Quilt No.500RB - Rosemary Brazelis

Rosemary Brazelis
Owner: 
Rosemary Brazelis
Location: 
VIC Melbourne
Maker
Maker: 
Ellen Malkin
Made in
AUSTRALIA VIC
Date: 
1941 - 1970
Description: 
Square log cabin quilt of 16 blocks (4 x 4 rows) constructed mainly from cotton dress materials, flannels and woollens printed and plain. Machine construction (treadle sewing machine) with the pieces sewn on to cream cotton material. Later addition of polyester padding and cotton backing and the quilt tied off in each square with Perle cotton.
1030 x 1030mm
History: 

The quilt was made by Ellen Malkin between 1939 and 1945 at Underbool in the Mallee. It was then owned by Fay Bennett (born Robinson) grand-daughter of the maker and then passed on to Rosemary Lynne Brazelis (born Robinson) great grand-daughter of the maker who completed the quilt by adding a backing, padding and tying it off. It is not used.

Story: 

"Ellen Malkin nee Roe was born on the 1st August 1867 at "Bolindavale" station, Donnybrook, Victoria. She married Fredrick Malkin. They were the first settlers to select land at Underbool, North West Victoria, and grow wheat in 1910-1911.
They cleared the land of mallee scrub and lived in a tent, until they built a 4 roomed, unlined weatherboard house, with a corrugated iron roof, a kitchen and a fly-wired room at the back.
The railway line was just being laid out from Ouyen, but a camel train would bring supplies from Ouyen and carry back salt from the salt lakes (Pink lakes) out from Linga. The local store was in a tent." [Rosemary Brazelis 18.11.1999]
Ellen Malkin used dressmaking scraps, pieces given to her by friends and also materials she received by mail order from The Weekly Times. She enjoyed various crafts including sewing, tatting, knitting, crochet and mending. "She was never idle." [RB]

Ellen Malkin
Ellen Malkin

Related Quilts:

Jillian Towers
Hand pieced patchwork quilt with blue and black checkerboard central frame surrounded by 4 borders of irregular sized rectangles. Mainly dress materials with possibly some furnishing material. It is not quilted or tied. The backing is a large rectangular red check table cloth with 3 borders of irregular shaped pieces down 2 sides and 1 border down 2 sides. There is no padding.
1860 x 1730mm
The Pioneer Women's Hut
Patchwork top with a centre frame of a mauve cross outlined in black within a square bordered with pink. The rest of the top is rectangles and squares in a wide variety of materials. There is no padding. The backing is brown, possibly curtain material.
1910 x 1480mm
Jean Winchester
Patchwork quilt of hexagon patches with a large central group of 14 rows, then groups or 'flowers' of 6 patches placed over the rest of the quilt. The colours are red, black, white and blue, in a mixture of stripes, florals and plains. No padding. Backing is a double bed sheet. Hand sewn.
2591 x 2566mm
June Johnson
Hand sewn cotton cot quilt with pattern of red and white lozenge shaped hexagons measuring approximately 65mm from top to bottom. A centre flower is constructed from 2 circles of 19 hexagons in red and white. This is surrounded by 8 smaller hexagon flowers. Additional single red hexagons are scattered at random on the white background around the rows of flowers. The quilt is not quilted or tied but is attached at all 4 edges. Writing on the back of the quilt (probably added later) reads "Made by Sarah Hodge, Newport, Wales UK for her first child John." There is no padding and the backing is white cotton. 1000 x 1250 mm.
Annette Gero
This quilt consists of many blocks of different colours with etchings and verse from the bible machine appliqued on to a red backing material. It is a kit quilt.
2580 x 24100mm
Barbara Levy
"The quilt is made up of many cotton hexagons of various colours, patterns and designs, finely sewn by hand, making a very attractive bedspread. Each patch is lined with lawn. It is quite a heavy quilt, with its plain border, and backing of home-spun cotton or cesarine. The family always called it a 'cottage design'."
No quilting.
2312 x 1905mm