Typically Australian Quilts

The top is suit samples or remnants cut in squares and machined together. The centre panel is bordered with cotton tape. Each square is also bordered and forms a grid. There is no padding and the backing is a white cotton sheet with a floral pattern. It is hand stitched along the edges.
1500 x 1500mm
Utility quilt made from large squares of reused woollen materials joined in strips. All hand sewn. There is no padding and the backing is a piece of woollen material. 2000 x 1300mm
Domestic Wagga with printed cover lined with jute throughout. 'Sent to Travellers aid at Spencer Street Station for delivery' [NWM]
1900 x 1220mm
"A wagga quilt machine-pieced from old woollen suiting fabrics; some hand stitching is visible along a few of the joins. The quilt has 3 layers: the top layer has a rectangular centre composed of randomly-pieced woollen patches in grey tonings with a border composed of irregular navy rectangles; the lining is made from corn bags, and the backing is a striped cotton fabric. The three layers are machined together at the edges, thus holding the filling in place. There is no quilting."
1660 x 1610mm
Domestic Wagga made from bags with a top of irregular patches of cotton material, mainly from dress scraps, and a backing of calico.
1578 x 1094mm
Large cot size or single bed quilt with the top of different size and shaped pieces arranged in a random fashion. The padding is old blankets stitched together and the backing is floral cotton.
2100 x 1400mm (approx)
Utilitarian quilt made from roughly square patches of tailors' samples and men's suitings. The backing is calico and a border has been formed by turning the top under. The padding is ticking and pieced reused clothing.
2000 x 1400mm
Hand and machine pieced top and back using irregular pieces of men's hand and machine knitted jumpers and navy serge. The backing is mainly serge, part of an uncle's bus conductor's uniform. The pockets from the uniform have been left as is. There is no padding.
1850 x 970mm
The padding is heavy chaff bags hand sewn to fit a 3/4 or single bed. The top is fawn cotton with a 100mm border of brown twill cotton. The backing is brown twill cotton the same as the border on the top.
2100 x 1400mm (approx)
Wholecloth quilt of floral cretonne with ballerina design. Top and backing are the same material. The padding is old blankets. It is machine stitched. 1430 x 1170mm
Crazy patchwork quilt in silks and velvets. Some patches with embroidered flowers, including wattle, worked in chenille thread. Machine quilting. There is a border of velvet. The backing is silk and has an envelope opening edged with silk cord. There is no padding. There is a matching nightgown sachet.
Child's coverlet, made from old blankets and clothing pieces with a curtain and blanket back.
1500 x 1100mm
The Pioneer Women's Hut
The top is a wholecloth, coarse, bluish cotton, furnishing weight material, probably part of a curtain. The backing is half the same material and half is part of a brown travelling rug. The padding is 2 heavy pieces of coarse jute bag roughly sewn together with twine.
1600 x 1360mm
Utilitarian quilt, machine stitched. The outer cover has a top of floral and striped cretonne and a backing of faded pink cotton. This is a cover for another well worn quilt inside with a floral top and cream backing. The padding is a huge assortment of many layers of old woollen clothing secured with pieces of string. 1750 x 1040mm
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
Wholecloth quilt with top and backing of green and pink floral cretonne. The padding is machine pieced patches from old woollen blankets.
1440 x 1070mm
Travelling rug. Wool, cotton and velvet. Handsewn, partly filled with wool blanket and hessian. The top of this rug was originally a green crushed velvet overcoat. Various parts of the garment have been unstitched and spread out to form a flat surface.
2100 x 1050mm

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