Patchwork Quilts

" This quilt is in the Suffolk puff tradition. The quilt consists of 1,518 white plain weave 'puffs'. Unlike some quilts where the puffs have been made from blue bags, here they are from circles of fabric with the edge turned with a gather stitch, which has been pulled and secured. The quilt is entirely hand sewn. The edge of the quilt is decorated with a 35cm band of crochet; producing a net with scalloped edge. The crochet is executed in a thick cotton thread." [NGA] There is no padding or lining. 3230 x 2120mm
Jean East
Doll's quilt of crazy patchwork of cotton fabrics including handkerchiefs, mainly in checks and stripes, in pinks, yellow, blues and black, stitched to a cotton backing with herringbone stitch in embroidery thread in brown, light brown, and white..
327 x 320mm
Single bed patchwork quilt made of rectangular or oblong patches in various colours in mainly floral patterns. Along each side and across the bottom of the quilt are strips of black piping 1" in width and approx. 1 foot in from the edge. The filling is old blankets, and the backing is blue cotton.
Norma Gilchrist
Cotton quilt with overall pattern of hexagons joined to make 'flowers'. Brown paper templates were used. All hexagons are hand stitched including on to the blue border which was then machined on to the same blue headcloth backing. The materials used were mainly scraps, including some from an aunt of the present owner, and are in a wide variety of patterns and colours. There is no quilting.
2110 x 1700mm
Helen Sparkman
Patchwork quilt made from very large pieces of cotton material on one side, with a 100mm yellow border, and on the other side it is almost entirely blue flannelette.
1660 x 1400mm
Patchwork quilt made of fine pieces of silk from ballgowns and cut into small triangular pieces, sewn together to form a pinwheel pattern. Quilt has a wide border with a quilted feather motif and is edged with red silk.
No padding, backing is of cotton.
2500 x 2500mm
Patchwork quilt in a variation of the Log Cabin pattern, made of cotton fabrics in red and cream, set in alternate blocks. Backing is of quilted linen squares. Quilt is edged with cream cotton fringing, added at a later date.
2260 x 2000mm
National Parks & Wildlife Service of SA
Child's cot quilt of crazy patchwork, with patches of velvet, silk brocade and satin, all seams embroidered with feather stitch in different coloured threads. There is a wide border of peach-brown velvet. Backing is a floral cotton. Has been in poor condition, conserved by Artlab SA.
1490 x 1000mm
Quilt of cotton [pieces], machine and hand stitched, with black knitted [wool] insert.
1940 x 1000mm
National Trust of Australia (SA)
Patchwork quilt of hexagons in silks and velvet, the velvet in plain colours, the silk in plains, stripes, checks and brocades. Centre is made from red brocade hexagons with black silk patches embroided with a variety of flowers and leaves. Stitched to a red velvet border, then top and bottom have Australian motif of crossed wattle branches embroidered in bobble stitch, and on the sides embroidered red flowers. The rest of the quilt is made of hexagons, the edge stitched to a brown silk border, then a border of triangles and a striped edging. Surface embroidery. Crepe backing. Some newspaper templates remain.
2260 x 1720mm
Patchwork quilt made from hexagon patches in cottons. No filling or padding. Backing is of green cotton.
2050 x 1600mm
Embroiderers' Guild Victoria
Hexagon shaped patchwork cover in an all over design based on very small hexagons in plain colours and prints. It is unfinished and there is no backing. Some of the materials have been dated to the 1830s and it is thought they came from old garments.
1600 x 1800mm
Silk patchwork quilt top. The all over pattern is of part octagons and black four pointed stars in the centre of small squares. When joined together, the effect is rows of octagons. All the seams are outlined with embroidery.
1600 x 1430mm
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
White cotton quilt of blocks with an embroidered flower in each one. The whole 'garden' is encircled by an appliqued picket fence. There is a cotton backing but no padding.
1840 x 1820mm
Double bed sized quilt with a top of random shapes in a random design, bordered with plain brown cotton. The padding is two quilts.
2100 x 180omm (approx)
Quilt made from suitings and cloth patchwork, hand stitched with blanket insert and pieces of knitting from garments.
1900 x 1190mm
Quilt made of squares of suiting. Pink and blue curtain backing.
1760 x 1320mm
Norma Gilchrist
Cotton cot quilt in checkerboard pattern. 30 squares each 180mm machined together. Alternate squares have Australian birds fancyworked in stem stitch and chain stitch using 2 threads of coloured stranded cotton. Alternate squares are plain royal blue and there is a royal blue border 120mm wide. The backing is the same royal blue cotton.
1340 x 1070mm
This is an Adelaide Chronicle pattern reprinted in 'The Weekly Times'.
Pieced hand sewn quilt of hexagons. All cotton. 4 Hexagons make up a diamond. Materials are scraps from family clothing. The background is caramel poplin and the backing is cream sheeting. The quilt is signed on the back (in satin stitch) "Isabel C.D.Portus 1974" and "Jean C.D.Portus 1976".
2580 x 1950mm

Pages