Knitted quilts (blankets)

[knittinganddeath]

I recently found some descriptions of "knitted quilts" (blankets) made for convalescing soldiers. They were patchwork consisting of 6"/15 cm squares and often used yarn scraps and/or bright colours that would have been inappropriate for uniforms.

My question: are there any such surviving quilts? Any photographs of them in use in hospitals or ambulances? So far I've only managed to find pictures of sewn quilts.

Thank you for any help!

 

Source: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92100358

 

Source: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82016014/1918-05-25/ed-1/seq-3/

[FROGSMILE]

This one is alleged to be from 1917-1918.

Quilting by soldiers and sailors goes back at least as far as the American Revolution and was common during the Napoleonic Wars and in the Crimea too.  As an historic art form it has strong association with war and military service.  See also: https://www.quiltaddictsanonymous.com/2015/11/the-eleventh-hour-features-rare-quilts-from-wwi-at-the-national-quilt-museum/

These might interest you too: 

1. https://www.google.com/amp/s/glasgowgallivanter.com/2016/07/14/somme-knitting/amp/

2. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/48030

 

Edited 13 March , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[FROGSMILE]

And here is one apparently from the Red Cross of WW1.

Edited 13 March , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[knittinganddeath]

Thank you @FROGSMILE, those pictures are brilliant!

Those blankets seem so much closer to the people who made them than regulation socks ever do. I think it must be the colours and the arrangement of the squares, which allows for some personality to show.

[FROGSMILE]

11 minutes ago, knittinganddeath said:

Thank you @FROGSMILE, those pictures are brilliant!

Those blankets seem so much closer to the people who made them than regulation socks ever do. I think it must be the colours and the arrangement of the squares, which allows for some personality to show.

Yes there is the opportunity to apply some artistic endeavour and of course that is always more rewarding for the maker.  I’m sure that colour schemes and other imaginative idiosyncrasies that conveyed a message might have been used to add a personal, or regional touch. 

One of the things I like is the sense of collective effort where 10 or 20 people might contribute a square or rectangle and then feel a sense of achievement from making ‘their’ blanket.  The therapeutic value for them would've been palpable at a time of such organised violence elsewhere in their lives.

Edited 13 March , 2022 by FROGSMILE