Botanical Weaving including a Dilly Bag (Bilang) Workshop for Cranbourne

The Cranbourne Friends are delighted to announce that a Botanical Weaving group has been established as part of the Friends. It meets at the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens’ Elliot Centre, on the fourth Sunday of the month, bi-monthly. Read more about it on the Group page.

In a further announcement, the group is hosting BoonWurrung creative, Bianca Easton, for a Dilly Bag (Bilang) Workshop on 25 August 2024 between 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM. This workshop is open to anyone interested. The technique is an easy one to learn and can be adapted to suit all abilities.

Dilly Bags (Bilang) are traditional bags that First Nations people used to carry/collect berries, fish and other foods, medicinal plants, shells, hunting tools and keepsakes.  Depending on the Country/Community that created them, they could be made from botanical fibres like Lomandra, Pandanus, stringy bark, reeds, grasses or palm leaves – often twisted into cordage first and then woven into different shapes and sizes.  In this workshop you will learn more about the history and significance of these bags and how to construct a Dilly Bag out of jute cord. 

Workshop cost: Friends members – $70; Non-members – $75

Please visit our booking page to find out more and to register.

If you have any queries about the Botanical Weaving group or the workshop please contact Tess Holderness:

Email: tessholderness@gmail.com
or phone: 0412 195 283