I am in the process of thinking of making a quilt for one of our spare rooms. I was having a look online for quilting and stumbled across a reference to a Wagga Quilt and thought this would be a good one to find out more about, especially as I have lived in Wagga Wagga NSW, and some of my family still do.
A Wagga is a very basic rug made from recycled materials like old curtains and clothing. The term dates back to the 1880s when a couple of bush workers sewed some wheat bags together to keep themselves warm.
Further details:
National Quilt Register
http://www.ozquiltnetwork.org.au/archive/brown_quilt_gallery.htm
Australian Country Threads
Wagga Rugs
I'm the same as you, and know of the link to the Aboriginal meaning "place of many crows". Perhaps making these quilts was very common in Wagga, which lent itself to the quilt name.
ReplyDeleteI have an old Wagga quilt, it's made from old suiting, ticking, and various other materials that in themselves aren't 'pretty' but the whole effect is one of utilitarian beauty. It is layers of fabric sewn together in a hap hazard fashion certainly not for pattern value, very much created to be as thick and warm as possible.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that, it sounds great! I wonder why they were called Wagga quilts rather than say Cootamundra quilts? Do you have a photo on your blog?
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