Wangaratta Textile Festival July 2019

Spent the weekend in Benalla and then up to the Textile Show in Wangaratta.

There were 5-6 different areas to visit and I spent a while at each.
Huddling in Jacket scare and Hat in the cold!!
2 degrees when I headed out

 The International scarf exchange.  Each year a different group of involves spinners, weavers and knitters hosts the exchange where participants send in 150grams of fibre and then make something stunning with the fibre they receive. They send this back to exhibit before being  returned their original fibre which has been transformed into something beautiful.
Some of the scarves were magnificent !!

 An exhibition of ball gowns (and Deb dresses) was in the cathedral

Botanical dyeing on Silk  Using eucalyptus leaves 

There is a textile competition Some lovely creation but didn't acre for the winner (no pic here)

This is embroidery!

the leaf in detail 

gorgeous felted birds 

This is individual embroidered circles 

some stunning hats 

A huge exhibition of one woman's lace collection

 lace making bobbins

North East Art Silos

While I was in Wangaratta for the textile Exhibition and Festival I decided to catch up with the new Art Silos in the North East> all towns about 10minutes  part and the whole trip took an hour with stops.

All easy to find If unsure which way to turn follow the rail tracks!! 

The easy route

 The Devenish Silo Art is a a tribute to the 50 or so local men and women who enlisted into military service during World War One

.It represents the sacrifice people make for others whilst in military service – Over 3,000 Australian women volunteered as military nurses in that conflict and the silo art acknowledges both the historical role of nurses and modern-day military medics, whilst highlighting the role women play in military service.

The Australian Light Horse were tough horsemen who served as mounted infantry brigades during World War One particularly in the Middle East from 1915 to 1918 during the Gallipoli, Sinai and Palestine campaigns against the Ottoman Empire. At the start of the war the 5th and 7th Light Horse Brigades were based in Victoria and included the 17th (Campaspe) Light Horse Regiment which was based in the region near Devenish.

 The St James Silos were painted by Local artist Tim Bowtell

with draughthorses and an old truck that once carted bushels of wheat to the silos, and local businessmen including Sir G. J. Coles whose name is synonymous with Coles Supermarkets today (the Coles family made a substantial donation to paint the 1943 era GrainCorp silos)

The silo bunkers at St James were built in 1943, with bushels of wheat originally delivered to the site via horse and cart; a motif that will be displayed in the artwork.

 The GrainCorp silos are being decorated with a mural of Sir George Coles, the founder of Coles supermarkets who was a local to the St James township.

The Pub opposite 

Tungamah  Silo was the beginning of the north-east Victoria, Silo Art Trail  and is privately owned and painted by West Australian Artist Sobrane Simcock in 2018. She is the first Australian female silo artist.

 The dancing Brolgas and the Kookaburras are loved locally by the community and Brolgas can sometimes be seen in low lying swamp lands.