Grace James, the creator of the items in the Grace James collection, designed and created costumes over a 19 year period (1969-1988) for her daughter Ceri. The collection of clothing ranges from evening wear to knitted garments. All the items display exemplary dressmaking skills. The designs are of the period and reflect evolving fashions of the time. Some items are copies of published designs whereas others are original creations. The collection was donated in 2006.While most of the items in the Fashion & Design Collection of the Kew Historical Society are commercially designed items of clothing, there are also items made by home dressmakers. Many of these exhibit outstanding design knowledge and technical skills. A large and important group of these items of women's clothing is contained in the Grace James collection of outfits created for the dressmaker's daughter. The items have additional significance due to information about the purpose of the creation and the date when it was constructed.Loosely knitted cream jumper with ribbed bands at the neck, cuffs and waist. The jumper is overlaid with the outline of stitched woollen butterflies. Coloured lines of wool are knitted into the body of the jumper. There is a drawstring at the waist to tighten it if requiredgrace james, women's clothing, australian fashion 1969-1988, dressmakers - surrey hills (vic), knitted jumpers, fashion design

Diana Jones (1939-2009) was President of the Association for the Blind from 1985 until 1992. In her 8 years as President a great deal was accomplished. New centres were opened or extended throughout Victoria and the Metropolitan area, volunteer services expanded and the Vision Resource Centre at Kooyong was built into which 3RPH radio was relocated. A Vision Information hotline, audiology services and the National Centre for Ageing and Sensory Loss were established, the Braille and Talking Book libraries was incorporated into the Association and the Charlie Bradley Cricket Pavilion opened at Kooyong. In 1990 Diana Jones became a member of the first Board of Directors of the newly incorporated Association for the Blind Ltd which ushered in a new era, requiring strict observance of financial and accounting methods in order to ensure continued Government funding. Mrs Jones was highly regarded by clients, volunteers and staff as a capable hard-working leader. Her services to the Association and over many years to the wider community, were recognised in her appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia in the 1993 Queen's Birthday Honours. In this image she stands inside, wearing a knit jumper with bow ties and a patterned blouse with tied neckline.Diana Jones wearing a knit jumper with bows, and patterned blouse with tied necklineGeneral Committee President Diana Jones 1404.5diana jones, association for the blind

Grace James, the creator of the items in the Grace James collection, designed and created costumes over a 19 year period (1969-1988) for her daughter Ceri. The collection of clothing ranges from evening wear to knitted garments. All the items display exemplary dressmaking skills. The designs are of the period and reflect evolving fashions of the time. Some items are copies of published designs whereas others are original creations. The collection was donated in 2006.While most of the items in the Fashion & Design Collection of the Kew Historical Society are commercially designed items of clothing, there are also items made by home dressmakers. Many of these exhibit outstanding design knowledge and technical skills. A large and important group of these items of women's clothing is contained in the Grace James collection of outfits created for the dressmaker's daughter. The items have additional significance due to information about the purpose of the creation and the date when it was constructed.Diagonally striped jumper in bands of varying width in purple, acqua, black wool.grace james, women's clothing, australian fashion 1969-1988, dressmakers - surrey hills (vic), knitted jumpers

Grace James, the creator of the items in the Grace James collection, designed and created costumes over a 19 year period (1969-1988) for her daughter Ceri. The collection of clothing ranges from evening wear to knitted garments. All the items display exemplary dressmaking skills. The designs are of the period and reflect evolving fashions of the time. Some items are copies of published designs whereas others are original creations. The collection was donated in 2006.While most of the items in the Fashion & Design Collection of the Kew Historical Society are commercially designed items of clothing, there are also items made by home dressmakers. Many of these exhibit outstanding design knowledge and technical skills. A large and important group of these items of women's clothing is contained in the Grace James collection of outfits created for the dressmaker's daughter. The items have additional significance due to information about the purpose of the creation and the date when it was constructed.Diagonally striped pink jumper with bands of varying widths in deep pink, acqua, black wool.grace james, women's clothing, australian fashion 1969-1988, dressmakers - surrey hills (vic), knitted jumpers, woollen clothing

Grace James, the creator of the items in the Grace James collection, designed and created costumes over a 19 year period (1969-1988) for her daughter Ceri. The collection of clothing ranges from evening wear to knitted garments. All the items display exemplary dressmaking skills. The designs are of the period and reflect evolving fashions of the time. Some items are copies of published designs whereas others are original creations. The collection was donated in 2006.While most of the items in the Fashion & Design Collection of the Kew Historical Society are commercially designed items of clothing, there are also items made by home dressmakers. Many of these exhibit outstanding design knowledge and technical skills. A large and important group of these items of women's clothing is contained in the Grace James collection of outfits created for the dressmaker's daughter. The items have additional significance due to information about the purpose of the creation and the date when it was constructed.Sleeveless round knecked jumper with bands of metallic thread, cream and beige.grace james, women's clothing, australian fashion 1969-1988, dressmakers - surrey hills (vic), knitted jumpers

Thirty two page colour knitting pattern book. The cover shows a child wearing a knitted jumper featuring a seal. There are nine other inset images of children wearing knitted jumpers.front: [printed] THOROBRED / PLAYTIME / VOLUME 2 / THOROBRED / We've fashioned the pleasure of knitting / PRICE CODE Dthorobred scheepjeswol, fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book

Single page double sided pattern, showing a man wearing a cream knitted jumper on the front.front: [printed] THOROBRED / We've fashioned the pleasure of knitting / 1140 / PRICE CODE A / GRANADAthorobred scheepjeswol, fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book

Worn by WO1 Hans Zan Zwol whilst in the Australian Army.Woollen and nylon knitted jumper with shoulder and elbow wear patches, colour green size 95-105RCotton label located on inside back of the neck. Elegant Knitting Co. 1983. Size 95-105R. NSN 8405-66-093-2703. Washing and care instructions on back of label. Materials description 80% wool, 20% nylon on back of label. Name written on label WO1 Van Zwol.

Sixteen page colour knitting pattern book. The cover shows a man and woman wearing knitted jumpers.front: [printed] THOROBRED / We've fashioned the pleasure of knitting / TWEED / COLLECTION / with REAL TWEED / PRICE CODE Cthorobred scheepjeswol, fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book

Four page knitting pattern booklet. The cover features a colour image of a woman wearing a knitted jumper.front: [printed] THOROBRED / We've fashioned the pleasure of knitting / 1138 / PRICE CODE A / COTTON / SATINthorobred scheepjeswol, fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book

Four page knitting pattern booklet. The cover features a colour image of a woman wearing a knitted jumper.front: [printed] THOROBRED / Kashmir Mohair / 1352 / PRICE CODE Athorobred scheepjeswol, fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book

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. Children’s moss green knitted jumper with a peter pan collar, centre back zip and raglan sleeves.knitwear, clothing, italy, migrants, brighton, knitting machine, linking machine, garments, business, family, community

Sixteen page knitting pattern book featuring a woman wearing a black, grey and white knitted jumper on the cover.front: [printed] SHADES OF / WINTER / 5 FREE FASHION PATTERNS FOR YOU TO KNIT / THOROBRED / scheepjeswolthorobred scheepjeswol, fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book

Twenty four page colour knitting pattern book. The cover features a woman wearing a pink knitted jumper.front: [printed] ANGORA - ALPACA - SILK / Knitting Book No. 3 / THOROBRED / scheepjeswol / Printed in New Zealand - Imprime en Nouvelle Zelande.thorobred scheepjeswol, fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book

Four page knitting pattern booklet. The cover features a colour image of a woman wearing a yellow knitted jumper.front: [printed] THOROBRED / We've fashioned the pleasure of knitting / 1117 / PRICE CODE A / COTTON / SATINthorobred scheepjeswol, fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book

Forty eight page knitting pattern book featuring black and white text and colour images. The colour cover features a man laying in the foreground wearing white pants and a white knitted jumper. The background shows a man holding a woman, while both wear matching knitted jumpers.front: [printed] Patons / "Summer / Ideas" / 775 / PRICE / CODE / K / 1fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book, patons

Wool was supplied locally from Naring. Wool was spun by Ellen Miller. Jumper was knotted by Ellen MillerHand-knitted woollen jumper, jumper, wool, knitted, spun, ellen miller, naring

Single page double sided pattern, showing two women wearing blue and purple knitted jumpers and matching caps.front: [printed] THOROBRED / We've fashioned the pleasure of knitting / 1001 / PRICE CODE A / splashthorobred scheepjeswol, fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book

Four page knitting pattern booklet. The cover features a colour image of a man wearing a green and black knitted jumper.front: [printed] THOROBRED / Kashmir Mohair / 1345 / PRICE CODE Athorobred scheepjeswol, fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book

Four page knitting pattern booklet. The cover features a colour image of a woman wearing a cream and tan knitted jumper.front: [printed] THOROBRED / Kashmir Mohair / 1349 / PRICE CODE Athorobred scheepjeswol, fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book

Four page fold out knitting pattern booklet featuring a colour image on the cover of a woman reclining outdoors in a knitted jumper.front: [printed] Cleckheaton / NATURAL 8 PLY / MERION 8 PLY / Design 0039 / Sizes: 79 - 94 cmknitting, pattern, fashion, knitwear, cleckheaton

Four page fold out knitting pattern booklet featuring a colour image on the cover of two women wearing knitted jumpers and jeans.front: [printed] Cleckheaton / twilight / Design 0106 / Sizes: Jumper 71 - 107 cm / Jacket 76 - 102 cmknitting, pattern, fashion, knitwear, cleckheaton

Twelve page knitting pattern book featuring black and white printed graphics and text. The colour cover shows a man in a knitted jumper.front: [printed] VillaWOOL / 1276 / PRICE / CODE / F / MADE IN AUSTRALIA / 12 PLY / Machinewashknitting, pattern, fashion, knitwear, women, villawool

Single page double sided pattern, showing two women wearing blue and pink knitted jumpers on the front and holding a blue phone.front: [printed] THOROBRED / We've fashioned the pleasure of knitting / 1005 / PRICE CODE A / Splashthorobred scheepjeswol, fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book

This pattern book was produced by the Villawood Textile Company, Sydney and contains a knitting pattern for a mans jumper.Knitting pattern book, 4pp. Cover is printed in colour with a photo of a man wearing a yellow knitted jumper with a cable pattern. Contains a knitting pattern.L186 / Villawool / KNITTED IN / 12 PLY YARNS. SIZES 34 - 46 / 25cknitting handicrafts - history, villawood textile company, knitting, handicrafts - history

Four page fold out knitting pattern booklet featuring a colour image on the cover of a woman and a girl wearing knitted jumpers with farm motifs.front: [printed] Cleckheaton / CLECKHEATON 8 PLY / MERINO 8 PLY / Design 0053 / Lady's Jumper Sizes: 71 - 102 cm / Girl's Jumper Sizes: 61 - 68 cmknitting, pattern, fashion, knitwear, cleckheaton

Four page fold out knitting pattern booklet featuring a colour image on the cover of a young boy wearing a knitted jumper featuring a lion.front: [printed] Cleckheaton / CLECKHEATON 8 PLY / MERINO 8 PLY / Design 0057 / Sizes: 56 - 81 cmknitting, pattern, fashion, knitwear, cleckheaton

Four page knitting pattern booklet featuring black and white printed graphics and text. The colour cover shows a woman wearing a knitted jumper.front: [printed] 1083 / PRICE / CODE / G / PURE NEW WOOL / VillaWOOL / 5 PLY / Machinewash / THE GREAT AUSSIE YARNknitting, pattern, fashion, knitwear, women, villawool

Four page knitting pattern booklet featuring black and white printed graphics and text. The colour cover shows a woman wearing a knitted jumper.front: [printed] THOROBRED / scheepjeswol / Victor Herbert / LONDON / D11thorobred scheepjeswol, fashion, design, victor herbert, london, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book

Sixteen page knitting pattern book featuring black and white text and images. The colour cover shows two children wearing knitted jumpers.front: [printed] Patons / KNITTING BOOK / NO. 560 / FROM 18 MONTHS TO 6 YEARS / SIZES 21 TO 26fashion, design, knitwear, home made, wool, pattern book, patons