Wangaratta Stitched Up Festival weaves rich tapestry over 20 years

"I used a treadle sewing machine and early on I put the needle through my fingernail!" she recalled.

"Since then I've always been interested in fashion and clothes - trying to be creative and original."

In 1999, Margaret and a small group of fellow enthusiasts conceived the first Wangaratta Stitched Up Festival. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the event.

Wangaratta, in Victoria, has a long association with the textiles industry. The woollen mills were opened there in 1923.

"Originally, the idea was to showcase textile artists in a support festival for a Marvellous Miniatures display by the Victorian Quilters Association in Wangaratta," Margaret said.

"That first one in 1999 was a great success - bursting at the seams.

"We had fantastic support from local shops and textile industry art and craft groups, and it grew from there.

"The list of participants and exhibitors grows each time. They come from far and wide and the festival attracts thousands of people to the area."

The 2019 event is the 16th time it has been held. In 2011, it was decided to run it biennially, given the enormous amount of work volunteers need to put in to stage it.

Margaret is still a driving force and in 2016 received an Order of Australia for services to the community of Wangaratta.

This year's event kicks off at 11am on July 6 at Stitchy Central, Gallery 2 at the Wangaratta Art Gallery in Ovens Street.

A visual presentation put together by Margaret and two other original (and current) committee members, Barbara McCabe and Wendy Norman, will be screened, and continue playing on a loop during the festival alongside the Stitching Through Time exhibition at the gallery.

There are many other highlights in various locations during the festival's nine days. They include Stitchy Scarecrows by Crafty Kids, Strictly Quilts, A Sense of Place - Yesterday and Today, the Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award, the International Scarf Exchange, a textile swap meet and a host of other displays and demonstrations.

The festival runs until July 14, with the gallery open daily from 10am-4pm. For more information, including the complete program, visit stitchedupfestival.com