Community & Business
20 October, 2025
It’s still Spectacular!
For the twentieth time, the annual Pittsworth Craft and Fine Food Spectacular was held on Friday and Saturday, drawing copious numbers of visitors to our country town to celebrate the talents of local and regional artisans.
Community spirit and a willingness to volunteer one’s time and effort, is what truly makes this event so successful.
In all of the displays and exhibits during the event, there was definitely an emphasis on the creative process of taking bits-and-bobs that might be considered junk, and transforming them into quirky and beautiful items of renewed purpose.
In the Pittsworth Town Hall, there were more than 50 exhibitors showcasing a collection of unique items including gourmet treats, homewares, garden ornaments, skincare, fragrances, clothing and jewellery.
For local father-daughter duo Donna Ariell and Denis Thompson, this year was their first time as exhibitors.
With a combination of Donna’s handcrafted journals and portfolios, and Denis’s ceramics made from petrified wood, their exhibit brought something new to this year’s Spectacular.
Donna said she was looking to re-purpose leftover ribbons and papers from when she was the proprietor of the florist and gift shop Yandilla Rose, and began to create unique journals with recycled or thrift items that would otherwise end up in landfill.
Denis’ products are a glimpse into the rare rocks and gem display he has at 8 Grand Street, Pittsworth (it’s worth a look!).
Another exhibitor was Katie Bailey from Glencoe, showcasing a collection of jewellery made from broken plates.
She was thrilled to be invited back this year after making her debut in 2024.
Most of Katie’s products are sourced through antique dealers, who acquire the damaged plates from estate sales.
It’s definitely a niche field, but at least it’s easy for her to source her broken plates when her only competition is mosaic artists!
Nathan and Emma Greer of Coral Tree Lavender and Cattle Farm at Felton were showcasing a new product - lavender salve.
It’s made from natural beeswax, natural unrefined shea butter, and their own infused lavender oil.
There was a great atmosphere in Centenary Park with the scent of the Pittsworth Amateur Theatrical Society’s barbecue and Linthorpe Luscious Lamb burgers, wafting through the air.
There were catchy tunes from the live entertainment, in particular the U3A Ukulele group.
A steady flow of people visited the Soldiers Memorial School of Arts where the RSL Rooms were open for viewing, and the Pittsworth Crafty Quilters (PCQ) had an abundant exhibition.
A standout was the display of the wedding dress of one of their members, Jenny.
The gown was made by the Mother of the Bride, Jean, and this was the first time the dress had been seen since the wedding on 10th June 1989.
Jean not only made the peplum top and skirt, she also made the hoop underskirt and the crocheted over skirt, which took nine months to create, and there were 7,800 stitches in the last row alone!
A table of Pittsworth Crafty Quilters’ items, for display purposes only, were products the group donates to organisations including dignity bags for the Toowoomba Hospital, little hearts for the Neonatal Critical Care unit at the Mater Mothers Hospital, and library bags for the Pittsworth Kindergarten.
The colourful pillows on display were made by the primary school girls who undertook sewing classes with the PCQ earlier this year.
They were very excited to have their work on display, and the PCQ are expecting the pillows to feature in the Pittsworth Show next year!
‘The Emotional Thread’ exhibition by the Darling Downs Textile Art Group in Sondrio on 67, was another example of the beauty of re-purposing unwanted items.
Much of the art was created to reflect different emotions.
Artist Jane Loveday said she loves the idea of taking someone’s textures and creating something with it to elevate it to another level.
In St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Lorraine West and a handful of helpers created a ‘Love, Joy, Peace’ display, reflecting on the Bible’s Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control).
There were old Bibles and religious books that belonged to parishioners on display, some of them over 100 years old.
Coordinator for this year’s Spectacular, Brenda Prentice said organisers were very happy with the success of the event.
“We were very well supported by the community and region,” she said.
“It was very successful, particularly in view of the present economic situation.
“Everything went well and we were happy with the crowd.”
Mrs Prentice said support for the Craft and Fine Food Spectacular keeps increasing every year from people attending as well as from the business houses, which is very much appreciated.
“It’s a lot of work for a lot of people,” she said.
“It’s very gratifying and the was a great atmosphere.
“People love coming to Pittsworth and it’s a good place to live.”
