This patchwork quilt or bedspread is a modern creation along the lines of the traditional 1800s handmade English paper piecing patchwork quilting craft. It is made from reproduction fabric and quilt designs and represents the bed linen typical of a late 19th-century bedroom. Years ago, patchwork was a form of recycling, where leftover or previously used pieces of fabric were used to create other useful item such as quilts, rugs, cushion covers and jackets. Special projects were sometimes made with fabrics representing special memories, such as pieces from baby clothes, wedding gowns, and school uniforms. The maker would use a cardboard template shaped like a hexagon, place it onto the fabric and trace around it. Often the cardboard was cut from a box such as a cereal box. Women would gather to work on their patchwork while enjoying their social time together. As in the case of this quilt, members of the South Western Branch of the Embroiderers Guild in Warrnambool worked on the project, designing and quilting as a group to achieve their aim, of presenting the quilt to the recently opened Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum. It was the first Group Project of the Branch which was formed in 1974. In 1975 the members decided to make a Quilt as a project to promote the formation of friendship and togetherness. Under the foundation Treasurer, Rita Williams, members sourced their own fabrics for the 'flowers' which were then stitched into the calico borders. Provision was made for the quilt to be hung for display, with the addition of loops along one edge. The local disability services employees and members cut out octagonal paper batches and used their own fabrics to piece them together. The Branch's first exhibition raised funds for buying fabric and equipment to assemble the patchwork. The quilt was perfectly suited to dress the bed in the Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage. This carefully created and designed, recently made patchwork bedspread typifies bedding and handcraft of the late 19th century. The English paper patchwork technique was used. The quilt was the first community project of the South Western Branch of the Embroiderers' Guild of Victoria, and presented as an addition to the Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage tat Flagstaff Hill. Patchwork quilt or bedspread, double bed size, made from hundreds of hexagonal-shaped fabric of various colours and patterns, carefully stitched onto a white background. It was made using the English paper patchwork technique. One edge of the quilt has loops dispersed at regular intervals. This would allow the quit to be used as a wall hanging. It was handmade by the South Western Branch of The Embroiders Guild, Victoria, and presented to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village in 1976. An inscription is embroidered in blue on a patch of the quilt. "Made and Presented by The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria (S.W. Branch) 1976"flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, bedspread, patchwork quilt, quilt, embroiderers guild, bedding, bed linen, 1800's handcraft, quilting, south west branch, warrnambool embroiders guild, recycled fabric, 19th century, household textiles, english paper patchwork, paper patchwork technique

A silk patchwork quilt in a hexagons pattern originally owned by the Denbigh family of ‘Wimba’. The Denbigh family is recorded as living at ‘Park Villa’ ‘near Kew’ in 1856. John Denbigh was at this stage the superintendent of the local Baptist school. By 1869 they are listed as residing in Cotham Road. John Sharp Denbigh’s death in 1875 resulted in the sale of Wimba. This is an important early English silk hexagons quilt with outstanding technical workmanship, and is well-provenanced.The quilt is constructed in the popular hexagon pattern of silk off-cuts of an earlier period. Hexagon patchwork quilts were typically constructed of individual hexagons, which were formed using paper or card templates. Where these are visible, it would indicate that writing paper was used to form the templates. The quilt is unlined and has a green silk border, added at a later date. Early 19th Century patchwork quilts tended to use cotton to create the hexagons, whereas silk became the preferred medium mid-century. The quilt has been dated to the middle decades of the 19th century due to the colour range, and the exclusion of black silk hexagons. Most of the silk used in the quilt has a sheen, however there is some use of velvet in one or two larger hexagons. The exposed reverse of the quilt includes a large amount of very fine hand stitching.An unlined quilt was typically used as a summer spread. patchwork quilt, hexagon pattern, denbigh family, wimba, cotham road, kew, john denbigh, helen johnston, quilt, patchwork, textiles, migration to australia