Showing 1430 items in the category Art with item type Textile
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Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Frances Burke, Tiger Lily, 1951
Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs. -
Whitehorse Historical Society Inc.
Textile - Table Runner
Long white cotton table runner with cotton crochet edging and two lines of drawthread work - one in centre and one around four sidesmanchester, table linen -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Textile - Washstand Cover, Mary Jane Giles (Mrs Harry Giles), Late 19th to Early 20th Century
This washstand cover is one of many 19th century items of furniture, linen and crockery donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village by, Vera and Aurelin Giles. The items are associated with Warrnambool and the Giles Family history. Items donated by the family have come to be known as the “Giles Collection”. Many items in the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage were donated by Vera and Aurelin Giles and mostly came from the home of Vera’s parents-in-law, Henry Giles and his wife Mary Jane (nee Freckleton) who married in 1880 and whose photos are on display in the parlour. Henry was born at Tower Hill in 1858, and was a labourer on the construction of the Warrnambool Breakwater before leaving in 1895 for around seven years to build bridges in NSW. Mary Jane was born in 1860 at Cooramook and she attended Mailor’s Flat State School and where she eventually was to become a student teacher. After which she became a governess at “Injemiara” where her grandfather, Francis Freckleton, had once owned land. Henry and Mary’s family consisted of six, some of the children were born at Mailor’s Flat and later some children at Wangoom. They lived with their parents at Wangoom and Purnim west, and this is where Henry died in 1933 and Mary Jane in 1940. The Giles family collection is of social significance at a local level, because it not only illustrates the level of material support the Warrnambool community gave to Flagstaff Hill during it’s establishment. But the Giles collection also gives us today a snapshot into what domestic life was like in early colonial times prior to Federation.Washstand coverNonewarrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, washstand cover, giles collection, henry giles, tower hill, cooramook, warrnambool breakwater, mailor’s flat, wangoom, 19th century household goods -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Textile - Bedspread, Vera and Aurelia Giles, Late 19th to Early 20th Century
There are many 19th century items of furniture, linen and crockery donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village by Vera and Aurelin Giles. The items are associated with the Giles Family and are known as the “Giles Collection”. These items mostly came from the simple home of Vera’s parents-in-law, Henry Giles and his wife Mary Jane (nee Freckleton), whose photos are in the parlour. They married in 1880. Henry Giles was born at Tower Hill in 1858. He was a labourer on the construction of the Breakwater before leaving in 1895 to build bridges in N.S.W. for about seven years. Mary Jane was born in 1860 at Cooramook. She attended Mailor’s Flat State School where she was also a student teacher before, as family legend has it, she became a governess at “Injemiara” where her grandfather, Francis Freckleton, once owned land. Henry and Mary’s family of six, some of whom were born at Mailor’s Flat and later children at Wangoom, lived with their parents at Wangoom and Purnim west, where Henry died in 1933 and Mary Jane in 1940. The Giles family collection is of social significance at a local level, because it not only illustrates the level of material support the Warrnambool community gave to Flagstaff Hill during it’s establishment. But the Giles collection also gives us today a snapshot into what domestic life was like in early colonial times prior to Federation.Bedspread, white and has been eaten by a dog down one side.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, giles collection, henry giles, tower hill, cooramook, warrnambool breakwater, mailor’s flat, wangoom, 19th century household goods -
Wangaratta Art Gallery
Textile, Kate Just, SAFE Banner, 2014
HOPE & SAFE presents the material results of Kate Just’s two recent public banner projects in the UK and Melbourne responding to violence against women and current media coverage of this issue. Referencing and reviving moments in feminist history in which collective action and craftwork were deployed to enact change, HOPE & SAFE invokes a utopian reimagining of women’s safety and agency within the urban environment. In 2013, Just travelled around the UK with her KNIT HOPE Project. It involved an invitation to individuals and communities to publicly join her in knitting a night-reflective fluorescent yellow banner that spells the word HOPE in silver block letters. Later, various HOPE walks were taken in public at night with it. Bearing the artist’s daughter’s name, the resulting HOPE Banner manifests the artist’s wish for a brighter future for women broadly and for her own child specifically. Materially and conceptually, the banner entwines dualities of male and female, public and private, individual and collective. The uniquely patterned individual pieces refer to the work of many hands, joined together to form a seamless whole. The durability of the builder’s line and the high-vis reflective material, which is worn by construction workers, police and cyclists, imbues the banner with a level of visibility and authority. The singular large scale photograph HOPE Walk (Leeds) extends these complexities, documenting a moment in which police on horseback, donning coordinated yellow and silver jackets, asked if they could join the ‘protest.’ On return from the UK in early 2014, Just undertook the KNIT SAFE Project in Melbourne. It involved the communal crafting of a sister banner, a night reflective black and silver ‘blanket’ that spells SAFE. The more sombre SAFE Banner operates as a shield or soft monument constructed in the shadow of recent high profile violent deaths of women in Melbourne including Jill Meagher, Tracey Connelly and Fiona Warzywoda. The photograph SAFE Walk (Melbourne) captures a small group of banner holders quietly interacting with each other in the warm glow of a street lamp, projecting an almost fictional ideal of collective resistance to the harsh realities of the world. Also presented in the exhibition is the book HOPE SAFE, documenting the projects in their entirety and featuring an in-depth essay by art critic and historian Dr Juliette Peers. Photograph by Simon Strong. Wangaratta Art Gallery Collection. Winner of the Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award 2015.A rectangular banner with a background made up of black yarn square panels that vary in shape and size with different knitted and crocheted designs, with lettering applicated onto the background using reflective nylon thread. A metal pole has been threaded through the top of the banner to enable it to be carried.wangaratta art gallery, wcta, textile, kate just -
Federation University Art Collection
Textile - Artwork, Millicent Reed, 'Wednesday at 10' by Millicent Reed, 2011-2012
Artist's Statement: "Every Wednesday at 10 o'clock in the morning, from the beginning of Winter, 2011 to the end of Autumn, 2012, I photographed the same scene in my Ballarat garden. While the main subject is the weather of the moment, it includes a walnut tree killed in the recent drought, and a deciduous ornamental plum. There are 52 Wednesdays recorded in the tapestry; and 4 frames showing the seasonal changes in the plum tree. The colours bordering each panel are those of deciduous leaves on trees in my garden that week. It is said we only know eternity in the pulse of the moment; and permanence in the cycle of the seasons."Millicent REED Initally training in tapestry from Sara Lindsay at an ATW community class Millicent Reed received a Diploma of Art (Tapestry) from South West TAFE in 2009. Her strength and direction comes from being part of the unbroken continuum of tapestry art from the beginning of recorded time. Similarly, the sameness and difference of time itself has become the focus of all her work. (https://americantapestryalliance.org/exhibitions/tex_ata/down-south-tapestry-in-australia/down-south-exhibitors-biographies/, accesed 03 April 2020)Woven tapestry in eight panels, each with seven images in each panel measured 212.0 x 57.5 cm. weaving, seasons, tapestry, ballarat, weather, millicent reed -
Colac RSL Sub Branch
Textile - Baulch Brothers Welcome Home Banner, Welcome Back Home
Blue Material Banner with Gold LetteringWELCOME BACK HOME TO (check hand written names) OF THE A.I.F. THEY'RE COVERED IN GLORY CAUSE THEY HAD WHAT IT TOOK THROUGH THE QUAGMIRES, THE JUNGLES AND THE RAT HOLES OF TROBRUK -
National Wool Museum
Textile - Skirt, Tina Knitwear, 1980-2000
Part of a selection of garments knitted by ‘Tina Knitwear’. Tina Knitwear was a successful made to order knitwear business in Brighton from the mid-1960s to around 2010, run by Assunta and Franco Liburti. Daughter Melissa Persi writes: Our parents Assunta (Mum) and Franco (Dad) Liburti ran a successful made to order knitwear business in Brighton from the mid-1960s to around 2010. Assunta was affectionately known to her family as Assuntina, therefore the business was named "Tina Knitwear" after her. Assunta and Franco were born in the beautiful seaside town of Terracina in Italy in 1933 and 1930 respectively. As was so common in Italy in the 1950s, Assunta who was in her late teens and early twenties learnt the intricate skills of machine knitting, dressmaking and pattern making. Franco on the other hand, learnt the building trade with his 2 brothers and specialised in bricklaying and tiling. As was so common after the war, Assunta and Franco yearned for a better life so they decided that they would get engaged and then migrate to Australia to be married and raise their family in Australia, a land of much opportunity which they no longer felt their beloved Italy held for them. Assunta migrated to Australia first in 1957 and later Franco joined her in 1958 where they were married. For the first few years, Franco (also known as Frank) worked as bricklayer /tiler on buildings such as the Robert Menzies building at Monash University in Clayton and various buildings in the Melbourne CBD. Assunta on the other hand put her machine knitting skills to use working in factories doing piece machine knitting for various knitwear companies. The hours were long, the conditions were difficult, and travel was onerous without a car. After their 2 older children were born, it was decided that dad would leave the building trade and they would start their own made to order knitwear business. That way they could work from home and raise their family together. Mum taught dad everything he needed to know so he could operate the knitwear machinery. They purchased COPPO knitting machines from Italy and a Linking machine from Germany. Initially they had a knitwear shopfront in Bay Street Brighton where a store assistant would take the orders and client’s measurements and Assunta would then make the garments from a small workshop in their home. Unfortunately, the assistants were not skilled dressmakers and often measurements and orders were incorrectly taken. Assunta being the perfectionist and highly skilled machinist that she was, decided that she needed to oversee the entire process from meeting the client, to taking their order, right thru to the fittings and completion of the garment. It therefore made sense that they should close the shop front and run their business from their own home in Brighton and hence “Tina Knitwear” was born. Together, for more than 40 years they ran their very respected and successful business and were well known in the Bayside area. They specialised in made to order knitwear for both men and women using mainly pure wool (from Patons, Wangaratta Mills, Japan and Italy) but also lurex and estacel. Over those years, many of their clients became their close friends. It wasn't unusual for clients to come to order garments and then end up in the kitchen chatting over a cup of Italian espresso coffee and homemade biscuits. Some of their clients were especially memorable and became lifelong friends. Mrs Connell was a dear friend of mum’s, each year she would buy tickets for the “Gown of the Year” fashion show. She would insist on taking Assunta and her 2 daughters so that we could see the latest fashions. Then there was their dear friend Ms Griffiths. She had been a Matron nurse at the Queen Victoria Hospital when she met my parents in the 1970s. She returned to live in New Zealand in the 1980s but came back to Melbourne every year to stay for 2 weeks with the sole purpose of visiting my parents (she adored them) and order garments. For those 2 solid weeks, mum and dad would only knit for Ms Griffiths and she would go back to New Zealand with at least 5 or 6 new outfits. I actually think she enjoyed mum’s homemade pasta almost as much as her new clothes! Over the years, my parents learnt to speak English very well given that majority of their clients were not Italian speaking. Their oldest child John born in 1960 learnt to speak English with the help of those clients who were such a big part of our childhood. Mum and dad always went above and beyond to ensure their clients were satisfied. Mum was an absolute perfectionist and it showed in her attention to detail and the quality of their beautiful work. You only need to look at the garments that have stood the test of time or speak to their clients to know that this is true. Their clients would always comment on how well their clothes would last and much of their clients came via word of mouth and recommendations. Occasionally there would be disagreements because mum had found an error in dad's knitting (either a wrong stitch or a sizing mistake mainly) and would ask him to redo a piece, he would argue back saying that it was fine, but we always knew who would win the argument and that the piece would get remade! Similarly, we recall discussions where mum would ask dad to find a particular colour of wool in the garage where the stock was kept. He would try to convince her that they were out of stock of that colour and that the client should choose a different colour. She would insist they had it and then after hours of searching, he would return into the house sheepishly holding the wool! Our childhood is full of beautiful memories of mum and dad always being present, clients coming and going, mum humming her favourite songs as she worked often late into the night and sometimes, we even fell asleep to the hum of the machinery. They put their heart and soul into "Tina Knitwear" and took pride in providing only the best quality garments for their clients. In Italian there is a saying “lei ha le mani d’oro” which literally translated means “she has hands of gold”. Franco enjoyed his work but for Assunta, it was more than just work and there is no better way to describe her skills, passion and dedication to her machine knitting… she truly did have “hands of gold”. We will forever be grateful that our parents’ life journey gave us the opportunity to live in a home filled with creativity, dedication and passion, amazing work ethic and mutual respect, lifelong friendships and a lifetime of love. Red ribbed skirt with elastic waistband.knitwear, clothing, italy, migrants, brighton, knitting machine, linking machine, garments, business, family, community -
City of Moorabbin Historical Society (Operating the Box Cottage Museum)
Textile - Sewing Equipment, Cotton reel ' Coates' 400yds, c20thC
An example of the Cotton Reels used by residents of City of Moorabbin and Australia in 20th CAn example of the Cotton Reels used by residents of City of Moorabbin and Australia in 20th CA wooden cotton reel with some white thread remaining from the 400yards when made Around Top of reel J&P COATS MACHINE 10 COTTON / BEST S........ / 400 YDS Base damaged 366 METRES -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Textile - ACCESSORIES COLLECTION: LADIES COIN PURSE, 1900's Edwardian
Textiles. Brown leather coin purse with fold over flap at front with suitcase metal fastener.Inside fold out concertina spaces (four).textiles, domestic, ladies coin purse -
National Wool Museum
Textile - Blanket, Collins Bros Mill Pty Ltd, 1950s
Collector says: "This pair of Physician blankets was found at the Mission op shop in Blackburn South. I remember having such a lovely chat with the solo staff member there as we shared some blanket appreciation, a regular occurence when rehoming a relinquished blanket."Collector's note: "For more than 100 years blankets were made all over Australia in over 100 woollen mills. My aim, is to preserve 100 examples of these wonderful pieces of history. Ten years ago I started collecting the iconic Onkaparinga travel rugs, so that on movie nights at home there would be plenty to go around. Everyone had their favourite; even the cat had his own – a small red tartan one. Keeping an eye out for those travel rugs at op-shops and markets, collectable stores and bazaars, led to noticing vintage blankets. I'd never really thought about them before or paid much attention though of course I had grown up with them at my grandmother's. When I discovered my first Laconia cream blanket with blue stripes, my eyes just went gaga. Well that was it, I was hooked and since then over 500 blankets have passed through my hands. These common, everyday items, found in all households for so many decades, were traditional engagement gifts. Pairs were prized wedding presents turning into family heirlooms. They were fashionable dressers of beds, givers of warmth, bestowers of security and reliability. The comfort found in these objects resonates with almost all of us; we grew up with them ourselves or fondly recall them in a grandparent’s home. There is no modern replacement with the integrity of these old blankets, many of them now older than most of us. They are romantic, sensible, special, familiar, nostalgic and nothing else feels so appropriate in so many situations. No offense to the great Aussie doona, but from hippie to hipster, at a music festival, picnic, campsite or couch, a vintage blanket is something coveted by all. This industry that employed tens of thousands and must have been such a huge contributor to the economy is almost completely lost now. Blanket Fever is an ode to everything that came before: the land, the sheep, the shearers, the hands, the mills, the weavers, the designers, the distributors, the department stores. To the grandparents that gave them, the people that received them, the families that kept them; thank you. I’m passionate about my collection of Australian blankets manufactured in mostly Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania from the 1930s to the end of the 1960s. The collection has blankets from each of these four decades representing the styles and fashions of their time and includes dated advertisements which help determine the eras the blankets are from."Queen sized checked blanket, corn and bluePhysician Blankets/Pure Virgin Lambswool/Mothproofed/Made in Australiawool, blanket, blanket fever, physician, collins bros, geelong -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Valerie Kirk, Creation of the Opal, 1985
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Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Textile - MANTLE VALANCE
Beaded Tapestry mantle valance / Red background with beaded floral design in browns, white & gold .Scalloped bottom.domestic equipment, ornaments, beaded tapestry mantle valance -
Australian Lace Guild - Victorian Branch
Textile - Alencon type lace, Late 19th Century
Fine lace used as a costume trimming. A 19th Century imitation of French Alençon lace. Probably made in Burano Italy.Needle lace edging. Sample -
Australian Lace Guild - Victorian Branch
Textile - Buckinghamshire Point lace, 19th century
Use: Domestic. Household trimmingBobbin lace insertion -
Australian Lace Guild - Victorian Branch
Textile - Tatting lace
Use: Domestic: Household trimmingTatted lace edging -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Textile - PINK SATIN HOT WATER BOTTLE COVER, Early 1900's
Embroidered by hand. Top edged in gathered, coffee coloured lace, 4.5 cm wide. An opening at the base is also edged in the same patterned lace.Four metal press-studs close the shoulders and neck of the cover. Padded and lined with art-silk featuring butterflies and floral designs in dark - grey and white. The initials M.B. are satin stitched on the back, while fine running stitches outline a pattern on the front, emphasising the padded effect.Hand stitched, the initials M.B. give the only indication of ownership.manchester, trimmings, pink satin hot water bottle cover -
Australian Lace Guild - Victorian Branch
Textile - Bedfordshire Maltese Lace, Late 19th or early 20th Century
Use: Domestic. Household trimmingBobbin lace edging. Sample -
Whitehorse Historical Society Inc.
Textile - Beadwork sample
Sample of seed beading.- Sample of decorative beadwork - seed beads - floral & leaf motifNilcraft, sample, floral glass beading -
Clunes Museum
Textile - BONNET
CREAM SILK BONNET, CREAM RIBBON AND SILK LACE INSERTION WITH RIBBON BOWS SILK LINED.local history, costume, infant -
National Wool Museum
Textile - Cloak, Dr Deanne Gilson, Kunawarrar Ngaramili (Black Swan Dancer) Cloak, 2022
Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future). The black swan cloak refers to the black swan of Geelong and Ballarat were the swan has had its own fight to survive during the early colonial years where white swans were introduced by colonisers and the black swan fought back as they do not naturally get along. The wave pattern is taken from a traditional shield pattern held in the Melbourne Museum, South Eastern archive collection of shields. The wave refers to the water and travelling across water to fish, hunt and survive. This cloak is about survival, water, and the swan living on the water. It also refers to a contemporary dance of Kunuwarra the black swan, which was performed by a group Wadawurrung women (including artist Deanne Gilson) for Tanderrum (Melbourne – Naarm) in 2016. The dance is available to watch on youtube.Black swan, heart motif with water design on outer cloak, female figure and red native flower design on lining. Solid black trimming. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, first nations art, wadawurrung dja -
National Wool Museum
Textile - Skirt, Tina Knitwear, 1980-2000
Part of a selection of garments knitted by ‘Tina Knitwear’. Tina Knitwear was a successful made to order knitwear business in Brighton from the mid-1960s to around 2010, run by Assunta and Franco Liburti. Daughter Melissa Persi writes: Our parents Assunta (Mum) and Franco (Dad) Liburti ran a successful made to order knitwear business in Brighton from the mid-1960s to around 2010. Assunta was affectionately known to her family as Assuntina, therefore the business was named "Tina Knitwear" after her. Assunta and Franco were born in the beautiful seaside town of Terracina in Italy in 1933 and 1930 respectively. As was so common in Italy in the 1950s, Assunta who was in her late teens and early twenties learnt the intricate skills of machine knitting, dressmaking and pattern making. Franco on the other hand, learnt the building trade with his 2 brothers and specialised in bricklaying and tiling. As was so common after the war, Assunta and Franco yearned for a better life so they decided that they would get engaged and then migrate to Australia to be married and raise their family in Australia, a land of much opportunity which they no longer felt their beloved Italy held for them. Assunta migrated to Australia first in 1957 and later Franco joined her in 1958 where they were married. For the first few years, Franco (also known as Frank) worked as bricklayer /tiler on buildings such as the Robert Menzies building at Monash University in Clayton and various buildings in the Melbourne CBD. Assunta on the other hand put her machine knitting skills to use working in factories doing piece machine knitting for various knitwear companies. The hours were long, the conditions were difficult, and travel was onerous without a car. After their 2 older children were born, it was decided that dad would leave the building trade and they would start their own made to order knitwear business. That way they could work from home and raise their family together. Mum taught dad everything he needed to know so he could operate the knitwear machinery. They purchased COPPO knitting machines from Italy and a Linking machine from Germany. Initially they had a knitwear shopfront in Bay Street Brighton where a store assistant would take the orders and client’s measurements and Assunta would then make the garments from a small workshop in their home. Unfortunately, the assistants were not skilled dressmakers and often measurements and orders were incorrectly taken. Assunta being the perfectionist and highly skilled machinist that she was, decided that she needed to oversee the entire process from meeting the client, to taking their order, right thru to the fittings and completion of the garment. It therefore made sense that they should close the shop front and run their business from their own home in Brighton and hence “Tina Knitwear” was born. Together, for more than 40 years they ran their very respected and successful business and were well known in the Bayside area. They specialised in made to order knitwear for both men and women using mainly pure wool (from Patons, Wangaratta Mills, Japan and Italy) but also lurex and estacel. Over those years, many of their clients became their close friends. It wasn't unusual for clients to come to order garments and then end up in the kitchen chatting over a cup of Italian espresso coffee and homemade biscuits. Some of their clients were especially memorable and became lifelong friends. Mrs Connell was a dear friend of mum’s, each year she would buy tickets for the “Gown of the Year” fashion show. She would insist on taking Assunta and her 2 daughters so that we could see the latest fashions. Then there was their dear friend Ms Griffiths. She had been a Matron nurse at the Queen Victoria Hospital when she met my parents in the 1970s. She returned to live in New Zealand in the 1980s but came back to Melbourne every year to stay for 2 weeks with the sole purpose of visiting my parents (she adored them) and order garments. For those 2 solid weeks, mum and dad would only knit for Ms Griffiths and she would go back to New Zealand with at least 5 or 6 new outfits. I actually think she enjoyed mum’s homemade pasta almost as much as her new clothes! Over the years, my parents learnt to speak English very well given that majority of their clients were not Italian speaking. Their oldest child John born in 1960 learnt to speak English with the help of those clients who were such a big part of our childhood. Mum and dad always went above and beyond to ensure their clients were satisfied. Mum was an absolute perfectionist and it showed in her attention to detail and the quality of their beautiful work. You only need to look at the garments that have stood the test of time or speak to their clients to know that this is true. Their clients would always comment on how well their clothes would last and much of their clients came via word of mouth and recommendations. Occasionally there would be disagreements because mum had found an error in dad's knitting (either a wrong stitch or a sizing mistake mainly) and would ask him to redo a piece, he would argue back saying that it was fine, but we always knew who would win the argument and that the piece would get remade! Similarly, we recall discussions where mum would ask dad to find a particular colour of wool in the garage where the stock was kept. He would try to convince her that they were out of stock of that colour and that the client should choose a different colour. She would insist they had it and then after hours of searching, he would return into the house sheepishly holding the wool! Our childhood is full of beautiful memories of mum and dad always being present, clients coming and going, mum humming her favourite songs as she worked often late into the night and sometimes, we even fell asleep to the hum of the machinery. They put their heart and soul into "Tina Knitwear" and took pride in providing only the best quality garments for their clients. In Italian there is a saying “lei ha le mani d’oro” which literally translated means “she has hands of gold”. Franco enjoyed his work but for Assunta, it was more than just work and there is no better way to describe her skills, passion and dedication to her machine knitting… she truly did have “hands of gold”. We will forever be grateful that our parents’ life journey gave us the opportunity to live in a home filled with creativity, dedication and passion, amazing work ethic and mutual respect, lifelong friendships and a lifetime of love. Teal knitted skirt shaped with darts and with a back vent. Skirt has a silky lining in slightly darker green with an elastic waistband. knitwear, clothing, italy, migrants, brighton, knitting machine, linking machine, garments, business, family, community -
Kew Historical Society Inc
Textile - Household Textile, Lace Jug Cover, 1930s
Covers were used in the early 20th century to protect milk and sugar from flying insectsSquare net cover edged with alternate blue and white beads. A central bow is surrounded with a circular pattern at the edges. Beads inserted in crotched edgehandicrafts, food protection, jug covers, bowl cover -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Textile - Altar Cloth
This altar cloth represents ecclesiastical linen used in the early to mid-20th century. It is used on the altar in the Chapel of St Nicholas Seamen's Church at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village. The Missions to Seamen organisation The Missions to Seamen is an Anglican (Church of England) charity that has been serving the world's seafarers since 1856. It was inspired by the work of Rev. John Ashley, who, 20 years earlier, had pioneered a ministry to seafarers in the Bristol Channel in Great Britain. When Ashley retired because of ill health, others determined that the work should continue, and they founded the Missions to Seamen. It adopted as its symbol a Flying Angel, inspired by a verse from Revelation 14 in the Bible. Today, there are over 200 ports worldwide where the Missions to Seamen has centres and chaplains. A Missions to Seamen’s Club offers a warm welcome to sailors of all colours, creeds and races. A sailor can watch television, have a drink and a chat, change money or buy goods from the club shop or worship in the Chapel. In Victoria, the Missions to Seamen still has clubs in Melbourne, Portland and Geelong. The altar cloth represents ecclesiastical linen used in the early to mid-20th century, when the original St Nicholas Seamen's Church was opened in Williamstown, Victoria. Altar cloth: simple white linen cloth, long rectangle shape with wide hems.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, religion, religious service, st nicholas seamen’s church flagstaff hill, altar cloth, church linen, ecclesiastical linen -
Mont De Lancey
Textile - Table runner, Unknown
Table runners were used to protect furniture such as tables or sideboards from objects placed on the furniture to stop scratching occurring.A long white cotton embroidered table runner with a floral pattern.table runners, runners, household textiles, table linen -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Textile - Lace Edged Pillowcase
An example of a decorative domestic object from the early 1900s.The item is of significance socially as an example of decorative domestic objects in the early 1900s.Single pillowcase made from soft white cotton with a crochet lace edge. The pillowcase is machine stitched and on the front has three fine pintucks at each end. The lace edging has been handstitched on.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, warrnambool, pillowcase, cotton, crochet lace, domestic object, textile, decorative lace edging -
Whitehorse Historical Society Inc.
Textile - Lace Piece
Long piece of knitted lacehandcrafts, lacemaking -
Whitehorse Historical Society Inc.
Textile - Handkerchief
Cream silk handkerchief with deep border of Maltese lacecostume accessories, female -
Australian Lace Guild - Victorian Branch
Textile - Bedfordshire Maltese Lace, Late 19th Century
Use: Fashion accessory. This cap was worn by the donor's great aunt, trimmed with velvet bowsBobbin lace cap -
Australian Lace Guild - Victorian Branch
Textile - Crochet
Double tiered Jabot with crochet edging