Patchwork Quilts

National Gallery of Australia
" 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]
Cressida Mary Webb Challis
Quilt of machine pieced squares and rectangles using a wide variety of materials in plain colours and patterns. It is one of a pair. There is no padding and the backing is 90cm strips of calico.
2500 x 2130mm
Fran Williams
150 x 210mm pieces of bound suiting samples overlapped and machined together then herringboned with gold/yellow thread. Each piece has an embroidered motif, using single thread, mainly non Australian birds and animals. '1903' is embroidered on a centre piece. It is hand quilted. The backing is a black floral print. There is no padding.
1800 x 1940mm
Harden Murrumburrah Historical Society
Patchwork quilt has pieced blocks in the 'Ohio star' pattern in red print and white cotton, alternating with plain white blocks. Quilt has a 9cm frill in red and grey geometric print cotton, machine stitched around the edge. Quilt appears to have some hand quilting. No padding. Backing is white cotton.
2210 x 2060mm
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
National Trust of Australia (WA)
Quilt of pale yellow cotton sateen with a centre star motif with 8 points in pink cotton sateen. A border of pink cotton sateen has pink triangles on each side. The quilt is machine sewn and elaborately hand quilted with designs including fleur-de-lys shape, feathers, vine pattern, clam shells, 8 petalled flower and cable pattern with the main ground cross hatched. The backing is pale yellow cotton sateen.
2235 x 2065mm
Euroa and District Historical Society
Handsewn cotton hexagons in a wide variety of patterns. Centre oval of hexagons with 2 outer rings. There is no padding and the backing is white cotton.
2490 x 2200mm
Sue Batzloff
Patchwork quilt for a child made from suiting pieces from the Castlemaine Woollen Mills in Victoria. One side has dark rectangles in greys and navy, the other side uses pieces in light browns, cream and rust, with dark grey. The edging is also made from suiting. No padding Machine sewn.
1347 x 1271mm
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
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 Trust of Australia (WA)
Patchwork quilt in Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern consisting of groups of 7 rosettes and single rosettes with white filler hexagons and a border of rosettes alternating with 'bow tie' shapes of 5 patches in the middle of the quilt. Hand sewn in cotton dress and shirting materials , the colours mostly blues, pinks, reds, brown and white. The quilt top is covered in netting. There is no padding and the backing is cream cotton twill.
2270 x 2080mm
Annette Rich
Unlined quilt. Central square of floral chintz with rectangular and chevron border making a larger frame that is set within another square-on-point frame edged with 2 toned red leaf pattererned chintz. This quilt is mainly pieced (squares, triangles, lozenges) but the hexagon rosettes are appliqued. Dress and furnishing cottons dating from the early 1800s. Raw edged, unfinished. All hand stitched.
2400 x 2400mm
Margaret Knoop
Quilt top of cottons including shirting materials constructed in kaleidoscope pattern with star border. Hand pieced over papers, some papers remain at edges. There is no padding and no backing.
2440 x 1720mm
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
Fay Burgess
Hexagonal piece of patchwork made up of 9 rows of rosettes of hexagons in a wide variety of colours and patterns mainly in silks and velvets. It is incomplete. Backing papers are still in the outside rows and also basting threads. Hexagons are joined by fine whip stitching. It is unlined.
1370 x 1220mm
Margery Smith
Patchwork cot 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. No padding. Backing of unbleached calico. Hand sewn.
1524 x 1169mm
Brenda Bird
Suffolk Puff quilt made from a variety of scraps of dress materials including cottons and terylene. It is backed with white cotton sheeting and edged with a frill of white terylene. There is a matching pillow sham.
1740 x 1300 mm.
The Queensland Women's Historical Assoc.
Cotton quilt , octagons of printed floral joined with squares of printed and plain. Yellow floral border. Cotton backing with very intrictae pattern in machine stitching.
2540 x 2490mm
June Dean
Pieced hexagons, English paper method. Large hexagons form the centre with a border of smaller hexagons. The fabrics are all cotton in a wide range of colours and patterns. There is no padding. The backing is cotton, large white floral design on dark blue. The hexagons are hand pieced and the edges machined.
2480 x 1420 mm

Pages