Entry 14: The Fleece of Two Sheep Makes One Blanket - Ca Lana i Dui Pecuri Faci na Cuverta

Location: Calabria, Italy

Date: 1891 – present day

Although Peppe was the overall head of the Trimboli family, Angela was the unquestionable matriarch. She was a strict mother who expected her children to be well behaved, to do as she asked and most importantly, to be industrious and productive both within the home and on the land. For a lifestyle based on self-sufficiency, this was the minimum requirement to ensure their survival. This same approach extended to the production of textiles for clothing, bedding, kitchen and personal use. The process of fabric-making started with the cultivation of raw materials, and this needed the entire household to help out with the endless chores:

1. For wool - breeding, raising and shearing two or three sheep

2. For linen and cotton - the annual planting of flax and cotton seeds, then harvesting flax reeds and cotton balls

3. For silk - breeding silkworms and maintaining a couple of mulberry trees

After the raw materials were gathered, the next stages of textile manufacture were female dominated. Angela herself was multi-talented and excelled at teaching her five daughters - Gioma, Meca, Peppa, Rosa and Cuncia - everything she knew. Using ancient techniques and hand operated equipment, the natural fibres of wool, linen, cotton and silk were spun into thread or yarn, then woven into fabrics on a loom. Sewing, knitting, crocheting and embroidery techniques were used to craft pieces of clothing or household items, based on what was needed - such as jumpers, bath towels, tea towels and more.

Angela’s position as the matriarch expanded as her large family multiplied to include daughter-in-laws, son-in-laws and grandchildren. She often reminded her family, “Chista casa iest a mia,” clearly reinforcing her intention to remain in charge. By declaring, “This is my house,” she asserted her unyielding authority. After all, her boldness towards others was effective and well-proven; it had served her well in successfully raising, feeding and clothing a family of eleven. Being firm and severe, was an ingrained part of her character, and naturally, she applied this even when dealing with her grandchildren. As an elderly ‘nanna’, she continued to swiftly order granddaughters into action. There was no time to waste when there was always work to be done and much to learn, so beware if she caught you sitting idle on a stone wall:

“Arziti i locu,” she commanded.

“Get up from there.”

“Pigghi i ghugghi e fai ttaccagghia.”

“Get your needles and practise your knitting.”

“Sbrigati!”

“Hurry up!”

Her granddaughters immediately raced towards the house to get their needles and wool, knowing from past experience what was about to follow. For regardless how fast they ran, there was no escape. ‘Nanna’s’ favourite saying always caught up with them, her words predictable and familiar:

“Quandu si riposa na figghia fimmina, si riposa na paracchia i voi.”

“When a daughter rests, a pair of oxen also rest.”

Angela wasn’t suggesting her granddaughters were lazy cows! Nor that they possessed mystical powers, able to influence these beasts through their own idleness. The meaning behind this phrase related to working tirelessly; just as oxen ploughed the fields without stopping, a female needed to approach her tasks in a similar manner. If either took a break, nothing would get done.

Angela Galea

No one demonstrated this work ethic more than Angela herself, who led by example alongside her husband Peppe. Through a combined leadership, neither would have foreseen the longevity of their labours - in this particular case, the creation of textiles that have been preserved for over 63 years and are now regarded as vintage. Some of the handmade items photographed below belonged to their youngest daughter, Cuncia, while others were made specifically for the dowries of Cuncia's daughters. All were carefully packed into trunks and travelled by sea with the family when they emigrated from Italy. Noteworthy items include a blanket made from the fleece of two sheep; embroidered cotton and linen bath towels; a cotton bedspread with crocheted fringe; and a golden-yellow, silk pillowcase as vibrant as the day the silkworms first spun their cocoons.

Although these products now reside in the homes of Australian descendants, their invisible threads weave through space, across thousands of kilometres of distance and decades of time, reconnecting them back to their place of origin on a plot of land located at Contrada Monaco No.9, Siderno, Calabria, Italy.

WOOL

This 100% woollen blanket was made from the fleece of two sheep by Peppe and Angela’s daughter, Cuncia. She used her mother’s loom to weave the fabric. The blanket is made up of four panels, each the width of the loom, which were sewn together by hand. It was made for the dowry of Cuncia's daughter, Girolama. The name of the weave pattern is ROSA NCURUNATA (Crowned Rose).

Calabrese Translation: Chista cuverta a fici Cuncia cu tularu. E fatta ca lana i dui pecuri. A cuverta fu fatta pa dota i Girolama, figghia da Cuncia. U puntu iesti a Rosa Ncurunata.

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LINEN

Three generations of Angela’s family were involved in the creation of this linen bath towel.

Starting with Angela herself who educated her daughter Cuncia on all aspects of textile production as soon as she was able to follow instructions, ensuring knowledge and skills were passed on.

Cuncia made the linen bath towel on her mother’s loom. Cuncia’s daughter, Angelina, completed the bath towel with a decorative hand-knotted fringe and pink embroidery.

The bath towel was made for the dowry of Cuncia's daughter, Girolama.

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COTTON

To fully appreciate the details of the weave pattern, the photographs above focus on small sections of the bedspread Angela made for her daughter Cuncia’s dowry. Angela bought the spools of red and white thread during one of her regular Thursday shopping trips to Siderno Marina with Peppe, as the quantity of home grown cotton was insufficient for making this blanket. Given that Cuncia married in 1933, the blanket is estimated to be at least 90 years old.

First photo: Weave pattern showing interconnecting threads

Second photo : Reverse side showing hand stitching used to attach panels of fabric together.

Third photo: Fringe edging was crocheted and attached by Angela’s granddaughter Girolama (Cuncia’s daughter). The bedspread was passed down to Girolama and is a good example of an original product being embellished years later by a younger generation.

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SILK

Top left: Silkworm, cocoon and maple leaf. (Photographer unknown)

Top right: Original mother of pearl button stitched into the opening of the pillowcase.

Bottom: 100% natural silk pillow case (undyed).

Interesting Facts:

1. The silkworms Angela bred, naturally spun a golden-yellow cocoon. She fed the silkworms a diet of leaves from a mulberry tree that produced white berries.  The silkworms preferred these leaves to the ones from a black fruiting mulberry tree.

2. Cocoons were boiled in water to dissolve the sticky gum that held the silk filaments together.  This loosened the filaments, enabling the cocoon to be unravelled in a continuous strand.

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A COLLECTION OF PRODUCTS

ORIGINALLY HOMEMADE IN ITALY

CURRENTLY LOCATED IN AUSTRALIA

1. Cotton Bedspread - Four loom-width panels of fabric were hand stitched to make the generous red bedspread. Fits perfectly on a contemporary queen size bed.

2. Woollen Blanket – folded in half

3. Cotton Bath Towel – folded in half

4. Silk Pillowcase