In a nondescript scout hall in Kambah, women are gathering to talk, laugh, enjoy a cuppa and collaborate as they make some fabulous fashion.
The pandemic and lockdowns kept the members of the Canberra Region Feltmakers apart for many months, but now they are back, connecting and channelling all that pent-up creative energy into something wonderful.
Led by fashion designer Christine White, the members have made incredible, one-of-a-kind garments that will be showcased in a fashion display, Rapt in Felt, at the Burns Club in Kambah on Saturday, June 18.
Most of the garments will be auctioned online. And on the same day there will also be shop in the scout hall in Kett Street, next to the Burns Club, where all manner of felt accessories and more garments will be for sale.
Canberra Region Feltmakers Jennie Curtis said she had been working with the group for 12 years and it had been an important social outlet.
"It's really about making together and building of community," she said.
"So there's beautiful things being made and people learning from that, but also this huge social interaction."
Member Bronwyn Sharpe said the fashion parade had its origins in the women being able to create the felt yardage and then approaching fashion design Christine White to direct them to take the next step.
The experienced designer gave the women the confidence and direction to create garments, from coats to skirts, tops to jewellery to hats.
"And it just blossomed from there," Mrs Sharpe said.
"All the ladies, the felters, so enjoy this creative process and for Christine to show us how to cut and mix and match - you can just let your imagination go wild. And then at the end, you've got a wearable garment, that is original.
"The fun has been we're all learning and having a laugh and watching Christine put the different design elements and colours together."
But it's about far more than only the garments.
"During the pandemic, we were all at home beavering away on our own designs, " Mrs Sharpe said. "To come together and show each other what we've made, it's been a very important element in the recovery."
In the fashion parade, there will be 26 garments from the CanFelt collective, most of which will be for sale in the online auction. Another 20 garments by individual makers will be in the parade, the majority of which will also be for sale.
Tickets to the fashion parade are selling fast. Book here https://canfelt.org.au/
The online auction will open at the same online address from Saturday, June 11.
And the Rapt in Felt shop at the Kett Street scout hall will be open 10am to 4.30pm on June 18, in conjunction with the parade.
