This spinning wheel originates from New Zealand; however, it has no distinguishing features relating to its creator such as an inscription, so its exact maker is not known. Gill Stange remembers buying the wheel on Bridge Road in Richmond, approximately 30 years ago. Gill had joined her local Spinners and Weavers Guild after the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983. She was a then resident of Mount Macedon and lost everything in the fires. Moving to Melbourne to get away from the scene of much pain, Gill was also in need of a new hobby to help occupy her mind. That is when spinning and weaving entered her life. The local Spinners and Weavers Guild was a great support network for her and with their recommendation, she purchased her own spinning wheel. Her passion was started, and the wheel was to become a treasured item in Gill’s home. She had several spinning wheels within her possession over the years, however, this wheel was her first and always her favourite. When the time came for Gill to downsize, there was simply no longer room for her spinning wheel. This is when she decided to donate the wheel to the National Wool Museum. Gill remembers one highlight was weaving a tablecloth from a traditional German design. It took her two years to complete, with Gill spinning all the wool herself on this wheel. The tablecloth won the first prize in the Melbourne Show in 1987. Gill also used the wheel to teach programs to school children on how to spin and knit wool. She would take the easily transported little wheel, and its accompanying seat, with her to schools. Its small size enabled her to teach children to knit and spin, bringing others the joy that spinning had brought her. Not just limited to schools, Gill also taught programs with the wheel here at the National Wool Museum. It is a fitting home for the wheel, which Gill donated to the National Wool Museum in 2021.Dark varnished wood in a Castle style spinning wheel. The wheel has 8 small spokes which meet a thick outside rim. The outside rim has four golden disc weights on the bottom edge, to aid in the turning of the wheel. The spinning wheel has four legs of turned wood giving a sculptural form, a design pattern which is continued throughout. The wheel has a single medium sized foot pedal. This pedal is well worn with varnish missing from years of use. The wheel is completed with its accompanying chair. Made of the same dark varnished wood, its legs are also of turned wood, continuing the design pattern and uniting the two objects. The chair is very simple outside of the legs, with a medium size base and a thin backrest ending in a rounded head. The chair’s varnish is also starting to fade from years of use. The chair is small, designed to keep the spinning wheel operator at the appropriate height when spinning on the equally small and compact Castle style spinning wheel. Additional parts were donated with the Spinning Wheel. - 3 x Lazy Kates - Spare Maiden. - 450mm Niddy Noddy - Steel teeth brushspinning wool, spinning wheel, ash wednesday, mount macedon, textile production

This file contains four items pertaining to the Murrumbeena Spinners: 1/A printout of an article from the Caulfield Contact, dated 12/12/1986, noting the various community groups, such as the Spinners, that participated during the Murrumbeena Day – part of the Caulfield Festival. Contains three black-and-white photographs: one of five members of the Spinners – Evelyn Townley, Jan Knight, Dot Picot, Joy Barton and Jill Wylie – engaged in weaving; one of another member – Val Woolard – engaged in weaving; and one of members of the Country Women’s Association – Doreen Chapman, Beattie Burns, Nancy Rose and Margaret Mann – displaying their work. 2/A page identifying the persons featured in the first two photographs on the following page, and specifying the photographs’ context. 3/A page to which are attached three black-and-white photographs. The first is of members of the Spinners – who are identified in the previous item – standing in front of Murrumbeena House. The second is a printed copy of the first. The third is of Murrumbeena House itself, sans the Spinners. 4/A file note written by Anne Kilpatrick recording source of photographs and information, with contact details for Heather Poppenbeek for any future research.murrumbeena spinners, murrumbeena house, community groups, community houses, picot dot, barton joy, wylie jill, woolard val, warren jeanette, poppenbeek heather, dipnall merle, dynan judy, weaving, weavers, caulfield contact, murrumbeena day, caulfield festival, festival and celebrations, townley evelyn, knight jan, dimock liz, farr beryl, country women’s association, chapman doreen, burns beattie, rose nancy, mann margaret, ryan brenda, sherlock pam, tanner lorna, mansell mary, handweavers and spinners guild, millroy, dunbar margaret, kilpatrick anne

The swift winder together with lace pieces was bought in Europe by Nan Warner, who was a retired school teacher and together with her husband Max travelled to Europe and China after they retired. Nan joined a lace making group in the late 1970s who until well into the 1980s and 1990s the group met in each others homes once a month in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne around the Vermont and Ringwood area. The group later became part of the Australian Lace Guild. The donor was also a lacemaker in the group. Hand turned spindle winders and swifts are also used by weavers and spinners.Hand turned wooden wool winder and swift and spindles. It has a wooden base with drawers with a vertical wheel, spindle with winder on an arm with rotating thread holders.spindles, winder, swift, yarn, spinners

A book of 64 pages including patterns, diagrams and information. The cover features different colours of spun wool and the organisation's logo.This book is a collection of favourite handspun patterns and recipes gathered together during the first 10 years of the Albury/Wodonga Hand-weavers and Spinners Guild, 1970 to 1980. Many of the patterns are completely original creations and therefore had never before been published. Other patterns were derived from old commercial patterns, and altered to suit handspun wool or the article being constructed. This book is the culmination of several months of research by a dedicated group of crafts-women within the Guild who have carefully re-checked all the patterns. Some of the garments had been awarded major prizes in the Annual National Woolcraft Festival, which is held mid-year in Albury for many years. The Albury/Wodonga Hand-weavers and Spinners Guild is still in operation in 2026.albury wodonga spinners, albury wodonga community groups, knitting patterns, wool spinners