Quilts

Patchwork quilt in silks and cottons, handsewn from very small fabric pieces, has 2 pieced repeat pattern blocks. The quilt centre groups 9 blocks made of squares. Surrounding them are pieced blocks featuring a star. The strips in between all blocks are made from 2 rows of squares with a diamond pattern making a lattice effect. The first border has hexagons with appliqued and embroidered cats. The second border of cream cotton has harnessed horses embroidered and appliqued. Binding is of green cotton. No padding. Backed with red cotton paisley print. Signed and dated: 'Mrs E. Keen, Junction Hotel, Fyansford, 1879'.
2660 x 2330mm
Utility quilt, machine pieced from mainly squares of dress materials in many different patterns. The backing is a wholecloth paisley print. The padding is pieced used clothing and materials including chenille and plush.
1950 x 1270mm
Wagga, made from 2 jute bags split and hand-bound along the seams.
1870 x 1130mm
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
"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
Patchwork quilt made from squares in cotton fabrics, each piece 120mm square. Filling is a cotton blanket (army style), and the backing is a brushed cotton ticking with a wide green stripe and white, yellow and maroon stripes. Patches are decorated with white cotton herringbone stitch.
1750 x 1000mm
Patchwork cot quilt, the top made from patterned and plain hexagons (110mm diam.) mainly in cottons, approx. 99 hexagons in total. Handsewn and stitched to a centre piece of material. Back is made of irregular pieces of cotton fabric, checks, florals, in squares or rectangles. Total of 3 layers in the quilt.
1310 x 1000mm
Ladies samples coverlet. Machine stitching. Multicoloured patching on the back.
1730 x 1220mm
Patchwork quilt made of gathered circles stitched into a square shape. Made of scraps of fabrics from the depression period. The maker called the shapes 'squirkles'. No padding. Quilt is lined.
2100 x 1400mm
Pieced animal skin quilt made from 25 cat skins, in blocks of five across by five down. No filling. The backing is of heavy maroon wool felt which also forms a border around the skins. The majority of skins are in good order, with some bare patches. 2040 x 1160mm
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
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
This rug is made from brown kangaroo skins. 10 whole backs and 4 half backs stitched in a diamond pattern with 4 whole skins in the centre. Machine construction. The backing is red baize with 40mm scalloped edge showing. 1740 x 1270mm
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)
Wholecloth quilt of cream cotton embroidered in lemon thread with names of teachers and students. No filling. Backing is of cream cotton.
1830 x 1250mm
Patchwork quilt made of hexagon patches in a variety of materials, including velvets, corduroy, cotton, underwearmaterial. No padding. The backing is made from scraps in squares and rectangles, including voile, cotton and probably old curtain material.
2134 x 1777mm
Fox skin rug made from the backs of 42 fox skins. The backing is red felt with a stamped scalloped edge extending beyond the skins. 1680 x 1230mm
Helen Sparkman
Wholecloth quilt mainly made from material with a green and yellow leaf pattern on a black background. This material was also used in another quilt. The backing has a large centre panel of checked material with panels either side of the leaf pattern from the top. The owner wrote that the uneven thickness of this quilt may indicate that old garments were used as 'batting' similar to her mother's (Matilda Pitt) quilts.
1520 x 850mm
Helen Sparkman
Patchwork quilt. An old sheet was used as the base for the quilt then garments no longer suitable for wearing were stitched to the sheet. Then pieces of old tablecloths, curtains and dressmaking scraps were used to make the quilt top and back. Hand stitched and quilted with long stitches. It is a heavy quilt.
1600 x 1120mm
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

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