Weaving workshops bring relaxation and art to Bourke

“Hat Lady” Waltraud Reiner PHOTO: SUPPLIED

A weaving workshop is heading to Bourke and Brewarrina next week, bringing participants new skills, and the chance to relax, unwind and escape the stress of daily life for a few hours.

Waltraud Reiner is known across the outback as the ‘Hat Lady’ but says she aims to impart more than knowledge about millinery and how to use a loom.

Her workshops are an opportunity for people who may be struggling through the drought or with family or financial pressures to spend a little time on themselves and find some personal space.

“I have with me two floor looms, one table loom, hat material, canvasses and paint and all of that is part of whatever anyone wants to make - a hat, or a woven item,” Waltraud said.

“But every workshop is unique and I accommodate anyone who shows up.

“The Weaving for Wellness is called this because in the weaving we sometimes can use yarns and textures and make wall hangings or a pillow or table runner and reflect on our life situations and have a yarn at the same time.

“The most important thing is allowing yourself time out from what is going on in your life and come to an environment where there are no expectations other than me as a support vessel for those two days, and you can come to do whatever you would like to do.

Read more in the printed edition of the Western Herald.