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. One hundred mill labels sewn onto a single sized cream blanket with blue end panels(On original blanket label) "Marco" Blanket/Wool 70%/Cotton 30%/Guaranteed Free From Fillingwool, blanket, blanket fever, labels, sampler

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. Two blanket labels, framed, on blanket backing Castlemaine Pure Wool/The Laconia Blanket/Guaranteed All Pure Wool And Odorless/Made in Australiawool, blanket, blanket fever, sampler, labels

The story of 90 years of wool classing between father & son begins in 1936, when a young boy by the name of Stanley James Hucker walked through the doors of the Gordon Technical School in Geelong. Born in 1921, Stanley was 15 years of age when he began his 3-year course in Wool Classing. 30 years later, Stanley’s second son Denis completed the same 3-year wool classing course. Beginning in 1966, Denis attended the same Gordon Technical School and walked the same halls as his father before him. Stanley finished his course in 1938. He went back to the family farm in Lake Bolac for a brief period before enrolling in the Second World War. At the completion of the war, Stanley returned home and married before gaining a soldier settler allotment, north of Willaura. This enabled Stan to use his wool classing knowledge. He ran between 1,500 and 2,000 sheep for many years, while his wool classer stencil also allowed him to go out and class at various sheds around the area. He held his stencil from 1938 until he retired at the age of 60 in 1981. On retirement, his second son Denis was working in the district, managing a local property while also leasing land himself. Upon his father’s retirement, Denis had the opportunity to lease his father’s farm, an opportunity he could not refuse. Denis had finished his wool classing course at the Gordon Technical School in 1968, graduating dux of his class. He began working with a local contractor and started classing wool in his team. Denis gained a great deal of experience working as part of this team in big sheds of up to 8 stands servicing between 10 & 20,000 sheep. It was not all smooth sailing for Denis however, and he soon learnt an important lesson. Class wool the way you’re taught, don’t listen to the owner standing over your shoulder. At a clip of Corriedales near Casterton, Denis was pushing too many fleeces into the line of fine wool. This resulted in a notice from the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) “mixing counts too much, submit three clips for inspection”. Denis was able to submit 3 clips with no further complaints, however, this proved a valuable lesson he would never forget over his long career classing wool. In the early 1980s, when Denis was leasing two properties including his father’s, things were going well until drought struck. February 1983 was the date of the Ash Wednesday bushfires, and saw Melbourne have three days over 40 °C for only the second time on record. This period saw Denis give away farming, turning towards contracting work instead. After the difficult times of the early 1980s, the next two decades were a good time for the sheep industry. 15 micron wool was selling for prices between 4 to 5,000 cents per kilo, double what you’d expect for the same wool in 2022. In 1995 a single bale of wool sold for a million dollars. This was a good time for Denis too. His contracting work saw him employing local shearers and shed staff. His team was involved with the shearing and classing of more than 130,000 sheep. After 20 years of contracting, it was time for Denis to transition into the next phase of his life. He gave up independent contracting, preferring instead to return to being a member of someone else’s team. In 2018, having completed 50 years of wool classing, it was time to call it a day and retire completely. At the annual Gordon Wool School Old Students Association dinner held in 2018, Denis was presented with his 50 years as a registered wool classer stencil awarded by the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX). This is a rare honour achieved by few. As of February 2020, a total of 430 wool classers had achieved this 50-year milestone. For Denis however, his proudest achievement is achieving 90 years of wool classing with his father. The National Wool Museum is proud to share the collection of objects gained from 90 years in the wool classing industry by Stanley and Denis. This ranges from Stanley’s first stencil and Wool Sample book, started when he first attended the Gordon in 1936. The collection concludes 90 years later with Denis’ 50 years of wool classing Stencil. The collection contains many more objects, all telling the story of these 90 years, and the hard work invested by this dedicated father and son duo.Large black bound book with ribbon for fastening containing 12 double-sided blue pages. Pages have several samples of shorn wool mounted and annotated to include information such as specific breeding, shearing faults, and geographical area. The book concludes with four pages without wool samples. Two of these pages relate to plans for a shearing shed and other industry related structures. The final two-pages relate to the anatomy of a sheep. Wool sample books were constructed by Wool Classing students at the Gordon Technical School as examples of what to look for when classing wool. The students were tasked with constructing these books with samples they retrieved themselves from several different farms and animals. The book would serve as a reference point for the wool classers throughout their years in the field, it was always on hand to refresh knowledge. This book was constructed by Stanley Hucker over his schooling at the Gordon between 1936 and 1938Front Cover. Handwritten, White Ink "Stanley Hucker / Samples"90 years wool classing between father & son, wool classing, gordon technical school

Ghost Blanket IV won the 'Award for Excellence' at Ozquilt Network's biennial juried exhibition Art Quilt Australia for 2021. The quilt presented with the Award for Excellence is acquired into the National Wool Museum's Collection dating back to 2000 with the art quilt "Earth Blanket". Artist statement: In "Ghost Blanket IV", woven checked blankets are deconstructed and reimagined to create an appliquéd work with the feel of lace. It celebrates the natural colours of alpaca fleece and the qualities of felted, woven fabric.Woven black white and grey checked design appliqued onto silk organza.ozquilt, quilt, art quilt, wool

Ford and McFarlane shearing handpiece c.1890. This shearing handpiece is from ‘Wellington Lodge” in Tailem Bend, South Australia. Wellington Lodge today is an Angus beef farm; however, the property has a long history which includes wool farming. Wellington Lodge has been in the McFarlane family since the 1840’s and was originally around 19000 acres. The donor, Brian Licence, assembled this handpiece out of spare parts he found while classing wool on the property in the 1960s. Brian showed the finished handpiece to the owners once his classing work was completed and was told he could keep the handpiece as a souvenir. Brian also classed wool at “Jockwar” and “Pleasant Park” in Penola for members of the McFarlane family during the 1960s. The handpiece is named after Ford, the name of the engineer who designed the handpiece and McFarlane, the owners of Wellington Lodge Station and employers of Ford. This handpiece was developed as a prototype for use on the property. The handpiece which is made of solid brass is in a “used condition” and has been patched with solder. The handpiece is stamped with the number 10. Internally, the handpiece is powered from a drive mechanism of compressed air, this compressed air was typically produced by burning mutton fat. The handpiece comes from the pre-electrical– steam engine era of shearing. Brass metal shearing handpiece. A three-pronged fitting to hold both the comb and the blade protrudes from one end. A cylindrical stem extends vertically from the other. This is likely where a connecting rod to the shearing plant would be found. Below this vertical stem, the handpiece has an additional threaded hose fitting. This is likely where compressed air was delivered into the handpiece. The inscriptions can be found on the rear, near the previously mentioned vertical stem. Around this stem is also where the repairs of solder can be found. These repairs are unique to this handpiece and are not common practise.Etched. Base of handle. “FORD & McFARLANE . SHEEP SHEARER . Etched. Base of handle. “10”sheep shearing, shearing equipment, ford & mcfarlane, wellington lodge, tailem bend, south australia, shearing handpiece, shearing

The National Wool Museum accepted a donation from Brian Licence in 2022 of several mementoes relating to his career in the wool industry. Brian studied Wool Classing and worked for a decade in this profession before moving to Melbourne which required him to change careers. This Wool Classers’ Handbook was given to Brian in 1966 as part of his membership to the Woolclassers’ Association of Australia. Brian was a member of the Woolclassers’ Association from 1962-72. The Woolclassers' Association of Australia was a trade union representing Woolclassers. It amalgamated with the Australian Workers Union in 2009. The Association had 1200 members in 1997. The Australian Woolclassers' Handbook 1966-1967 begins with an orange cover. It has “The Australian Woolclassers’ Handbook” written at the top centre of the cover in green text. Internally, the book is typed and contains information which is of use for Woolclassers and their rights and responsibilities within the association. A selection of pages have been scanned to give an impression of the information within the booklet. The book is a 44-pages long.Printed, green text. Top of cover. “THE / AUSTRALIAN / WOOLCLASSERS’ / HANDBOOK. “ Printed, black text. Bottom right corner of cover “1966-1967” Printed, green text. Bottom left corner of cover. “WOOLCLASSERS / ASSOCIATION / AUSTRALIA” Printed, green ink. Bottom right corner of cover. Picture of Ram’s headwool classing, brian licence, woolclassers’ association of australia

The National Wool Museum accepted a donation from Brian Licence in 2022 of several mementoes relating to his career in the wool industry. Brian studied Wool Classing and worked for a decade in this profession before moving to Melbourne which required him to change careers. These Member’s Tickets served as proof of Brian’s membership to the Woolclassers’ Association of Australia from 1962 to 1972. The Woolclassers' Association of Australia was a trade union representing Woolclassers in Australia. It amalgamated with the Australian Workers Union in 2009. The Association had 1200 members in 1997. 11 individual-coloured booklets, 10 original and 1 duplicate. The duplicate is from the year 1965/1966 when Brian Licence transferred from being a probationary member of the Woolclassers’ Association of Australia to a full member and hence received a new ticket which reflected this change. Internally, there is no difference in any of the booklets over the 10 years. Externally, there is only a slight change, with the Woolclassers’ Association of Australia's logo being included from 1965/1966 onwards. The booklets are a single piece of card folded at the middle to make 4 pages. The first page gives the name of the association, the year of issue, and in later years the Association's logo. Internally, the booklet provides the location of the Association, the name, address, and signature of who the booklet certifies, and details about the member’s rank, an Overseer, Expert, Full, or Probationary Member. The date and signature of the Secretary of the Association conclude the internal pages. On the rear page, the Head Offices of the Woolclassers’ Association of Australia branches in NSW, Victoria & Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, and Queensland are provided. Booklet one is on yellow card with black text and is for the years 1962/1963 Booklet two is on aqua card with black text and is for the years 1963/1964 Booklet three is on blue card with black text and is for the years 1964/1965 Booklet four is on orange card with black text and is for the years 1965/1966 Booklet five is on orange card with black text and is for the years 1966/1967 Booklet six is on red card with black text and is for the years 1967/1968 Booklet seven is on white card with green text and is for the years 1968/1969 Booklet eight is on turquoise card with black text and is for the years 1969/1970 Booklet nine is on cream card with black text and is for the years 1970/1971 Booklet ten is on a lavender card with blue text and is for the years 1971/1972 Booklet eleven is on peach card with black text and is for the years 1972/1973 Multiple. See multimediawool classing, brian licence, woolclassers’ association of australia

This book was produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains knitting patterns for womens garments in fair isle knitting.Patons / KNITTING BOOK / NO. 262 / "DUNKELD" - See page 5 / P&B / WOOLS / FAIR ISLES / 1'-handicrafts - history knitting - fair isle, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, handicrafts - history, knitting - fair isle

This book was produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains knitting patterns for mens, womens and childrens garments.Patons / KNITTING BOOK / NO. 285 / "PAULINE" / See page 12 / 6d.handicrafts - history knitting, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, handicrafts - history, knitting

This book was produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains knitting patterns for mens garments.Patons KNITTING BOOK / No. / 399 / No. / 399 / P&B / WOOLS / "TREVOR" - See page 10 / 1'3d.knitting handicrafts - history, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, knitting, handicrafts - history

This book was produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains knitting patterns for womens garments.No. / 400 / Patons / KNITTING BOOK / No. / 400 / "MAGNOLIA" / See page 10 / P&B / WOOLS / 1'6d.knitting handicrafts - history, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, knitting, handicrafts - history

One of a collection of 56 knitting pattern books donated by Mrs Hilma Carruthers. These books had been used by Mrs Carruthers, her mother and her two daughters. Book was produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains knitting patterns for women's and childrens garments.Featuring PATONS NYLETTE CREPE YARN NO. 538 / Patons / KNITTING BOOK / No. 538 / 2'-handicrafts - history knitting, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, handicrafts - history, knitting

This book was produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains knitting patterns for young childrens garments.PATONS / PATONYLE, 3 and 4 Ply . BEEHIVE Fg., 3 and 4 Ply . HIGHLAND SPORTS / BLUEBELL . SWIFTAKNIT . CAIRN . AZALEA . CATKIN . TOTEM . DOUBLE QUICK / No. 545 / Patons / KNITTING BOOK / No. 545 / FROM 2 TO 6 YEARS / 2'-handicrafts - history knitting, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, handicrafts - history, knitting

This book was produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains knitting patterns for adults and young childrens knitted garments.Featuring PATONS NYLETTE CREPE YARN No. 551 / Patons / KNITTING BOOK / No. 551 / 2'-handicrafts - history knitting, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, handicrafts - history, knitting

This book was produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains knitting patterns for adults and young childrens knitted garments.Featuring PATONS 100% TURBO ORLON* No. 552 / Patons / KNITTING BOOK / No. 552 / 2'-handicrafts - history knitting, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, handicrafts - history, knitting

This book was produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains knitting patterns for adults and childrens garments.No. 577 Featuring PATONS RIPPLE DOUBLE KNITTING / Patons / KNITTING BOOK 577 / WITH T.V. DESIGNS / 2'-handicrafts - history knitting, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, handicrafts - history, knitting

This knitting pattern book was produced during 1939-45 by Patons and Baldwins' and contains knitting patterns for mens civilian and service garments. It also includes a number of patterns for convalescent and hospital coverings, including a splint coverKnitting Book (front cover) - Patons and Baldwins' Specialty Knitting Book no. 104, WWII. Knitting Book (back cover) - Patons and Baldwins' Specialty Knitting Book no. 104, WWII.PATONS & BALDWINS' / SPECIALTY / Knitting Book / No. 104 / 6D. / COMFORTS FOR / LAND, SEA, / AIR, AND / HOSPITAL USEknitting world war ii, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, knitting, world war ii

This knitting pattern book was produced during 1939-45 by Patons and Baldwins' and contains knitting patterns for mens civilian and service garments.Knitting book, front cover of "Patons and Baldwins' Specialty Knitting Book no. 111", WWII.PATONS & BALDWINS' / SPECIALTY / Knitting Book / No. 111 / 6D.knitting world war ii, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, knitting, world war ii

Part of the Zakrzewski Collection of spinning wheels donated to the National Wool Museum by Mr Wlodzimierz Zakrzewski. For many years, Mr Zakrzewski collected, researched and repaired spinning wheels from all over the world. This spinning wheel is Australian and is made from Queensland Kauri pine. It dates from c.WWI and was designed by someone inexperienced in spinning wheel design, but who was able to solve the problems encountered in an innovative way. For instance the flyer and bobbin mechanism were made from the sort of bits and pieces that would have been found laying around a workshop. The wheel was acquired from a private home in Glen Iris, from the owner who knew nothing about it.Spinning Wheelhandicrafts - history, spinning wheels, highlights of the national wool museum: the zakrzewski spinning wheel collection - exhibition (28/07/2001 - 02/12/2001), zakrzewski, mr wlodzimierz

Part of the Zakrzewski Collection of spinning wheels donated to the National Wool Museum by Mr Wlodzimierz Zakrzewski. For many years, Mr Zakrzewski collected, researched and repaired spinning wheels from all over the world. This frame spinning wheel is from Innsbruck in Austria and dates from the late 19th - early 20th century. It was purchased from an Austrian collector in Australia.Spinning wheel handicrafts - history, spinning wheels, highlights of the national wool museum: the zakrzewski spinning wheel collection - exhibition (28/07/2001 - 02/12/2001), zakrzewski, mr wlodzimierz

'Back to Birchip' badge, presumably for a reunion held in 1960."Back to Birchip 1960" badge, made by K.G. Luke, Melbourne.BACK TO / 1960 / BIRCHIP K.G. LUKE / MELB.sheep - australian, birchip, victoria

This coat was produced from wool first shorn in c.1928. In 1928 Mr Mal Groves took over the Dutchman Station near Port Augusta in South Australia. Whilst out riding in some rough country he came across a sheep that had been left by the previous owner of the station. As he carried shears with him, he sheared the sheep and left the fleece rolled up and partially covered by rocks and wood, as he had no bag to carry it back with him. He intended to come back for the fleece, but forgot about it until he came across it some forty years later. It was still in good condition (despite having experienced extreme temperatures and rainfall whilst in the open), so he showed it to Elders who arranged to display it at agricultural shows in Adelaide, Melbourne and Geelong. The Gordon Institute of Technology, Geelong, offered to spin the fleece into a fabric and make a coat for Mrs Groves. The fabric was tailored into a coat by Lindsay and McKenzie of Geelong and presented to Mrs Groves in July 1968 by the South Australian manager of Elder Smith Goldsbrough Mort Ltd. It is not know how the coat came to Elders from the Groves family, but Elders displayed the coat under the heading "The Fleece That Would Not Die" before donating it to the National Wool Museum in 1997. A video giving the history of the coat and a text panel used by Elders were also donated at the same time.Coat, brown wool. Long sleeves, knee length with three circular brown buttons and two external pockets. Lined in brown satin, with a blue and red label at the base of the collar.Wording: Solo;Method: Embroidered;Location: Label at base of collar, inside coat Wording: PURE WOOL;Method: Printed;Location: Label on side seam, inside coatfashion wool - characteristics wool processing textile mills textile mills, lindsay and mckenzie elders limited gordon technical college, royal adelaide show - exhibition (31/08/2001 - 08/09/2001), groves, mr mal groves, mrs, dutchman station, south australia, fashion, wool - characteristics, wool processing, textile mills

This book was produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains patterns of knitted garments for women. It was owned by Billie Rech, the aunt of the donor, who was a great knitter.Patons / KNITTING BOOK / No. 258 / "JANINE" / See page 11 / 7dhandicrafts - history knitting, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, handicrafts - history, knitting

This book was produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains patterns of knitted garments for men. It was owned by Billie Rech, the aunt of the donor, who was a great knitter.Patons / KNITTING BOOK / No. 228 / "GORDON" / See page 11 / 6d.handicrafts - history knitting, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, handicrafts - history, knitting

This book was produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains patterns of knitted garments for men. It was owned by Billie Rech, the aunt of the donor, who was a great knitter. It was produced during World War II and contains both service and civilian patterns, including a pattern for an amputation cover for either an arm or leg.Front cover of Patons and Baldwins Specialty Knitting Book no. 132. Contains WWII patterns. Back cover of Patons and Baldwins Specialty Knitting Book no. 132. Contains WWII patterns.PATONS & BALDWINS' / SPECIALTY / Knitting Book / No. 132 / 6 1/2D.handicrafts - history knitting world war ii, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, handicrafts - history, knitting, world war ii

Photograph of the 1983 "Golden Shears" Australian Shearing Championships at Euroa, 1983 (originally contained in the 1983 program).Photograph of the 1983 "Golden Shears" Australian Shearing Championships at Euroa, 1983.Out on the board for the FGA Golden Shears Open / Championship.shearing, euroa shearing association

This book was produced by Patons and Baldwins and contains patterns of knitted garments for women. It was owned by Billie Rech, the aunt of the donor, who was a great knitter.Patons Knitting Book No. 276 / 'GLOUCESTER' - See page 12 / P&B WOOLS / 1'-handicrafts - history knitting, patons and baldwins (australia) ltd, handicrafts - history, knitting