Quilts

"A rectangular double sided quilt, made from gold sateen fabric on one side and red sateen embossed with a delicate scrolling leaf design on the other. The quilt is machine stitched and hand quilted with a design of stylised scrolling leaf and flower motifs that surround the central initials 'M.S'. The edges are deeply scalloped with quilted heart-shaped motifs in each scallop. The quilt is very thick and heavy, like an eiderdown or an old fashioned doona." [PHM] It is padded.
2550 x 2390mm
Margaret Eisenhauer
This is a double sided almost square quilt. Machine made and quilted. Both sides are green cotton. One side has centre square of pink paisley. The other side has a centre square of dark blue/grey with the same material in triangles in each corner. The padding is believed to be raw wool.
1325 x 1350mm
White cotton quilt of blocks with an embroidered flower in each one. The whole 'garden' is encircled by an appliqued picket fence. There is a cotton backing but no padding.
1840 x 1820mm
Cotton material, pink one side and orange the other. Hand quilting is in a geometric pattern in parallel lines. Padding is raw cotton. 2000 x 1460 mm
"The front face of this quilt consists of panels of multicoloured prints pieced together into squares set between a grid of machine embroidered bands in yellow and maroon on white muslin. The fabrics are cotton and include a few early synthetics; all work is machined. The back is fully lined with yellow cotton flannelette, machined at the edge and 5cm in from the edge. The quilt is a wonderful showcase of the fabrics of the 20's and 30's." [NGA]
The quilt is not padded or quilted. 2370 x 2340mm
"This is a hard quilt to date. Quilting design has been (I would say) pre stamped. Heavily quilted. Some applique stars - I think polished cotton. Seersucker backing, quilting not quilted on back (seersucker). Padding is some kind of cotton perhaps cotton wool that has disintegrated to the corners. This quilt has been well made but a little bit worse for wear now." [Lyn Cross]
1500 x 1200 mm.
Wholecloth quilt with the top a patterned material of red and yellow carnations. The backing is red and there is a wide red border. The quilting pattern is mainly parallel lines. The padding is cotton grown by Maria's family on the island of Rhodes.
2040 x 1670mm
"�..quilt of silk hexagonal patches with a velvet panel as the centrepiece with petit point embroidery. The silk materials are a valuable source of textile history being very variable in weaves and patterns. The patchwork templates are still in situ and are of a ? linen gauze. The whole quilt is backed with mercerised cotton."
[Maggie Myers 21.5.1986]
2650 x 2330mm
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
"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 with centre frame of 4 pointed starwith radiating borders of pieced squares and rectangles. Materials are cottons and some linen and it is constructed using the English hand piecing method. There is no padding and it is backed with cotton sheeting joined by machine so it is a later addition.
1400 x 1050mm
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
Kangaroo skin rug with pelts arranged so that the largest and palest are in the centre and the smaller towards the outside. There are 34 large pelts and 31 half pelts, all rectangular. The backing is maroon felt, scalloped and pinked. 1850 a 1600mm
Helen Sparkman
Suffolk Puff quilt in a wide variety of cotton materials patterned and plain. There is no backing.
11900 x 1350mm
"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
Helen Sparkman
Patchwork quilt made from very large pieces of cotton material on one side, with a 100mm yellow border, and on the other side it is almost entirely blue flannelette.
1660 x 1400mm
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
Patchwork quilt made from tailors' samples, constructed of 144 rectangles each approx. 100 x 160mm. Colours are greys, blues, browns, fawns, plains and patterned. At the top and bottom edges 16 same size rectangles have been folded in half. No filling. Backing is a cream and brown patterned flannelette.
1880 x 1260mm
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
Double sided quilt, machine pieced from large rectangles of used clothing in various materials including wools and suitings. The sides are turned in and machined to make a firm edge. It is machine quilted. The padding is 3 old sheets and a blanket.
1370 x 1040mm

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