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Owner:
Pat Forster -
Location:
Perth WA -
Maker:
Pat Forster -
Pattern:
Frame -
Dimensions:
Height: 165cm
Width: 164cm
History
Orange Beauty: Inspired by the Dempster Quilt #1 was made for the 'Memories of Fremantle (Walyalup): Coded with Colonisation' exhibition in Fremantle, by art-quilt group Pathfinders of WA, in 2024. The pattern was calculated from the Dempster Quilt, 1857, held by the York Residency Museum, WA. The museum curator Annie Medley kindly provided a photo that showed the Dempster quilt in its entirety. Two other replica Dempster quilts were also made for the exhibition 'Blue Roses: Inspired by the Dempster quilt #2', and 'Pink Roses: Inspired by the Dempster Quilt #3'.
Description
Mary Emily Marsden arrived in Fremantle in 1859, on the barque Swiftsure. Aged 19, she brought with her a quilt. The label states: “ME Marsden from dear grandmamma 1857, worked by herself”. The 'frame' layout is typical of British patchwork of the 1800s. Mary married Andrew Dempster and the quilt became known as ‘The Dempster quilt’. That quilt is now owned by the York Residency Museum, WA. Orange Beauty (165 x 164cm hxw) replicates the geometric borders of its very large namesake (270cm x 260cm). The fabrics necessarily differ from those in the original quilt, for which the main fabric is cream with printed flower motifs in shades of burgundy.
Acknowledgements
The York Residency Museum curator Annie Medley supplied a photograph of the historic Dempster quilt which was used to calculate the pattern for Orange Beauty. Carol Reiner gifted most of the fabrics for Orange Beauty.
