Object No.
96/393/1Object Statement
Quilt, 'Goodnight, sleep tight', machine-pieced / hand embroidered, wool, Jocelyn Campbell, Australia, 1990Physical Description
Quilt, 'Goodnight, sleep tight', machine-pieced / hand embroidered, wool, Jocelyn Campbell, Australia, 1990.
Large rectangular patchwork woollen quilt; embroidered and tied with buttons. The field is a simple repeat Four Patch block pattern composed of nine square blocks across and twelve down; each block is composed of four right-angled triangles of cloth. All block seams are embroidered with feather stitching; the corners of the blocks and the intersection of the triangles at the centre of each block are tied with shell and Bakelite buttons (1930-1950)
Around the field are four concentric borders; the inner border embroidered around the right and lower sides with flowers and with the text "Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, Peace in thy breast, would I were sleep and peace so sweet to rest. To sleep perchance to dream, for in that sleep what dreams shall come. Good night. Good night." The second border is pieced from squares and the occasional triangle, embroidered with names eg Anna; James; Tim Ivan 1950; Emily; Jeremy: Alex; the third border is striped or check wool; and the wide outer border of brown wool textured with a woven checked pattern.
The quilt is backed with the same checked brown wool fabric and embroidered with a poem by Dylan Thomas.Marks
Poetry & text, embroidered on the front, around the right and lower sides: "Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, Peace in thy breast, would I were sleep and peace so sweet to rest", "To sleep perchance to dream, for in that sleep what dreams shall come", "Good night Good night".
Text, embroidered on the back: "In my craft or sullen art/ Exercised in the still night/ when only the moon rages/ and the lovers lie abed/ with all their griefs in there arms,/ I labour by singing light/ not for ambition or bread/ or the strut and trade of charms/ on the ivory stages/ But for the common wages/ of their most secret heart", "not for the proud men apart/ From the raging moon write/ on these spinarift pages/ not for the lowering dead/ with their nightingales and psalms/ But for the lovers, their arms/ Round the griefs of the ages,/ who pay no praise or wages/ nor heed my craft or art/Dylan Thomas.".