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A Look At The Westbury Quilt

Hi!

This week I thought I’d share a bit more detail on my new favourite ‘old’ quilt, so let’s take a look at the wonderful colonial Australian Westbury Quilt!

Known as The Westbury Quilt, this stunning hand embroidered and appliqued red and white quilt was made by 6 women from the Hampson family between 1900-03 in Tasmania, Australia.

It is one of the more important colonial quilts in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, and was recently featured in their “A Century of Quilts” exhibition in Canberra.

Although technically more of a coverlet, as it is not quilted, this quilt has 52 stitched blocks – embroidered with proverbs and  sayings, and intertwined with blocks depicting favourite farm animals, complete with pet names!  It’s a joyful quilt, with its bright red fabric, and funny (laugh out loud at times) sayings, and a big happy embroidered floral border.

It is likely that this quilt was intended as a raffle prize at the time, due to the embroidery on the block above, but the quilt was exhibited by Mary Hampson at the Westbury Agricultural Show in 1904 and again at another in 1906.

The image of Queen Victoria is central in this quilt, and she is surrounded with a garland of flowers including the Tudor rose, shamrock and thistle signifying her rule over England, Ireland and Scotland. The British Coat of Arms also appears, as does the British lion.

The blocks show a wonderful assortment of different farm animals, and I think many of these sayings are still relevant today.

(Some of these Westbury Quilt blocks are sideways, and a few are upside down. These lovely stitched flowers run all around the border too.)

Some are sweet – ‘Come birdie come and live with me. We will be happy light and free. You shall be all the world to me.’

And others downright practical (with emu) …

There’s a touch of whimsy –

And some very appealing quirkiness –

Who wouldn’t fall in love with Bobs the kangaroo, or Polly and Kitty the sheep?

And then there’s the funny blocks:

And one of my favourites – (and it’s even underlined for emphasis! 🙂 )

I hope you enjoyed this brief look at a truly wonderful Australian quilt, and you’ll find more early colonial Australian quilts in an article on this recent exhibition, in our August Online Quilt Magazine (out soon).

Enjoy your week, and please let us know below if you enjoyed any of these Westbury Quilt blocks in particular!