 210mm.
National Trust of Australia (NSW)
Handsewn quilt of hexagon patches in cotton prints in 'Grandmother's Flower Garden' pattern. Each flower consists of double rows of print hexagons around a yellow centre and these are joined by 'paths' in plain green and white cotton. Backing is green cotton and there is a wool padding. There is outline quilting around all green and white hexagons and centre and first row of hexagons in flowers.
1885 x 1750mm
Barbara McCabe
Patchwork quilt made of squares and rectangles in woollen fabric, stitched together without any particular pattern. Colours are mainly green, grey, blue, black, pink and some yellow. Fabrics are plain, checks and stripes. No padding, quilting or binding. Backing is a remnant of synthetic fabric. The quilt has been well sued and is very worn with fabric torn and marked in some places.
1400 x 400mm
Rozanne Andrew
Patchwork crazy quilt of late 40s and early 50s. Pieces are from curtains, tablecloth,other kitchen type fabrics in cotton, seersucker and linen. Colours are mainly reds, greens, blues, and pastels, in prints and plain. Herringbone stitch is worked around the edge of each patch. No filling. The backing is calico with one edge in a piece of coloured cotton from the front; the calico was a little small for the top.
2020 x 1400mm
Doncaster-Templestowe Historical Society
Quilt made of Suffolk Puffs or flattened circles, in different bright colours in cotton and silk. Large single bed size.
Darla Taylor
Double sided patchwork quilt. Both sides have central frame surrounded by borders. Side 1 has diamond of squares set in a square frame 490mm. Borders are squares and triangles. Side 2 is central frame of squares on point surrounded by plain grey velvet border then marroon border. Materials are cottons, silks, velvet, crepe, rayons in a wide variety of colours and apperned and plain. Machine construction. No quilting. Padding is a cream wool blanket.
1440 x 1420mm
The Pioneer Women's Hut
The top is machine pieced patches of used clothing. The backing is large pieces of dress materials and either end patches similar to the top. The padding is a chaff bag or similar with patches of worn, matted children's jumpers sewn directly on to it.
1400 x 1150mm
National Trust of Australia (TAS)
Quilt top of hexagonal patches in silk and velvet in colours of brown, black, soft green, maroon, light yellow and blue. Some materials self patterned. Blue backing papers can be seen at edges behind some patches.
National Gallery of Australia
"This is not a true quilt, but a pieced coverlet with a lining. The entire front face of the quilt is of pieced hexagonal and part hexagonal printed cotton patches. Pieces are joined with hand sewn over casting stitches of many different coloured cotton threads. The joining of the patches forms a 'daisy' pattern in some areas and in others it is random. The edge of the front face of the quilt carries a 40mm strip of cotton Chinoiserie which is then folded to the reverse of the quilt and becomes part of the lining. The template for the hexagon patches remains in many of the patches: writing paper and news print." [NGA]
The work is not padded "The lining at the edge of the quilt (for approx.175mm) is a plain weave fabric of a Chinoiserie design. The centre field of the lining is a rectangular panel of a twill weave brushed cotton fabric with a striped floral design." [NGA] 2215 x 2070mm
Annette Gero
Cotton frame quilt with a diamond in the centre of the frame and a border of straight pieces. The outer border is diamonds. The quilt is hand sewn and hand quilted.
1910 x 1830mm
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
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

Pages