Orbost & District Historical Society
Textile - Handmade quilt, Elsa Williams, late1980s
... ...handcrafted quilt...Elsa Williams handcrafted quilt Australiana design spinning and weaving A hand-made woollen quilt, cream background, with images of Australian flowers, plants, birds, and animals embroidered onto the cream background. ...
This quilt or wall hanging is entirely hand-made by noted Orbost district craftsperson, Elsa Williams (nee Elsa Beavis, b 27-5-1924, d 22-6-2007) who lived on a property at Wombat Creek near Orbost in the 1980s. Elsa had her own sheep, spun and dyed the wool, and crafted this quilt. For about 20 years, Elsa was a member of a weaving group started by Gwenda Bland at Lake Tyers. Elsa wove carpets for her own home at Wombat Creek. Gwenda Beavis was given this quilt by Elsa in 2007 and it was often displayed around the district, receiving many comments due to the quality of the workmanship and design. This quilt has been made from hand-spun and hand-dyed wool. The background is Tricot crochet squares, and the coloured decorations of Australian animals and plants have been embroidered onto the tricot squares. This items is significant because it shows excellent creativity and quality of workmanship. It also represents an era in Australia when hand-weaving, spinning, and dying wool became very popular as hand-crafts. A hand-made woollen quilt, cream background, with images of Australian flowers, plants, birds, and animals embroidered onto the cream background. elsa williams, handcrafted quilt, australiana design, spinning and weaving