Created for and entered in the 2008 ‘Expressions: The Wool Quilt Prize’- “The quilts connect us to our past and to our future, by interpreting Australian themes and telling our stories.”- Judy Hooworth, Quilter and Judge of the Prize. Donated to the National Wool Museum after the conclusion of the exhibition.Eucalyptus dyed woolen blanket base with salvaged fabrics hand sewn to create a patchwork effect. The eucalyptus dye has been used to create different tones of brown and red throughout the design with further dyeing used to create leaf imprints on the fabrics. A running stitch has been used to quilt the wagga, the stitching is imperfect, in places tied on the surface of the wagga.On reverse: INDIA FLINT RED BLANKET WAGGAexpressions: the wool quilt prize, quilt, india flint, wagga

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

Item is particular to areaTankard Wagga SGT Mess ceramic with handle and Coat of Arms insignia "Torch with a Black Bird either side"Ceramic Mug with RAAF Wagga, insignia "Torch with a Black Bird either side", Sergeants Mess.grey ceramic glazed tankard, raaf wagga

A Wagga quilt is a resourceful, utilitarian Australian quilt, traditionally made from repurposed materials like jute (burlap) sacks, old blankets, and clothing scraps, embodying the spirit of "making do" in the bush for drovers, swagmen, and families. Named likely from Wagga Wagga flour bags, these functional, often rough, creations served as warm bedding, distinct from fancier patchwork, and showcase a unique part of Australian textile heritage. Suiting fabric made into a Wagga (quilt). Lined with cotton.Margaretta Egan, Portland on reverse.patchwork, suiting fabric, waggas

This wagga was made by the donor's paternal grandmother, Irene Isabel Pitt (nee Haase). Irene was born in Natimuk, Victoria in 1894 and grew up on a wheat farm in the Western District of Victoria. Her father owned a bakery in Natimuk, as well as several farms. Irene was a typical country woman versed in all home maker skills including knitting and sewing. After she married, she lived in suburban Melbourne. I recall seeing the waggas on the bed in the spare room. My brother suggested that one of the waggas may have been used under the mattress to help prevent draughts. - donor, 2025Wagga blanket made from suiting fabric samples, with calico cotton backing. Machine pieced, with hand stitched binding.wagga, suiting fabric, irene isabel pitt, natimuk, western district victoria, sewing, blankets

‘By Wagga Design’ is the winner of the Art Quilt Australia 2019 Expressions: Wool Quilt Prize. Barbara Mellor, of St Helens in Tasmania, made this quilt after researching the history of waggas and was fascinated by this early form of recycling. ‘By Wagga Design’ is her contemporary take on the traditional wagga that was born out of hard times and limited resources. Barbara wrote the poem below while thinking of the workers who used waggas while travelling: Black night campfire night sheep in the shadows dreams on the track a comforting wagga stitched with love for a homesick heart. The wagga was made in 2017 and was first submitted into the Bay of Fires Art Prize. In 2018 the wagga was submitted into the Break O’Day Stitchers Quilting and Embroidery Exhibition, where it won the Hanger’s Prize. Barbara sourced the fabrics used from a variety of places. Some are from her personal collection while others were given to her. She purchased a woollen three-piece suit from a local op shop and decided to incorporate it into the design, making some unique and distinctive shapes. Another distinctive feature of the quilt is the patch labelled ‘Parkside’. Barbara noted that it was cut from a blanket she purchased from a garage sale from a property that had once been a caravan park titled ‘Parkside’ in the 1960s. The filling of the wagga contains the rest of the Parkside blanket.Quilt made from various woollen garments and bedding in cool tone colours. Patches mostly cut into square and rectangle shapes. Three patches made from a second-hand woollen suit, showcasing the arm with cuff buttons, pocket flap on a hip pocket containing a pocket square and front of vest with buttons. wagga, art quilt australia, expressions: wool quilt prize

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

Norma Dessent (the donor) was cleaning out her Mother-in-law Amy Dessent’s home, after she passed away in 1995. She came across a collection of gunny sacks for chicken feed, potatoes, and flour. Norma gave the bags to her good friend Beryl Andersen, thinking she might be able to make use of the material in her quilting. Many years later in 2001, Beryl gave Norma this quilt made in a wagga style out of the bags. This was both a great surprise and a great delight for Norma. Amy Dessent was a housewife. Her chickens were her friends, keeping her company as she worked in her renowned garden and while she cooked and maintained a beautiful home. Typically, Amy would have a dozen chickens clucking around at a time. In the style of the time, everything was kept for a possible repurposing later in life, such as these gunny sacks. The Chicken Feed Wagga was created in Ballarat by Mrs Beryl Andersen. Beryl was the inaugural president of the Hamilton Quilters Guild and is a well-known quilter. Perhaps her best-known work was the “Quilt for Hope”, a living memorial for victims of institutional church-related sexual abuse. More information about this quilt can be found on the following link. https://www.nationalquiltregister.org.au/quilts/quilt-of-hope/). The wool blanket used as a backing belonged to Beryl’s mother. Beryl’s mother married in 1930 and the blanket is thought to have been a present from this wedding, making the blanket close to a century old. Norma donated the quilt to the National Wool Museum in 2021 as a result of downsizing. She no longer had room for the quilt to hang on her wall. Before downsizing, the quilt had hung in the entryway to her home for the last two decades.Wagga style quilt made with a appliqué top layer of gunny sacks that once held chicken feed, flour, and potatoes. The insulating internal material is not known. The backing fabric is made from a cream woollen blanket. The edges are bound with a material of a red and white plaid. The gunny sacks are quilted together with a machine stitch of red thread. The sacks contain imagery pertaining to their previous use. Some sacks have an image of a chicken applied with blue, red, or green ink. Other sacks contain imagery of potatoes. While other sacks contain information “Minimum Crude Protein 14%, Minimum Crude Fat 3%, Maximum Crude Fibre 7%”. One of the sacks shows a handwritten price for a bag of chicken feed in a red ink.Numerous. See multimediaquilts, wagga, gunny sacks, upcycle

Wagga Lily flour bag, from the Murrumbidgee Milling Company Limited, Wagga Wagga, NSW. 10 kg bag.Cotton flour bag with green, yellow and red faded text and image. Rectangular with casing sewn at upper edge.agriculture, murrumbidgee milling co ltd, gibbs, ms cynthia

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

This wagga was made during World War Two from disused patterned rayon patches. The wagga is filled with jute bags. The maker of the quilt is unknown. The wagga was a necessity given the austerity of war, it shows the persistence of wagga quilt making right through the 1940s.Quilt/wagga, patterned rayon cover in mixed patches in blues and greens, with jute lining.quilting history, running stitch group, running stitch collection, quilting - history, world war two, wagga, jute

Juanita McLauchlan draws upon her Gamilaraay identity, history, and language to explore family connections, personal belongings, and body adornment. McLauchlan employs both printmaking and fibre-based practices to reflect her spiritual connection to Country and her cultural identity as an Aboriginal woman with English lineage. Her work considers how gathering and sharing ancestral knowledge preserves intergenerational ties, bridging past, present, and future. McLauchlan creates contact prints on blankets, capturing impressions of Wiradjuri Country in Wagga Wagga, NSW, where she currently lives and works. McLauchlan was born on her Grandmother’s Country, Gamilaraay Country, and has lived in many places across Australia before spending the last 20 years with her family in Wagga Wagga. McLauchlan says of this artwork: By compulsion to make and move my hands I combine my mixed crossed cultural heritage, using woollen blankets and possum skin to create necklaces that are soft and beautiful, begging to be worn and handled as a way to recognise and pay homage to those who have come before me. These body adornments/necklaces are the embodiment of the history that I carry on my shoulders, of who I am and finding the comfort of where I fit into this forever changing life. They are like a generational hug of confidence and warmth once they are placed over your head. Stories of my childhood come to mind when making each necklace. Guuma-li / gathering, is a time when my sister and I were staying with my grandmother, and she was called to deal with a snake next door. Even though the snake was longer than she was tall, it was no match for our grandmother. The snake is in the main necklace as an ode to our grandmother and the strengths she has passed to us. The woollen blankets have been contact printed with bush dyes and bound in red thread creating links that form an ethereal shape wrapped and held together with the possum skin.”

This wagga has been made of regular sized, machine sewn patches of mens suiting fabrics. The fabrics would almost certainly have been sourced from a sample book of fabrics for mens suits, owing to their regular size and the fact that many have the same pattern but vary in colour.Wagga, made from samples of mens suiting in machine sewn patchwork.patchwork, wagga, fabrics, mens suits, pattern, necessity

3 black and white photographs. Image No 1: Hubert Maggs in his garden at Gumly, NSW. Image No 2: Horses at Hubert Maggs wheat farm at Peak Hill, NSW. Image No 3: Home of Hubert Maggs at Gumly, NSW. Written on back of photographs: Image No 1- Dad looking very fit in this one. Hubert in his garden at Gumly. Image No 2- Hubert- second eldest son of Joseph Maggs. This photo was taken at the wheat farm and some of these horses were bred from a mare named 'Jess' which Hubert took from Ringwood to Mount Mercer, Victoria, and then to Peak Hill. Image No 3- The house at Gumly from the front.

This wagga style blanket was made by May Shortte, the grandmother of Emily McNeight. The main parts of the wagga came from a sister in law, Dot, who worked at Solomons Department Store (now Market Square Shopping Centre). The grey border pieces came from another sister in law, Gwen, who worked at Godfrey Hirst, these pieces were called 'mill ends'. Pieces of fabric from the mill and the department strore were passed around to everyone in the family. Part of a collection of three blankets donated by Emily McNeight.Blue, orange, green, yellow, purple and grey wagga style blanket made with off cuts of blankets.wool, blankets, wagga, solomons, geelong, may shortte, samples

Booknon-fictionThe Men and the movements of The Australian Bathurst Class Minesweeper HMAS Wagga

Part of the Running Stitch collection. Possibly made in the Ballarat area.Heavy weight domestic waggaWAGGA/ Maker Unknown. 108cm long X 67cm wide/ Floral cotton cover with filler of old garments/ Running Stitch Collection/ c/- Barbara Macey/ ...handicrafts quilting quilting - history, running stitch collection, running stitch group, handicrafts, quilting, quilting - history

The wagga was owned by the great uncle of the donor's husband, George Stephens. Mr Stephens was a mining engineer in the late 1800s to early 1900s in Stawell, Main Lead (near Beaufort), Diamond Creek and Costerfield in Victoria. His last residence was at Bosterfield, where the wagga was used as a bed quilt in the mid 1940s. It may have also been used in the childhood home of Mr Stephens at Stawell. Mr Stephens saved the life of a blacksmith at Diamond Creek Gold Mine circa 1910.A wagga made from men's suits and coats, unpicked and sewn together. Pieces are in blue, brown checked and striped materials. There are remnants of a backing around the edges.wagga, running stitch collection, diamond creek, victoria, stawell, beaufort, costerfield

Made by Adolphina Noll in 1934 in Wilmington, South Australia as a wedding gift for Mr Joe and Mrs Ida (aka 'Ike') Fulwood. Mrs Noll was Ike's maternal grandmother and was 69 when she made the quilt. (It was used on a bed in a plain heavy woven calico cover which was secured with safety pins. The cover is not in existence.) It was given to Lois Densham in Adeleide from Ike, who was a close friend of Lois' sister, Doreen Saunders.Double bed sized quilt cover insert made from several items of clothing: men's frock coat (possibly from the 1900's), another men's coat (date unknown), a woman's coat with a fur trim on the pockets (possibly from the 1930's) and a woman's dress or skirt (circa 1920-30's). The clothing pieces have been arranged in an apparent haphazard way to create a shape with straight edges and corners to fit neatly into a cover onto a bed. Lining materials are apparent on the back of the woman's skirt/dress pieces which may also show that this item of clothing was either taken apart or never finished. Orange cotton lining material is also evident on some pieces of the men's coat.handicrafts, quilting, running stitch group, running stitch collection, highlights of the national wool museum: from waggas to the wool quilt prize - exhibition (22/09/2001 - 02/12/2001), noll, mrs adolphina fulwood, mrs e. g.

Mr Perkins joined the police force in his early twenties and apart from an 18-month posting in Melbourne, spent the rest of his career serving communities in country Victoria. He was a keen fisherman and hunter- his first love was sitting on the banks of the Murray River with a fishing rod in his hand. Family camping trips were spent by the river where everyone slept on stretchers with several army blankets underneath and a wheat bag wagga on top. This wagga is made from two standard sized jute wheat bags split and hand bound along the seams. It is typical of a basic wagga made by shearers, farmers and swagmen. The paint stains on this wagga display signs of later use as a painting drop sheet by descendants who inherited the quilt. Quilt made of two standard size jute wheat bags (a bushel = 150lbs) split and hand bound along seams. It is an example of the basic type of wagga made by shearers, farmers or swagmen. Another use for the wagga was as a 'drop sheet' when doing house painting- possibly explaining the paint stains on the wagga.quilting history, running stitch group, running stitch collection, highlights of the national wool museum: from waggas to the wool quilt prize - exhibition (22/09/2001 - 02/12/2001), perkins, mr percy, 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

Purchased by Ruth Lee around 1993 from an Opportunity Shop in Grovedale. Previously owned by Mrs Wall of Grovedale.Machined cotton and wool wagga, filled with woollen pullovers and other woollens. Purchased for a gold coin donation at an opportunity shop in Grovedale.quilt, wagga, quilting - history

This small woollen suiting wagga was machine stitched, backed with orange cotton and edged with brown navy and white striped braid. It shows how important old and disused suiting fabric was for quilt making during World War Two. Part of the Running Stitch collection.Small woollen suitings wagga. It is machine stitched, backed with orange cotton and edged with brown navy and white striped braid. Two rows of orange braid and purple ric rac are stitched across the wagga.handicrafts quilting quilting - history, running stitch collection, running stitch group, handicrafts, quilting, quilting - history, world war two, wwii