Quilt No.749VM - Valda Mentjox
Owner:
Valda Mentjox
Location:
NSW Sydney
Maker
Maker:
Keith Hodder
Made in
AUSTRALIA SA
Patterms
Date:
1941 - 1970
Description:
Rug made from 12 large kangaroo skins. There are 4 'reds' ,one in each corner and the rest are 'greys'. The backing is green felt with the traditional scalloped edge extending beyond the fur. There is also black rat tail braid outlining the actual rug on the backing.
1850 x 1520mm
History:
The kangaroos were shot in the late fifties on 'McCoys Well' station east of the Flinders Ranges where kangaroos were in plague proportions. The rug was made by Keith Hodder in the Adelaide Arcade, Adelaide, for Glad and 'Took' Gardner of Meningie, South Australia. It is now owned by their daughter. It is still used.
Story:
Keith Hodder was a well known Adelaide furrier who, along with many others, closed the business sometime in the seventies.
Related Quilts:
Kangaroo skin cloak of seven gores is made from the skins of seven grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus). The skins vary in size and shape, the inner five are roughly triangular. The cloak is edged with a series of loops, through one of these near the collar is a piece of cloth which appears to have tied the cloak together. The skins are sewn together with two sorts of linen or cotton thread. In a small diamond-shaped gusset at the back of the neck there are some stitches of sinew. The skins are sewn together by means of a small hem which was turned back on to the fur, so stitches went through two layers of skin on each gore. There are some small holes in the skins. The skins are very soft and pliable, and greyish in colour; they vary in size and shape.
Longest part: 800mm
Ref: MA Thesis 1973, S.Meagher 'A Reconstruction of the Traditional Life of the Aborigines of the S.W. of Western Australia.
Fox skin rug of exceptionally fine skins with brushes incorporated into the design. It is backed with brown felt with traditional stamped scalloped edge. 1800 x 1500mm
Rug made from 12 large kangaroo skins. There are 4 'reds' ,one in each corner and the rest are 'greys'. The backing is green felt with the traditional scalloped edge extending beyond the fur. There is also black rat tail braid outlining the actual rug on the backing.
1850 x 1520mm
Rug made from skins of black quolls. The skins are dark grey-brown with black areas and each skin has cream spots. The skins are mainly machine stitched together with a few roughly hand sewn. The backing is maroon felt and this extends beyond the top with a scalloped edging. There is yellow ric-rac braid hand sewn on the back seam.
1300 x 885mm
Rabbit Skin Cloak. Rectangular pieces stitched together with sinew and later repaired with fishing line.
Fox skin rug made from centre backs of pelts. 16 skins running the width of the rug and a 40mm fur border. The backing is tan felt with a pinked edge (traditional in this type of fur rug) and this is joined to the rug with a doubled blue felt binding. The skins are very fine quality winter skins.