Donna’s mother first taught her to weave when she was a teenager but she was not interested at the time "and instead ran up to the shops" - as kids do.
Later on in life her interest in weaving reemerged. Donna was working at the Koori Heritage Trust and did a workshop with Bronwyn Razem, a Victorian based Master Weaver.
New Zealand Flax is a strong wide grass that Donna prefers to use - traditionally another native grass would have been used that was indigenous to the area. The New Zealand flax now grows in many places around Ballarat and Daylesford so she regularly goes to collect materials around her locality.
The weave bends and loops on itself utilising the strength of the material - constantly feeding in more material to the tail as you want to ensure an even diameter and strong result.