Historical information
The wool for this jacket began on the back of two sheep many kilometres apart. The first fleece for the warp was shorn from a single Merino at Currotha in Moree, NSW. The wool was 21-22 micron and the bloodline is a cross between Bundemar, Rossmore and Eural.
The second sheep that provided wool for the weft was shorn in Beaufort, Victoria. It was a single Corriedale fleece shorn at Niawanda.
The distance between these two towns is approximately 1250kms; a 15-hour car ride between paddocks.
The two fleeces were spun and weaved together by the donor’s mother, Marjorie Allnutt. A level of talent is required to spin Merino fleeces. It is easier to spin cross bred wool, such as Corriedale, because it is less dense and much easier to comb, card and then tease out for a spinning wheel.
The donor Philip Allnutt had a suit tailored out of the completed fabric at Ravensdale J & Son, 37 Swanson Street, Melbourne. The tailor was then a member of the Master Tailors Federation of Victoria. The business closed around 1986.
Adding to the jacket’s story is its relationship to the household board game “Squatter”. Marjorie Allnutt was the sister-in-law of Robert Crofton Lloyd, the inventor of the wool themed boardgame. With more than 500,000 games sold in Australia as of 2007, it is the most successful board game ever produced in the country. The original “Squatter” board game is located within the National Wool Museum’s Collection. Philip Allnutt donated the Jacket to the National Wool Museum Collection in 2021.
Physical description
Cream singled breasted jacket with a narrow overlap and one column of buttons for fastening.
The jacket features notched lapels of a medium width and two buttons of a cream & brown marble.
The jacket has three visible pockets. A jetted pocket with no flap is on the right breast. A further two jetted no flap pockets finish an inch above the hem, on either side of the opening.
Internally, the jacket features a further two pockets and a white silk lining for comfort.
At the cuffs, the jacket utilises another 2 buttons of the same cream & brown marble.
