Old Textiles at Hokitika

It’s no secret I love to visit museums, especially if they have displays of textiles, or if I’m really lucky, perhaps a quilt draped over a bed for me to admire.  Our recent visit to the Hokitika Museum did not disappoint.  There were rooms from a “settlers house” and there on the bed was a red and white quilt embellished with cross stitch embroidery.  Lovely old lace trimmed pillowcases adorned the bed.  

Quilt on display at Hokitika Museum

I checked at the reception desk to see if they could provide any information on the quilt – and the young lady sent me in search of the Archivist, who was very helpful.  Ushering me into to office, she sat me down, fired up her computer, and found the file on the quilt.  Called the “Ecclesfield Quilt” it is apparent that several people have worked on it over the years, perhaps different family members, as the sewing skills are quite different in various areas of the quilt.  Although the quilt was not labelled, it is presumed to have been completed by Edith Ecclesfield in the late 1880s, who came from a prominent business family.  I was really pleased that the Archivist took the time to answer my query, but then again, she is a quilter too, she told me.

Beautiful embroidered underwear was displayed on a rack  beside the bed – so gorgeous, and I could just imagine a young lady patiently stitching such items for her trousseau in years gone by.

Hand stitched underwear

Hokitika Museum had wonderful displays of the region’s rich heritage, from gold mining, shipping, white baiting, and greenstone, well worth a visit if you are passing by.

You can keep up with our adventures as we travel around the South Island on our Travel Blog on

www.romanyrambler.blogspot.com