Quilts

The quilt top is large patches of random machine pieced reused clothing. The material for the red check binding was purchased at Green and Petrich, Haberdashery, Queen street, St. Mary's. The backing is an old sheet and the padding is an old woollen cream blanket.
1400 x 1100mm

Crazy patchwork quilt in silks, brocades, velvets and cottons, each piece outlined in double herringbone stitches worked in yellow silk thread. Some pieces are embroidered in long stitch in silk and feature flowers such as fuchsias, water lilies, daisies. There are also birds, oriental figures, Kate Greenaway figures. There is no padding and the pieces are stitched on to white cotton. The backing is polished black cotton and the layers are fastened with yellow ties. The quilt is finished around the edge with black cord with 2 loops and a black fringed tassel at each corner. 1580 x 1500 mm.

The centre rectangle consists of rosettes of hexagons. It is surrounded by borders of hexagon rosettes and squares with one long strip of diamonds. The colours are predominantly pink and fawn. It is hand stitched. In the 1980s the quilt was mended and a calico backing added.
2000 x 1800mm

Wholecloth utility quilt covered with good quality cotton printed with posies of pink, blue and green flowers and leaves, the top side has darker colours than the reverse. Filling is made from old blanket pieces, cardigans and pullovers stitched to an old blanket. Top and back machine stitched together.
1601 x 991mm

Patchwork quilt in a variation of the 'Drunkard's Path' pattern, in cream and orange cotton. Cotton backing. Cotton padding. Hand quilted around patches, with a square quilted in the centre of each white square, and a cable pattern quilted in the cream and orange border. The quilt is edged with 'prairie points' (made from folded squares of fabric) in alternate orange and cream. Hand and machine sewn.
2210 x 1905mm

Patchwork quilt constructed of squares of cotton and seersucker fabrics in prints and plains, predominant colours are blues, yellows, pinks, and greens, in bright and pastel shades. Pieces are 12cm square. Backing is of nylon 'Anglaise' but was later removed due to fraying. Lace from a dress was stitched at the pillow end. Machine sewn.
1850 x 1440mm

Patchwork crazy quilt made from pieces of taffeta, brocade, grosgrain fabric and ribbon, silk velvet, and jacquard woven furnishing fabrics, mostly silk, with some cotton. The colours are a mixture of darks, brights, and light patches. Centre patch has crudely painted flowers and leaves. All seams are embroidered with feather stitch in cream cotton thread. Backing is of calico, which is stained. Handsewn.
1423 x 1372mm

Wholecloth quilt of thickly woven white cotton, with an overall raised floral design. The wide border has a diamond pattern and is finised by a deeply scalloped edge. The floral design appears to be a type of raised or trapunto quilting, where the stuffing is placed under the design area only.
2080 x 1820mm

Patchwork quilt made from octagon and square patches in bright and pastel colours in a mixture of prints, in cotton fabrics, including satin cotton, slub cotton, seersucker and mixed dress fabrics. Backing is a printed cotton flannelette blanket. All seams are covered with perfect, even, white crochet cotton embroidery in feather stitch, including along both sides of border pieced of rectangles. Hand and machine sewn.
2185 x 1347mm