I made this quilt in memory of my mother Marjory Myers (nee Wilson). My mother was known as Marjie by all who knew her. Her Grandchildren called her Nanna Marj and other young friends called her Auntie Marj. My Mum loved to go Op Shopping (as I do too). She found many treasures for her friends and family and loved to find a bargain. Both my Grandmothers were seamstresses, Mum and her sisters all sewed and a brother was a tailor. Most of my clothes were made by Mum, usually from remnants, sale pieces and sometimes re-made from other items of clothing.
I started sewing, knitting and embroidery at a very young age as we were encouraged to make use of any spare time. In the 1970s I started making quilts from dressmaking scraps and purchased cotton fabric if available. I continued to teach myself machine and hand piecing, and hand quilting. These were busy days as we were running a newsagents and raising three children. Being a newsagent meant I add access to the quiltmaking magazines coming in from America and I found these very inspiring and informative. Mum was interested to see what I was making and started keeping a look out for fabric at op shops. It was a lovely surprise when Mum would pop in with some old pieces she had found on her shopping expeditions.
When I saw this pattern in Quiltmaker Magazine January/February 2000 called Star Chain, I knew it would be the perfect pattern to make in memory of my Mum. I used many fabrics that Mum had found for me including the pink solids and lots of scraps. The quilt is hand pieced and hand quilted.
This is the third quilt in a series I have been working on for a number of years. I have made one for my mother-in-law, called Alice’s Tulips, one for my paternal grandmother, called English Ivy and have recently completed hand piecing a quilt in memory of my maternal grandmother called May’s Star. I wanted to honour these strong women who were all so influential and important to me. Happy Stitching and thank you.
There is no provenance on this crazy style patchwork coverlet, but it was found in Melbourne. The fabrics suggest it was made in the post war era, probably 1950s. This style of quilt making is documented in Margaret Rolfe’s books on the traditions and history of Australian quilt making.
