Stitching the Sacred
winter craft camp 25 - aid of the ancestors
a three day craft camp in the Mallee with a focus on crafting, contemplation, and human potential.
craft an ancestor doll on and with the land
create objects that are not commodities but containers of knowledge and power
discover ancestral wisdom
craft within community and make lasting connections
hear the story of Vasilisa the brave, tell your own stories
anchor your insights
ABOUT ANCESTOR DOLLS - from maiki
ancestral dolls are wisdom-keepers who hold stories of our origins. making a doll is a way of re-membering these stories and a chance to connect with our forgotten past. we will be playing with different simple/ primitive art processes whilst gathering threads to slow stitch stories into our dolls. no previous art or sewing experience is needed, just bring your curiosity and a sense of adventure...
Craft Camp is not just a place to learn new techniques; its a sanctuary for the soul, where we find solace in the rhythm of crafting and the beauty of creation. It is a journey of self-discovery, where craft becomes a sacred practice, and every creation tells a story of spirit and resilience.
Gisele
Thanks Bianca Flowers and Shalome Lateef for organising and facilitating such a magical retreat. Looking forward to the next one. 😍😍😍
Wilma
Day 1 - bud - start with an idea, a story
Arrive and settle in. Opening gathering.
Check in from 2pm onwards on Thursday 19th of June. Take time to settle into your accommodation, set up tents, walk the Lake Corrong lakebed, grab a cuppa, wander into Hopetoun, or swim in Lake Lascelles. Gather at 4pm for our opening gathering and meet your fellow campers, facilitators, and volunteer organisers. Be introduced into the rich tradition of ancestor dolls, the crafting process, the need for self-care, and how we can support each other as a group. Break for a shared bring-a-plate dinner. After dinner, hear the story of Vasilisa the beautiful and how feeding energy into a form, figure or crafted object can lead to help given in times of need. Space for dreaming, conversation, and reflection.
Day 2 - blossom - flesh it out
Self-catered breakfast in the function room kitchen or at one of the camp kitchens. Begin your doll making odyssey
This day is about allowing a figure or ancestor to take shape so that your hands can give it form. Morning mapping activity to create a pattern or map for your ancestor doll. Followed by explorations in fabric and stitching to the tune of 'the cloth we are cut from', and 'what holds you together'. Morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. Friday dinner arrangements TBA.
Day 3 - ripen - deepen into your work
Self-catered breakfast. Full day of crafting. Evening BBQ and solstice celebration.
Day three is set aside for working intensively on the construction and creation of you ancestor doll: stitching, stuffing, adding symbols, sigils or ornamentation, and creating a 'heart' for your doll, whilst exploring the gifts of your lineage, and their qualities and particular make-up. Community BBQ (byo meat and bread, salads provided) and solstice celebration. After dinner invitation to dream with your ancestors. Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea provided.
Day 4 - reap - share it with others
Self-catered breakfast. Finishing up. Sharing. Parting ways. Administrative gathering.
Morning check in and dream sharing. Time to finish up what you are working on, or gather all that you need to continue at home. Doll activation. Closing gathering and story sharing at 11am. Check out of all accommodation by 10am. Morning tea provided.
After lunch administrative gathering and budget presentations. Group decision making process around distribution of camp registration fees. All attendees and craft practitioners are welcome to stay for this part, however only volunteers can participate in decision making processes.
Have questions?
Here are some answers to common questions.
When is it?
Stitching the Sacred, Winter 25 runs from Thursday June 19th (check in from 2pm onwards, arrive earlier if you are camping or want to look around) to Sunday June 22nd (check out at 10am, camp finishes at 1pm).
Can I bring my children?
Children are very welcome at camp and parents or caregivers are expected to supervise children at all times. All our activities take place on the edge of a large unfenced body of water. Children under 10 attend free.
Where is it?
The Mallee Bush Retreat is a gorgeous multi-purpose facility with a large function room in which we will gather for meals, spacious lawns for outdoor crafting on sunny days, a large fire pit, architect designed cabins with bush themes, and hundreds of campsites around the perimeter of Lake Lascelles in Hopetoun. The facility is owned and run by volunteers, members of the Hopetoun community. Donations are encouraged!
Is transport provided?
No. You will need to find your own way to Hopetoun, however we have in the past arranged car pooling if multiple participants are coming from the same place.
What are the arrangements around food?
Thursday - afternoon tea provided, bring-a-plate for a shared dinner
Friday - self-catered breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea provided, dinner arrangements TBA
Saturday - self-catered breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea provided, community BBQ (byo meat and bread, salads provided)
Sunday - self-catered breakfast, morning tea provided
What is the weather like in Hopetoun?
Hopetoun is in the Mallee district of North-West Victoria. Daytime is often sunny, but the winds can be cold. Average daytime temperatures in June/July are 15-16C. Nights can be cold with an average of 4-5C.
Do I need to have crafting experience?
Absolutely not. Craft camps cater for all levels of skill and ability in crafting. No matter what your level of experience, if you come with a willingness to learn, create, experiment then you'll deeply.
Who are the traditional custodians of the land?
The Wimmera region includes the traditional lands of the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagulk People represented by the Barengi Gadjin Land Council Aboriginal Corporation. Click here to listen to some River Yarns.
Are there places to get food nearby?
Hopetoun has a small independent supermarket and a pub that is run by the community, within walking distance of the Mallee Bush Retreat.
What can I do in my time out?
Walk, swim, rest, or make use of the healing corner which is set up with a hand-woven raw wool sleeping mat, willow charcoal and paper, story cloth making materials, and other items to help you process, recalibrate, settle or gather your pieces.
Bookings can be made online on by contacting us via the Centre for Creativity and Consciousness facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CentreforCreativityandConsciousness/
facilitator profile: maiki-jane blakeney
the sage caravan
maiki-jane - founder of 'the sage caravan' is a multidisciplinary artist and wellbeing practitioner with a background in community development, social and emotional wellbeing, nature connection, and expressive arts. maiki-jane walks beside people, supporting transitions and witnessing their transformations by providing opportunities for people to discover their innate wisdom, sense of connection, unique expression, inspiration, and healing.
Meet the vision holders
Shalome and Bianca are passionate about the practice of crafting, as a way of amplifying human potential.
Bianca Patetl-Flowers
Visionary, teacher and guide.
Bianca is an accomplished artist, weaver, and visionary who excels in guiding people to bring their soul's wisdom to light. She has qualifications in naturopathy, fine arts, teaching, and transformational creativity. She has worked extensively with individuals and groups to hone and refine their intuition and deepen into connections with plants, place and spirit. She brings a rigorous intellect to all her interactions and to the process of guiding others.
Shalome Lateef
Administrator, artist, community engagement
Shalome is an eighth generation Australian woman of European and UK descent. She brings delight to the process of administration, using her experiences in intentional community, Indigenous communities, middle eastern hospitality, and her deep love of the earth and its systems of cooperation and community living, to creatively re-imagine the way we do administration, incorporating elements of ritual, ceremony, ecology, activism, gambling, gift-giving, and relationships of obligation.
Contact Shalome if you would like to volunteer on one of her projects.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
Centre for Creativity and Conciousness is located on Wadawurrung Country in Ballarat. We recognise that this is a gathering place, a place where food and resources were and are plentiful and where people gathered for generations to enjoy and tend each other, the sacred, the land and waters. We acknowledge the Wadawurrung peoples, their elders, ancestors, and the new generations to come, grateful for their deep connections to place and their tending through story, song, ritual, and action.
Stitching the Sacred takes place in Hopetoun on the shores of Lake Lascelles on lands tended by the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia, and Jupagalk Nations. We acknowledge their continuing presence and connections to country, and pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging.
© 2025 Shalome Lateef, All rights reserved.
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