Why Wattle has 'Wow" Factor

The appearance of wattle flowers seems to cheer up the Australian landscape.... apparently it's true that somewhere in Australia at any time of the year, one species of wattle is in bloom. That's probably not a surprise if you consider there are at least 1000 species of wattle native to Australia, adapted to flowering in all seasons, in all climate zones.

The word "wattle' often refers to the framework of interwoven sticks or branches. The early settlers' "wattle and daub" houses - composite buildings of wood and mud are today highly considered as a sustainable alternative to less eco-friendly building techniques.

Long before British settlement, indigenous Australians had discovered the many uses of the Acacia (wattle species ) - food, medicine, utensils, weapons, musical instruments, and ceremonial decoration.

While Masterchef has introduced many of us to recipes using wattle seed, the Australian Aborigines prepared and ate wattle seed in many different ways, depending on the species - raw, roasted or steamed and ground into a flour. The use of the seeds, as well as many other parts of the tree ( leaves, bark, branches, pods and roots) were valued for their medicinal benefits in treating colds, nasal congestion, headaches and even some skin complaints.

Wattle timber is highly regarded for contemporary furniture. Indigenous Australians also used wattles routinely for making utensils such as digging sticks and barbs, weapons (clubs, shields, boomerangs, spear throwers, spear shafts and heads), and for musical instruments like clap sticks. Almost every part of the plant was used in some way.... Acacia gums were used as glues to make and repair tools and spear throwers, and to waterproof fish, mussel and water rat traps. String and rope, head decorations and sandals were made from the inner bark of some species. While we marvel at our contemporary discoveries of eco-dyeing, Aborigines obtained fibre dyes from Acacia roots centuries ago.

Not only useful to human beings, wattles and animals often enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship. The brightly coloured and sweet smelling flowers attract bird and butterfly pollinators. Black cockatoos love the seeds and often feed on insects and grubs under the bark of wattle trees. Possums too feed on insects attracted by the blossoms as well as the gum from the trees. Many species of possum also like to make their homes in dense areas of wattle.

With its many uses - and I have touched on only a few here in this post , wattle can be appreciated for its benefits to human and animals. However, there's more to wattle than just the practical - it has a special place in most Australian's hearts ...

"To many Australians the wattle stands for home, country, kindred, sunshine and love - every instinct that the heart most deeply enshrines." The Sydney Morning Herald, 1910

Bilby Infatuation

Wrapped wire and fabric bilby sculpture : Wilma Simmons 2016 Over the years I have been fascinated with the plight of the bilby and it has inspired quite a few of my cloth creations... With long pinkish-coloured ears and silky, blue-grey fur, the Bilby has become Australia’s version of the Easter Bunny. Unlike the rabbit, bilby numbers are falling rapidly. There were originally two species but the Greater Bilby is now commonly referred to simply as ‘the Bilby’ as the Lesser Bilby (Macrotis leucura) is thought to have become extinct in the early 1950s... Bilbies are nocturnal, emerging after dark to forage for food. Using their long snouts, they dig out bulbs, tubers, spiders, termites, witchetty grubs and fungi. They use their tongues to lick up grass seeds. Bilbies have poor sight and rely on good hearing and a keen sense of smell. To minimise threats from predators they’ll mostly stay within 250m of their burrows, but sometimes roam further afield depending on the food...

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

Background Information: Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap. 2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...

Countdown to Christmas 20 - Fruitcake song!

There are many songs about fruit cakes - not all of them referring to the Christmas cake we know and love.It is really surprising to learn via Google that there are 89 listed songs with references to Christmas cake or fruit cake - not all of them complimentary. Probably one of the most famous folk songs about Christmas cake is Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake (a favourite sung by The Irish Rovers). This first recorded comical Christmas song was written by C Frank Horn in 1883 in Pennsylania, as a variation of an Irish folk song, 'Miss Mulligan's Christmas Cake' . The chorus might give you the hint that Miss Fogarty's cake was not for the faint hearted or those who suffered from a weak stomach. Chorus : There were plums and prunes and cherries, There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too There was nutmeg, cloves and berries And a crust that was nailed on with glue There were caraway seeds in abundance Such that...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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