Yarn Bombing project

Project Overview

The North West Yarn Bombing Project was a community-led public art initiative that transformed everyday public spaces into colourful, collaborative artworks across the New England North West. Building on a successful pilot established by the Bank Art Museum Moree (BAMM), Arts North West partnered with local councils, community organisations, schools and volunteers to expand the project across the region.

Inspired by the international yarn bombing movement, the project invited participants of all ages and abilities to knit, crochet and weave individual pieces that were assembled into large-scale public art installations. Through workshops, donation stations, community making sessions and installation days, the project encouraged creativity, social connection, intergenerational learning and community pride while activating public spaces and supporting cultural tourism.

The project demonstrated the value of collaborative public art in strengthening community wellbeing, enhancing the liveability of regional towns and celebrating local identity through accessible creative participation.

Project Sites

Installations were delivered across a range of public locations, including:

• Pilot Tree
• Breast Cancer Awareness Tree
• Brooker Trading Co. Tree
• Diabetes Awareness Tree
• Early Learning Centre Tree
• Goodstart Tree
• Herbert Street Tree
• Jellicoe Park Cultural Markets Tree
• Café Omega Tree
• Pally Bush Markets Tree
• Women's Shed Tree
• Narrabri Art & Craft Society
• Narrabri Crossing Theatre
• Narrabri Region Visitor Information Centre

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Moree | Yarning in Commemoration of ANZAC Day

The Yarn Bombing Project supported the Moree community in commemorating ANZAC Day through a creative public art installation by local maker Doreen Davis. Two handcrafted crocheted poppy covers were created for the concrete spheres outside Moree Town Hall, transforming the civic space into a striking tribute to those who have served. Following the commemorations, the removable covers were donated for use during the Moree ANZAC Day ceremony, demonstrating how community-created artworks can contribute to local remembrance and civic pride.

Narrabri | CREATE Festival Yarn Bombing

As part of CREATE Festival 2024, the Narrabri community collaborated to transform key public spaces through large-scale yarn bombing installations. Community-created knitted, crocheted and woven works were installed on the Narrabri Crossing Theatre pillars, the Narrabri Region Visitor Information Centre and a historic cotton picker, celebrating local creativity and contributing to the festival atmosphere. The project was delivered in partnership with Narrabri Shire Council, the Narrabri Region Visitor Information Centre, the Narrabri Art & Craft Society and the Namoi Women's Shed, while local donation stations encouraged ongoing community participation and creative contribution.

Narrabri | Community Launch

The Narrabri Yarn Bombing Project officially launched with a community afternoon at the Narrabri Region Visitor Information Centre. Residents gathered for a pop-up workshop where participants of all skill levels learned to knit and crochet, shared existing projects and connected over afternoon tea. Delivered in partnership with the Narrabri Art & Craft Society and the Namoi Women's Shed, the launch established a welcoming and inclusive space for community participation while building momentum for the broader regional project.

Tamworth | Glow in the Dark Yarn Bombing

During the 2024 Tamworth Country Music Festival, Arts North West delivered a glow-in-the-dark Yarn Bombing activation as part of the Country Fringe Festival in Bicentennial Park. The installation transformed Pioneer Parade into a vibrant, family-friendly creative space featuring illuminated yarn installations alongside a silent disco, light-up angel wings, stilt performers and face painting. The event encouraged community participation, showcased contemporary textile art in the public realm and demonstrated the versatility of yarn bombing as an engaging festival activation.

Moree | Diabetes Awareness Tree

The Diabetes Awareness Tree brought together arts and health through a collaborative partnership between the Bank Art Museum Moree (BAMM), the Diabetes Alliance Plus Program and the Yarn Bombing Project. Installed within the grounds of Moree Hospital, the colourful yarn bomb created a welcoming and reflective space while raising awareness of diabetes prevention, treatment and community support.

The project commenced with a community pop-up yarning session, where participants learned new knitting and crochet techniques while sharing stories and contributing handcrafted pieces to the installation. Contributions were received from across New South Wales, demonstrating the project's broad community reach and collective commitment to supporting health awareness through creative expression. The completed installation highlighted the power of community art to foster wellbeing, encourage connection and activate public spaces with meaningful local

Together, these installations created a network of vibrant public artworks that celebrated local creativity while encouraging residents and visitors to explore the region through art.

How the Project Worked

The Yarn Bombing Project was delivered through four interconnected stages—creating, collecting, assembling and installing—allowing community members to participate in whichever aspect best suited their interests and skills.

Community members, knitting groups and crochet enthusiasts created colourful granny squares and other knitted and crocheted pieces, experimenting with different patterns, textures and colours. Contributions were donated through a network of Community Donation Stations, where participants also donated unwanted yarn and unfinished projects for others to complete and incorporate into the final artworks.

Once sufficient pieces had been collected, the Assembly Team carefully arranged the individual squares into larger compositions before sewing them together to create vibrant yarn bombing blankets. This collaborative process encouraged creativity, problem-solving and teamwork, with each installation reflecting the unique contributions of the community.

The completed yarn bombing blankets were then installed by the Installation Team, who prepared each work for outdoor display before carefully wrapping trees, street furniture and other public objects throughout participating towns. These colourful public art installations transformed everyday spaces, celebrated community creativity and created welcoming environments for residents and visitors alike.