Historical information

‘Dressage Quilt’ was made by Jan Ross-Manley for the Running Stitch exhibition Wool Quilts Old and New in 1985. The quilt is made from the sashes of winning female participates of Equestrian Sports in Victoria. The central diamond is divided into quarters, one for each woman who won the ribbons. The piece is about dedication, strength, exertion and achievement.

The artist's statement reads: "I have been collecting pennants and sashes for some time now, intending to collate a series of pieces on Australian country life and people. This is a woman's quilt, made entirely from 'horse' sashes won at competition. The central diamond is divided into quarters, one for each lady who won the ribbons. 'Hurdles' are set into the inner borders. The piece is about dedication, strength, exertion and achievement. The all pervading yellow letters cast a tawdriness over the otherwise clean colour scheme."

This quilt was later part of an identically titled exhibition held at the National Wool Museum in 1989.

Physical description

Large quilt consisting of numerous winning horse sashes sewn together to create a patchwork quilt separated into quarters, bordered by a royal blue trim. The centre of the quilt is a diamond shape made from various pink cotton strips and bordered by multi coloured horses heads. The quilt is backed with blue cotton and has a polyester fill.