Quilt No.368SB - Shirley Brown

Owner: 
Shirley Brown
Location: 
NSW Far West
Maker
Maker: 
Mary Ellen Doubtfire
Made in
AUSTRALIA NSW
Date: 
1921 - 1940
Description: 
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
History: 

Made about 1939 in Broken Hill (NSW). Made and used by Mary Ellen Doubtfire. Owned by her grand-daughter, Shirley Brown.

Story: 

"My grandmother made this quilt about 59 years ago. My mum tells me Gran used to sit in front of the old wood stove tacking and sewing, they never had much money and used everything she could find. I remember the quilt laying on top of a brass bed. When I received it the papers were still in it. I'm not using the quilt anymore because some of the fabrics are starting to rot and fall apart."
[Shirley Brown]

Related Quilts:

National Trust of Australia (VIC)
Hand stitched silk quilt in mosaic patchwork based on triangles. Pieces include dress materials and some embroidered linings fom men's waist coats. Paper templates. The backing is cotton.
2200 x 2000mm
Shelley Cameron
Cotton scrap quilt with shapes of squares and diamonds and strips. There is no padding and the backing is calico.
2125 x 1440mm
Mare Carter
Friendship Quilt'. All cotton with thick cotton padding. Each of the large panels of patchwork is different and many are signed by the makers who belonged to the Rebecca Lodge in Linwood California. Dates on the squares with signatures are 1933. Wide variety of colours and patterned and plain fabrics. The quilt is now in 2 pieces.
1981 x 1727mm
National Gallery of Australia
" This is an unfinished section/piece of crazy quilting. Ribbons divide the piece horizontally into three sections; between these are bands of pastel fabrics and embroidery in the crazy quilt tradition. The fabrics and threads employed are very luxurious: laces, satin ribbons and silk velvets. The embroidery is very fine, employing a wide variety of stitches and threads. This patchwork piece is padded with cotton wadding and backed with tarlatan." [NGA] 1170 x 1020mm
Jean Winchester
Patchwork quilt in the Log Cabin pattern, made from cotton fabrics in prints and plains in bright colours. There are 185 squares, all sewn on to check gingham. No padding. Backing is of black cotton.
2718 x 2540mm
Kristine Gray
Double sided quilt. One side is frame with borders of wool rectangles mainly offcuts of men's suiting from tailors' shops. The other side is mainly flannelette in stripes and patterns similar to pyjama material. The padding is pieced patches of worn jumpers that were too matted to be unpicked. Machine construction.
1700 x 1490mm