Native Fauna Quilts
Kangaroo skin rug with pelts from both grey and red kangaroos. There are 25 squares each approximately 300 x 370mm. The backing is green flannel and there is an orange braid trim. 1500 x 1840mm.
"Possum skin rug made from rectangular pelts of possum skin, pieced to form an almost square rug. The skins are hand stitched onto a royal blue felt backing with pinked edges. On the reverse, a machine woven brown braid has been applied as a border decoration with loops of braid at each corner and a braid quatrefoil medallion in the centre." [PHM]
1600 x 1585mm
Possum skin rug constructed from 24 rectangular pieces hand stitched to a dark brown felt backing and couched on other side to faded blue silk tape. 19 possum tails similarly attached to felt backing dangle around 3 sides of the rug. All felt edges are scalloped.
1500 x 1200mm
"Fur rug assembled from squares each 25 x 25cm, cut from the central portion of selected, bark tanned Eastern Grey kangaroo skins. The fur top is composed of 27 full squares, 15 half squares and 2 quarter squares machine sewn together. Assembled top is set on the diagonal and is sewn down on to a thick commercially made 'Amanoket Superior' blanket." [Colin Wilkinson 18.5.00]
The blanket is a synthetic/wool blend with a bright colour woven pattern of rectangular shapes.
1200 X 1750MM
Kangaroo skin rug made from 22 pieces of kangaroo pelt, 4 pieces across each end of the rug and 2 larger pieces making up panels in the central portion of the rug. Pelts are hand stitched together. Backing of burgundy felt has been attached by hand stitching. The navy edging around the skins appears to be machine sewn. The felt backinge xtends beyond the fur and makes a border with scalloped edge.
No padding.
1981 x 1309mm
Skin rug made from kangaroo skins, in six squares with a diamond shape in the centre. Four squares are pale tan, the two centre ones are grey-brown, and the diamond shaped skin is red-brown. Skins are hand sewn with a zigzag stitch to the backing of brown woollen fabric. On each long side is a border of the brown wool fabric, with the edges serrated. No padding.
1760 x 1040mm
Pieced skin rug made from 12 kangaroo skins. Skins are hand sewn. Nearly all the fur has worn off. No padding or backing.
1720 x 1450mm
Skin rug made of 20 possum skins, hand sewn. Rug is lined with strong woven cotton. No padding.
1710 x 960mm
Animal skin rug made from skins of the Long-footed Potoroo, the skins trimmed to rectangular shapes then stitched together. Backing and edging is of dark red felt.
1800 x 1500mm
Pieced kangaroo skin rug. The centre is a square on edge (grey) with radiating squares made up of rectangular pieces of different coloured skins. The skins were from the big red, the blue flyer, the black scrubber and the grey. One of a pair. The rug is lined with blue felt with traditional scalloped edge. The edge is double where it extends beyond the fur.
1950 x 1350mm
Pieced kangaroo skin rug. Centre square set on edge with radiating squares of rectangles of different coloured skins. This rug is one of a pair. The skins were from the big red, the blue flyer, the black scrubber and the grey. The backing is red felt with the traditional scalloped edge that extends beyond the fur.
1800 x 1500mm
Pieced kangaroo skin rug. Part skins have been cut into rectangles and stitched in lines. The skins are from 'black scrubbers'. The rug is lined with green felt with the traditional scalloped edge extending beyond the fur.
1200 x 853mm
Pieced kangaroo skin rug. 3 rows of full skins all from 'black scrubber' kangaroos. Skins are evenly matched to form triangular peaks either end into which the next row of skins fits The backing is burgundy felt with taditional scalloped edge.
1800 x 1200mm
Skin rug constructed from 9 wild dog peltsand the 3 light coloured middle pelts are dingo. Backed by blue serge, then pink cotton. Originally had scalloped pink edge. Attached with large herringbone stitches. New backing was put on in 1954.
1360 x 775mm
Quilt or rug made of rectangles (12 x 20cm) of kangaroo skins with the fur still on. Some blocks have long fur, some have shorter fur, the colour varying from light belly colours to rusty brown. It is lined and bordered with wool fabric in a red, green and yellow tartan. Handsewn with linen thread.
1410 x 1370mm
Possum skin rug, the colour of fur a tan, browny-white, made of rectangles of skins stitched in three rows. Backing fabric is dyed heavy cotton or linen, a plum purple on the back but a faded brown colour on the fur side. The backing fabric has been pinked around the edges to create a scalloped border. The skins were handsewn together, then sewn on to the backing fabric. Some stitching holding fur to backing has come undone.
1580 x 1198mm
This rug is made from brown kangaroo skins. 10 whole backs and 4 half backs stitched in a diamond pattern with 4 whole skins in the centre. Machine construction. The backing is red baize with 40mm scalloped edge showing.
1740 x 1270mm
Animal skin rug made from squares of kangaroo skins placed in a diamond pattern, with a row of dark brown fur diamonds along one side. Original backing was red felt; there is some remaining along the egde of the rug. The rug was machine sewn.
1423 x 1169mm
Skin rug believed to be platypus pelts, 28 in all. It has a brown cotton backing.
1300 x 900mm
Kangaroo skin rug with pelts arranged so that the largest and palest are in the centre and the smaller towards the outside. There are 34 large pelts and 31 half pelts, all rectangular. The backing is maroon felt, scalloped and pinked.
1850 a 1600mm