Quilt

Quilt Description:

White linen, commercially produced single bed sheet, that has been subsequently autographed and embroided to make a quilt or coverlet. All embroidery is in two gauges of white cotton embroidery thread. Unless otherwise stated the embroidery is in stemstitch, with a small amount of chainstitch. All the autographs would have originally have been written in pencil before being over-embroidered. The top edge of the quilt has a 6cm deep hem edged with drawn threadwork. Beneath it, in satinstitch, is a decorative scroll of grapes, vine leaves and tendrils. The hem and scroll were part of the original bed sheet. Beneath this is hand stemstiched lettering 'Rylstone Autograph Quilt'. The main body of the quilt is covered with numerous embroidered autographs bordered by a wide variety of embroidered shapes. The shapes include stars, flowers, circles, and five large multi-facetted circular shapes. The central circular shape bears the cypher of King George V and 'FOR OUR DARDANELLES AUSTRALIAN WOUNDED 1915'. Two of the other circles bear the names 'A.C. ROBBINS A.H.FREEMAN' and 'J.D. SANDSTROM' (Robbins and Freeman were Rylstone district Gallipoli casualties). The other two circles bear the names of well known Australian commanding officers killed on Gallipoli, 'Genl Bridges' and 'Cols MacLaurin Braund [and] Onslow Thompson'. The names of 49 soldiers with a Rylstone district connection have been written by the same hand around some of the circles and then embroidered over.

Summary

Autograph 'quilts' were a common method of fund raising in Australia during the First World War, especially in country areas. The idea behind them was that an individual would sign the quilt in pencil and then pay to have the signature embroidered over. In this way funds were raised for the war effort, The Rylstone quilt is unusual in that the signatures and decorative embroidery are in white on a white ground. The majority of quilts were embroidered with red thread on a white ground.

There are over 900 names embroidered on the quilt. They include names of soldiers from the Rylstone district and the signatures of civilians from the Rylstone in New South Wales. As far as can be ascertained , 49 soldiers from the district are listed on the quilt. Work continues to identify the servicemen. All those identified enllisted between August 1914 to July 1915, implying that the quilt was completed by mid-1915.

Source: http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/REL28488/


The quilt is now held by the Australian War Memorial.

Monday, 26 December 2016

Sarah BIRD (nee PAYNE)

Sarah BIRD (Photo: Dan HATTON)

Sarah PAYNE was born about 1874 to John Stanley PAYNE and Emily PAYNE (nee SOMEONE?)

Sarah PAYNE married Richard Edward BIRD in about 1890 and they had eight children.
  1. Richard Edward Bertrude BIRD (1891-1961)
  2. Cecil Albert BIRD (1893-1973)
  3. James Lancelot BIRD (1895-1980)
  4. William Robert BIRD (1896-1965)
  5. Amy Muriel "Muriel" BIRD (1898- )
  6. Eva Maud BIRD (1900-1999)
  7. Isaac Lottery "Jack" BIRD (1902-1994)
  8. David Daniel BIRD (1906-1986)
Seeking any relatives or descendants for further information on this family for inclusion in the Rylstone Autograph Quilt book.

Source: Dan HATTON (rylstonequilt@gmail.com)
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2 comments:

  1. Craig Fairweather telemachusquest@hotmail.com5 September 2020 at 19:22

    Sarah's father John was an 'engineer' probably on trains and died in 1883. Sarah's mother Emily Tattersall arriving as a girl of 6 from England. Sarah's mother marring ex-convict William Easter in 1860 in Guntawang-Mudgee, then John S Payne around 1873. Sarah's brother James Payne was born in Rylstone in 1878. Sarah's older half-sister Emily Rose Fairweather (nee Easter) is also on the quilt. This half-sister's son, Hector Fairweather is also on the quilt.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dan Hatton11 September 2020 at 11:05

    Thanks Craig. Cheers, Dan

    ReplyDelete

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