FOR decades, Morgan Wills travelled to Japan to explore and purchase unique stock for her shop, The Crafty Squirrel.<\/p>\n
Six years ago, she decided to not only bring these craft goodies back to Ballarat, but take a group of her clients on trips straight to the source for a tactile taste of the creative culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ran tours twice a year, taking some of my customers to my favourite places in Japan, and we did different workshops. It was a huge success,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2020, we were two weeks off leaving for a booked-out tour when the whole thing got cancelled because of COVID.<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided, if we couldn\u2019t go to Japan, which was still closed to tourism, then maybe I could do Japanese workshops in Ballarat, and pretend we\u2019re on tour in Japan.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Crafty Squirrel\u2019s next local Japanese retreat will be held at the Mercure Ballarat from Sunday, 22 to Tuesday, 24 May, and is a celebration of the culture, craft, and food of Japan.<\/p>\n
The series of workshops include Japanese bookbinding with tutoring from Paperazzi Design Studio\u2019s Michelle Lackenby, Sashiko stitching and bag-making, and Japanese-themed screen-printing with Nicola Cerini.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we were in Japan, we\u2019d also be doing a lot of shopping, going to flea markets and things, so my local take on that is to do a bit of a shopping tour in Ballarat, with a visit to the Mill Markets for vintage things,\u201d Ms Wills said.<\/p>\n
With a few spare spots left, she encourages locals to express interest in taking part in the retreat if they\u2019re simply interested in craft and love to make things.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a fantastic all-inclusive experience, and a very unusual thing in Ballarat,\u201d Ms Wills said.<\/p>\n