Wagga Rug

History

Made in 1937 by Ivy Campbell (born Castle, 1901-1957) in the Lockyer Valley, Queensland and owned by her daughter, Joyce Lacey. Called the 'wagga' or the 'wagga rug'. Joyce Lacey remembers sleeping under the quilt [which] was uncomfortable due to the weight of it. The quilt has been used for moving furniture and sent to Scout camp with Joyce's son Graham when he was younger. "My mother Ivy's mother was a very good seamstress however she would not allow my mother to use the sewing machine (afraid the girls would damage the machine). As a result when my mother married and produced four children in four years she had to teach herself to sew in a hurry! She did household mending, embroidery, doilies & the like. My mother used flour bags for our clothing. The printing was bleached out of them and our underclothes were made out of the calico fabric."
[Joyce Lacey 1998]

Description

Wholecloth utility quilt, the top made of good quality cotton printed with posies of pink, blue and green flowers and leaves, the backing of plain cream cretonne, with a flap of plain cretonne, coming over the top side. Filling is made from blanket and jumper pieces stitched to a blanket base. Cretonne has signs of wear and the cream backing has some staining. Top and backing are machine sewn.
1840 x 1220mm