Women were given the materials and tools to make patch work quilts en route to
their Australian destination so that they could sell them and be able to support
themselves when they landed.

Sadly, only one of these appears to have survived, but it is clear that the British
women brought with them the skills and traditions of quilting.

Quilting was thought to be a ‘suitable’ occupation for a lady, and the quilters
soon began to put their work together at exhibitions, and a market in quilts was
quickly established. The British traditions were retained, and quilting in Australia
continues to respect and reflect the styles and patterns of the mother country.

However, for many years, Australian families were very poor, and generally the
women were responsible for ‘making’ all the bedding, as well as all the clothes
and household fabrics. In the absence of money to buy good cloth, the women
used their initiative. They used old sacks, old grain bags and anything that could
be used to give warmth. With luck, they would be able to find or get something
to make a bed cover more attractive, and the sacks would be used as the
wadding or batting. Old cloth would be cut and stitched either directly onto the
batting, or as a face fabric, and whatever artistic talent the maker had would be
used.

Later on it became commonplace to obtain old sample books from traveling
salesmen. So many quilts were made with suit cloth, as well as old curtains, and
what ever else was available.

Sadly, these days Australian women tend to be too busy to do a great deal of
quilting. And of course, with the much more cheaply available goods, it’s now a
time of buy new and throws away the old. Not like the old days, which epitomized
the make do and mend motto.