Granite Belt Art & Craft Trail - Alpaca Arts Collective — Barbara Balkwill and Stacy Krzewina

Alpaca Arts Collective — Barbara Balkwill and Stacy Krzewina

An array of fibre art in its various forms.

Barbara has been interested in fibre art in its various forms for a very long time.

Breeding animals for their fibre has been part of her life for over 20 years. The main source of her raw material comes from her alpaca herd. These animals have an outstanding fibre that she uses in her creativity.

Although she spins, weaves and knits, her preferred genre falls into the category of felting where she uses the two main types of felting: needle felting and wet felting. In needle felting, Barbara uses special needles to agitate fibre, which causes it to felt, to create an object or picture. Wet felting allows for a wide range of artistry, producing rugs, garments, hats as well as accessories.

Always happy to share her understanding of fibre and her animals Barbara is usually found working on her farm or in her studio.

Stacy is an alpaca fibre artisan based on the beautiful Granite Belt in Queensland.

A country girl from way back, she purchased her small herd of alpacas in 2014. She works under her business name of JASK Farm, as well as being part of the Alpaca Arts Collective.

Being an avid crafter for many years and in many different mediums, Stacy has acquired many complementary skills, but alpaca fibre art is her passion. She is a big believer in lifelong learning and has made it her mission to hone her skills in all things fibre: spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet and felting. This encompasses a variety of products from clothing and accessories, jewellery and homewares.

Stacy also takes on commissioned pieces and enjoys the challenges that this brings to the table. Her growing herd of alpacas and their luxurious fibre provides endless creative opportunities in the studio. She shares her skills and knowledge with others through a 'Paddock to Product' approach, conducting workshops, demonstrations and networking with fellow artisans.

Working on the farm or in the studio, she sees them all as opportunities to live life to the full.

What's On

Visit a Mongolian Ger! Meet the alpacas! The Alpaca Arts Colelctive is offering talks and a guided visit to the ger. Many wonderful workshops and demonstrations are on offer capped at 10 participants per session.

Prices between $10 and $20pp. Workshops, demonstrations and products and supplies for sale will be housed in marquees in the great outdoors, Please book via Facebook Message or call Stacy 0435 748 652.

Although the Ger will not be set up for classes or sales due to COVID-19 restructions, it will be on site for guided tours in limited numbers. It really is a sight to behold! This magnificent structure was made right here in Queensland by a very talented artisan. The internal walls are lined with alpaca hand felted panels. This is all local alpaca fibre from our collective farms and took the collective members three months to complete. The panels showcase the stunning colours and textures of alpaca fibre. No pets for biosecurity reasons.