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Humans have been making things out of wool for thousands of years, and 11-year-old Olivia Finnigan is carrying on the tradition thanks to skills passed down by her grandmother.
She will be the youngest exhibitor at Flagstaff Hill’s Wool Weekend, which is on Saturday July 12 and Sunday July 13 from 11am-3pm.
Olivia and her grandmother Susan Finnigan were also at the inaugural Wool Weekend event last year, with their felting demonstration so popular it has expanded into a hands-on workshop.
Attendees can make either a felted pencil cover or a felted picture, with Olivia explaining the process of making a picture.
“You get little pieces of wool and go horizontally and vertically in tiny little pieces until you make an image,” she said.
“Then you wet it, then you cover it with mesh, then you wet that and then you rub it, and that felts it.
“Then you do the same on the other side. Once it feels like nothing is moving around… 50 rolls on each side with a towel, then you put it in hot water, cold water, hot water and cold water with vinegar.
“A picture takes about 30 minutes, but something like a bookmark would only take three minutes.
“It doesn’t take that long once you get used to the process.
“It’s a lot of fun.”
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum Coordinator Curator and Experiences Kate Wake said that attendees could follow the journey of wool from a sheep’s back to a piece of clothing as Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village celebrates everything wool this weekend.
“We’ll be having demonstrations of blade shearing, which was the traditional way of shearing a sheep before the mechanical shearing techniques came in,” she said.
“Then the fleeces will be carded and combed by people and then spun into wool and knitted.
“There’ll be some really nice hot food specials on at the tearooms as well. Some winter-warming soups and shepherd’s pies.”
Over 1200 people have signed up to the free Flagstaff Hill Local Ambassador Program, which provides free entry for Warrnambool City Council residents.
“It’s a great opportunity for locals to sign up and bring their friends and relatives who are visiting Warrnambool to experience Flagstaff Hill,” Ms Wake said.
For the full program of activities visit www.flagstaffhill.com.