QUILT INDEX RECORD

31-27-285

Who documented this quilt?

South Africa Quilt History Project; East London Museum

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

South Africa Quilt History Project

South Africa Quilt History Project Number:

HUM1878

Alternate inventory control number:

HIST15535

Source of the information on this quilt:

Mrs. Janet Hasses, museum cataloguer

When was the form filled out?

6/21/2010

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Crazy patchwork

How wide is the quilt?

1905mm

How long is the quilt?

2250mm

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

Predominate colors:

Black; Cream; Gold; Pink; Red; Yellow

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Overall condition:

Fair/worn

Type of inscription:

Date; Place

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Buffelsfontein

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

May 29, 1903

Time period:

1901-1929

Date estimated by an antique dealer, quilt historian or appraiser:

1903

Describe the quilt's layout:

Crazy

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton; Silk; Wool

Fabric types used to make the quilt top:

Velvet

Embellishment techniques:

Embroidery

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Wool

Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:

Crazy patchwork quilt made with irregular pieces mostly silk and embroidered in places. Date patch reads Buffelsfontein May 29 1903. Yellow/green velvet border trimmed with cushion cord. Pink backing and white woolen interlining. Made by Mrs. Emma Sills nee Clarke, grandmother of donor when she was 83. Includes medal ribbon, a sailor's cap band, a Ladysmith Siege commemorative ribbon, cotton lining and a red cross badge. Date Pardi Buffelsfontein. May 29, 1901. Commemorates a skirmish between the Defence Force of Dordrecht and a Boer commando on the farm "Buffelsfontein" in the Molteno district of the Easter Cape. Emma Clarke's father, led the Defence Force of Dordoeart and her fiance Harold Sills was a part of the Force. After the end of the Anglo-Boer war, she married Harold Sills and they settled on the farm "Carlton" also in the Dordoecht area. It must have been shortly after this that she made the quilt.

Quilt top made by:

Clarke, Emma Sills

Where the quilt was made, city:

North East Cape

Where the quilt was made, country:

South Africa

How was this quilt acquired?

Gift

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Robin Ramsay

Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:

The Coelacanth, Vol. 27, No 1. July 1989 by B. Charlton

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public Museum, Library or Institution

Quilt owner's name:

East London Museum

Quilt owner's city:

East London

Quilt owner's province:

Eastern Cape

Quilt owner's country:

South Africa

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Sills

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

East London Museum