Miss Grace's Quilt by Sophia Wilbow on display
In conjunction with The New Quilt, the heritage quilt, Miss Grace’s Quilt, by Sophia Wilbow of Pitt Town, Windsor (1829–1924) will be on display.
Sophia Wilbow was well-known for her needlework skills in the Hawkesbury district and reputedly made a quilt for each of her seven daughters who reached adulthood. Three of the quilts are still in existence. Miss Grace's Quilt was is made entirely by hand using a paper template technique with a tumbling block design.
The outer border of patches is made from the off-cuts of nurses uniforms, as two of the Sophia’s daughters were nurses. The other squares were made from material samples from department stores such as Anthony Horden & Sons, as was characteristic in the late 19th century and early 20th century trends, creating quilts with complex patterns.
The quilt was donated to the Friends of the Hawkesbury Art Community and Regional Gallery by a Wilbow descendant Joyce Hedges.
Miss Grace's Quilt (detail)
Another of Sophia’s quilts, held in the National Gallery of Australia collection, was created for her youngest daughter Jane. It has a hexagon pattern containing more than 7,000 pieces with a print based on a design by William Morris. It is believed Sophia worked on the quilt while she sat at the side of her dying husband who suffered a long illness prior to his death in 1896.
Quilting Basics Workshop
To complement the display of Grace's Quilt, QuiltNSW is hosting an English Paper Piecing (EPP) workshop at the Gallery, presented by Sandra Lyons, on Saturday 6 March.
A kit is included in the fee for this two-hour workshop. If you are interested in learning this basic quilt-making skill, book your place now. For full details and to book, visit here.
Gallery hours: Open 6 days a week Monday, Wednesday-Friday 10am-4pm Saturday-Sunday 10am-3pm. Closed on Tuesday and public holidays.
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