Quilts

Utilitarian quilt made for a child's bed. Padding is hand and machine knitted pieces of clothing. Top and backing is wholecloth of the same cotton fabric. Machine quilted in a simple pattern.
1728 x 864mm

Skin rug constructed from 9 wild dog peltsand the 3 light coloured middle pelts are dingo. Backed by blue serge, then pink cotton. Originally had scalloped pink edge. Attached with large herringbone stitches. New backing was put on in 1954. 1360 x 775mm

This patchwork quilt in the Tumbling Block pattern is hand sewn from silks. The quilt has a border of elongated hexagons outlined with black silk fabric, the gaps betweewn each black edged hexagon filled with a triangle. The edge of the patchwork has been tacked on to a white material backing. The papers behind each patch are old docket books from 'The Great Northern Railway'
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1829 x 1220mm

Quilt made of woollen dressmaking scraps, patterned and plain, stitched to an army issue demob blanket, grey with white stripes. Pieces are featherstitched in red and yellow broder cotton. The quilt was edged with red cotton fabric machine zig zagged in place.
1462 x 966mm

Quilt in cottons and linens with the centre frame featuring an eight pointed star surrounded by borders of pieced diamonds, squares, stars and long sashing pieces. The entire quilt has been overstitched in a chevron running stitch 15mm apart. If there is padding it has flattened completely. The backing is heavy twill weave linen.
2020 x 1830mm

Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern constructed from hexagons with sides approx 2cms. Repeats of three concentric circles of hexagons outside a centre yellow hexagon. Each of the first two circles is made from the same fabric and the outer circle is always pale yellow. The 'pathway' is solid green. It is quilted in concentric circles 5mm in on all hexagons. There is a fine padding and the backing is yellow polished cotton. It is known as Great Aunt Elva's quilt.
2480 x 1980mm.

Quilt or rug made of rectangles (12 x 20cm) of kangaroo skins with the fur still on. Some blocks have long fur, some have shorter fur, the colour varying from light belly colours to rusty brown. It is lined and bordered with wool fabric in a red, green and yellow tartan. Handsewn with linen thread. 1410 x 1370mm

"The quilt is made entirely from over 7300 hexagons cut from scrap materials, and is hand stitched throughout using the 'English' method of quilting. Scraps of plain unbleached calico were used for the background with the pattern pieces cut from plain and floral fabrics in shades of blue. The design is medallion style, with a large central diamond surrounded by two concentric diamond borders beyond which are scattered different sized hexagonal rosettes, all made from hexagon patches in the same size. The pattern patches were cut from the offcuts of dresses and dressing gowns made at a friend's factory and from another friend's dress material scraps." [PHM] There is no padding. The backing is 'Actil' unbleached sheeting dyed pale blue and attached with a blind stitch to the quilt top. A central rosette set within a large diamond of hexagons decorates the back and is stitched through to hold the 2 layers together.
2720 x 1880mm

Cot quilt with both sides of faded blue cotton sateen with pale brown moire effect lines. Piped edges. Machine quilted to form two borders around a central rectangular panel, which has a simple but decorative stitched design with six points, at each of which is a small eyelet, finished with cream thread. The padding is feathers.