Historical information

‘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.

Physical description

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.