Displayed in History House.Cotton patch worked knitted quilt. Composed of shell-shaped pieces sewn together. Bordered by pattern of straight alternating rows of knit and eyelet patterning, with edging in a triangular pattern.

The knitter was Vera Neale,1901 - 1990. Married with three children, Vera knitted with one and two ply wool using piano wire or bicycle spokes as needles, entering the garments in agricultural shows. This is one of two quilts used on bunk beds.Quilt knitted by Vera Neale in the 1950s.crochet handicrafts, neale, mrs vera, crochet, handicrafts

A selection of 2 of 5 coloured photos of exhibition displays of patchwork quilts, cushions, knitted bears.Rhyll Craft Group Bicentennial Exhibition. 12-13th March, 1988rhyll craft group, rhyll, bicentennial celebrations 1988, crafts

Part of the Running Stitch collection. Given to "Running Stitch" c1995 by the Korrumburra Art GalleryLarge wagga made from fabric pieces which have been hand stitched together and lined with jute wheat bags. Fabric pieces are roughly rectangular and of various sizes. They are made from cut-down cotton knit garments (green and pink), a pink cotton fabric with floral print and various woollen garment pieces and their linings. Pieces are roughly over stitched together with various woollen threads. Back of the wagga is similarly constructed but with cotton and silk fabrics, both printed and plain.handicrafts quilting quilting - history, running stitch collection, running stitch group, handicrafts, quilting, quilting - history

Part of the Running Stitch collection, possibly made in BallaratDomestic wagga, unfilled, consisting of two machine sewn layers of woollen garment pieces both knitted and woven. The front pieces are predominantly red, blue and yellow, the back is mostly brown red and blue.WAGGA/ Maker unknown 154cm long X 90cm wide/ Made of parts of wool garments, knitted and woven.....handicrafts quilting quilting - history, running stitch collection, running stitch group, handicrafts, quilting, quilting - history

This quilt was created by Ms Shirley Critchley, c.1960. it was made in a wagga style from unpicked knitted jumpers that Shirley would repurpose. Some of these jumpers were from her daughters out growing their garments, while others were from jumpers Shirley would find at opportunity stores. One of Shirley’s daughters, Jane McGrath, followed in her mother’s footsteps and begun quilting with Shirley’s guidance. One of Jane’s first quilts, the “Tartan Fabric Sample Quilt” is located within the National Wool Museum’s collection (REG 8282). Multicoloured wagga style quilt. The quilt’s top layer is made from unpicked knitted woollen jumpers. These jumpers are in a variety of colours including yellow, blue, green, and red. Some blocks are a single colour, while others have been knitted with a different secondary colour such as grey or white to give noise. The quilt has an unknown insulating fabric. It shares its backing fabric with the material used to bind the edges together. This material is a woollen blanket in a tartan pattern of a blue background with green and red lines. The quilt is sized to suit a single bed. quilts, wagga, upcycle, shirley critchley/jane mcgrath collection, woollen jumpers

This traditional wagga blanket was made by Mrs Eileen Pattle between 1942 and 1950. The wagga was used as everyday bedding, as Eileen and her husband had very few possessions. They boarded with a man who they called “Old Harry” in Footscray. Old Harry had recently lost his wife and looked after the young couple well. They could stay with him and use his house as their own, and all that Old Harry asked for in return was for Eileen to cook him one good meal a day. The blanket was given to Mrs Beverley (Bev) Maguire, the daughter of Eileen, when she and her husband went camping one winter. Her husband was a “mad” fisherman and on one trip on which Bev joined him, her father offered the couple his old tent, that had a wall missing, and the wagga. The wagga was much appreciated as when the couple woke in the countryside, it was freezing, and they could see snow through the missing tent wall. From then on, the tent and the wagga were theirs. The wagga saw many more camping trips until the arrival of Bev’s “lovely new lightweight and down filled sleeping bag”. The wagga was made with a “make do, waste not, want not” attitude. The wagga started as an army issued blanket. The front layer has clothing and panels of mismatched material which has been added to over time. This includes an overcoat, two knitted garments, a panel from a skirt, and a panel from Old Harry’s Trousers. It also includes a man’s sleeveless knitted vest, and a knitted pram blanket. This is all stitched together with string, and the odd button. Bev said she would love to unpick the quilt to see what else is hiding inside but has resisted the urge to do so. All these layers have made the blanket incredibly warm, and heavy. The wagga has been within Bev’s family since creation and comes into the National Wool Museum Collection after serving the family well. It was used to keep everyone warm when not camping over many a winter’s night. Beverley is now getting on in years and donated the Wagga to the National Wool Museum in 2021. Her family referred to the wagga as a “collection of rags”, indicating to her that they did not wish to inherit the blanket. The wagga started as an army issue blanket. It has been made by stitching the khaki army blanket onto a hessian rear. The front layer has clothing and panels of mismatched material. This includes an overcoat, two knitted garments, a panel from a skirt, and a panel from Old Harry’s Trousers. It also includes a man’s sleeveless knitted vest, and a knitted pram blanket. This is all stitched together with string, and the odd button. It is thought that other materials are hiding within the layers of this wagga, however, uncovering these layers would involve unpicking the quilt. The wagga is 1360 x 1880mm, sized to suit a double bed. It is a heavy blanket, originating from all its panels of mismatched reused clothing. The wagga is well worn but has lasted almost 80 years. It has holes that have been lovingly re-stitched.wagga, quilt, upcycle

The creator was Vera Neale,1901 - 1990. Married with three children, Vera knitted with one and two ply wool, often using piano wire or bicycle spokes as needles, entering the garments in agricultural shows.Quilt crocheted by Vera Neale in the 1950s.crochet handicrafts, neale, mrs vera, crochet, handicrafts

History of quilt unknown.Quilt, covered in a brown and floral patterned cotton fabric, machine and hand stitched with black knitted insert.quilting history, running stitch group, running stitch collection, quilting - history

Gwenyth Fletcher (nee Thompson) was born in 1922 in Burwood. At six months of age her family moved to Blackheath where she lived until her marriage to John Fletcher. When Gwenyth was four years old, her grandfather was the mayor of Blackheath and as such, he had to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Kent to the town. Gwenyth presented the future King George VI and his wife Elizabeth with a posy of flowers as part of the welcoming ceremony. John and Gwenyth were married in 1951 and in 1952 they moved to Canowindra. John was working for the Presbyterian Church and they needed an assistant sheep worker at Ernabella (now Pukatja), a remote First Nations community, in the far North West of South Australia and he had worked there prior to his marriage. The work involved sheep, vehicles and general handy man work, and trips to Finke (railway 200 miles east). After marriage John was again asked to work at Ernabella. He and Gwenyth left for Ernabella in 1953 and returned in November. They then bought a property in Canowindra and the family stayed for four years before returning to Ernabella. Two children were born whilst they were in Canowindra. The family stayed for eight years at Ernabella from 1958 to April 1966. During the time at Ernabella and Fregon, three more children were born. In May 1966, the family returned to the farm in Canowindra. John and Gwenyth retired from the farm in 1985 and moved to South Canowindra. The Wagga was probably made during the time at Ernabella from children's knits and other leftovers. John had to camp out from the home a lot in order to muster sheep and the desert nights are cold. There is evidence (ties) that Gwenyth made the wagga into a swag-like product that John could easily carry. There were few resources available to her in the remote region, so she used what she had. Gwenyth was known for her reuse of everything – she never threw anything out. Everything was repurposed or recycled. Gwenyth Fletcher was my mother-in-law. Because I was interested in quilts/quilting and patchwork she gave me the blanket instead of throwing it out. She gave it to me during the 1990s. - Donor, November 2025Wagga blanket with base made from two different beige/light khaki blankets. One of the blankets is lightly striped. The top is made up of random, non-geometrical pieces of cardigans and jumpers and other blankets that are machine stitched to the bottom blankets. The cardigans are different colours - light blue, red, navy, yellow and light yellow and are knitted with different patterns. The top blanket pieces are different greys. The cardigan pieces include a pocket, button holes and one of the blanket patches has some of a blanket stitched border. The top also has some green striped material patches. The whole blanket/quilt is bordered by a wide brown patterned material. Some of this material is also used as smaller patches on holes in the cardigans. There are also some hand stitched repairs.wagga, remote community, gwenyth fletcher, king george vi, canowindra, ernabella, pukatja, swag, blanket, sheep, rural life

Donors note: Commenced by Donor's mother 1892 and worked over some years. Marriage, business and World War I saw it laid aside. She died aged 88. In 1980 a friend procured old material and threads and completed the quilt.Crazy patchwork using a wide variety of materials and colours. Centre panel is deep red velvet with some surface stitches. Red cord edging and cream synthetic knit lining.patchwork, quilts, late 19th century, australia, crazy patchwork