By Luke Voogt
Last year’s winner of Geelong’s Scarf Festival, Jean Inglis, has a lot of weaving left in her yet.
“I’ve been doing it a long time so I’m not about to stop,” the 85-year-old told the Indy Tuesday.
The Geelong grandmother has weaved for 55 years since learning the art at a technical school.
Jean won the “myths and gods” themed Scarf Festival in 2016 with her spidery entry based on the ancient Greek tale of Arachne.
In Greek mythology, Arcachne was a weaver so talented that the goddess Athena punished her by making her the first spider.
“I was overwhelmed,” Jean said.
“It surprised me because there were so many colours, while mine was black and white.”
Jean said she had won a few “odds and pieces” over the decades, but 2016 was her first overall win at the scarf festival.
“Something like that doesn’t happen to you too often, so that’s nice,” she said.
Jean used the Japanese dying technique of Shibori to create her entry for this year’s festival, themed “Galaxies: a textile journey to infinity and beyond”.
“It gives you a challenge and makes you think a bit so that’s good,” she said.
“I didn’t know much about the universe and galaxy, but studied it and found it very interesting.”
Jean used to weave for her grandchildren “but they’re teenagers now”.
“When they get hand-spun wool they still throw it in the wash and it shrinks – so I don’t do that.”
With entries closing on 30 April, National Wool Museum director Padraic Fisher was searching for local talent for the Scarf Festival – now in its 14th year.
He said to visit geelongaustralia.com.au/scarffestival to enter.
“Anyone can enter the Scarf Festival from school children to beginner crafters to accomplished artisans from Australia and abroad.
