Waroona artist Llynnette Neil reflects on a storied past bringing an attitude of make do and mend to her art

The scent of dust and sheep linger in the country air as you approach the old shearing shed Llynnette Neil calls her studio. It is an unassuming building only a short drive outside Waroona, but once inside, the scent of tea takes over as rolls of fabric and delicate silk outfits pack the bones of the old work shed. Buzzing around her studio, Llynnette can be found with her hands stitching artwork as her mouth stitches stories. While half of the old sheering shed remains thick with dust, with old ramparts for guiding sheep still standing, the rest is a cosy sewing studio as eclectic and colourful as the lady who calls it home. Almost 81, Llynnette has been stitching together garments for the majority of her life, primarily self taught, making outfits for her children. Through years of development, Llynnette evolved her skills to become a textile artist, reflecting the landscape into woven bags of cotton and silk. Never one to stop wanting to improve, she enrolled into Edith Cowan University to study fashion and textiles at the age of 72, and for the next three years developed a whole new outlook on her craft. “Practice makes you perfect, but then, I wasn’t perfect” she said. “I still don’t know how I got the degree. I thought I slipped under the radar, by my tutors said I certainly didn’t.” Llynnette said the transition back to learning was one of the biggest challenges for her, having left school at 14 years old to help her family make ends meet. But, her work is soon set to tell part of her story on the national stage as she crafts new works for the Sustainable Fashion Festival set to debut in Ellenbrook and Busselton later this year. “It was such a long time for me (since studying), and all of these kids I was with were fresh out of school,” she said. “I was talking to my lecturer, who said I was always telling the kids what it was like being born during the war, so why don’t I do that? “So, my concept is the role of women during the Second World War.” To coincide with this new concept, Llynnette adopted the mantra of make do and mend as her own personal vision, wasting nothing when creating her artwork. Neil is weaving together outfits inspired by the past out of whatever she can get her hands on — from elegant silks found in China to sets of old curtains. Having a challenging start to life, going through abuse and heartbreak, Llynnette has remained true to herself, happy to now be with her husband Jack, inside the old sheering shed designing her artwork. “I’ve had a very adventurous life, at times very, very heart wrenching, at times very sad,” she said. “But the last 40 years with Jack, have been wonderful.” Never planning on stopping creating, Llynnette said she aimed to continue enjoying herself until the day she stops breathing.