"It’s All About Wool", which opened this month, includes a fashion show on January 28 featuring re-purposed woollen wear alongside winners from past WoolOn Creative Fashion Events.
Operations manager Paula Stephenson said the show catered to all ages, with activities in which children could create sheep and ram pictures using wool and other decorations, or create their own yarn monster to take home.
Workshops on spinning, weaving, knitting, felting and other wool crafts would be held throughout the exhibition, with two morning sessions (10am-11am and 11-noon) for children and adult classes running from 1pm-3pm.
"We’re trying to bring back all the old crafts," Ms Stephenson said.
The fashion show would showcase work by designer Diane Dynes, who re-purposes high-quality woollen clothing to create new pieces.
Museum volunteer Shona Bain said Ms Dynes only worked with 100% wool, and her favourite was merino.
"Reworking wool requires a lot of skills and a knowledge of fabric construction — whether it is woven or knitted on a machine.
"Sewing the two different kinds of construction is completely different."
The Central Otago Heritage Trust’s 2023 Heritage Talks programme takes place in conjunction with the exhibition. For "Heritage Talks: The History of Central Otago Merino Farming", Jillian Jopp will talk about the history of merino farming in the region, her former life on Moutere Station and what made the wool a desirable fibre on the global market.
By: Tracie Barrett
