Category Archive

Kathy Goldner is an entrepreneur who looks as though she were chosen to play the role on a television show…she simply looks like a brilliant business woman before you even hear her speak! You can have a sneak peak at the selection of books she produces at Knitting Out Loud. This year she’ll have a booth in the Shopper’s Boulevard and recently she responded to the following interview questions:

1. We know that interest in textiles and fibers evolve over time. What is your currant passion? Did you start directly with this form of the art or did you progress through a series of interests? Directly to knitting!
2. What or who fired your initial flames of artistry? My German Jewish grandmother, a WWII immigrant and Freudian psychoanalyst. She couldn’t cook, but she taught me how to knit.
3. Where do you find your inspiration? Travel, gardens, museums, children’s paintings… From knitting books!
4. What’s your biggest challenge? Time. studio space, money, recognition…
5. What’s the biggest payoff? The wonderful feel of knitting! Working in this folk tradition with gorgeous yarns.
6. Emotions are a major driver of our passions…does your art make you satisfied from the moment you start or are there moments of anxiety as the process evolves…do you see the finished product differently as time passes? Yes! To both questions. One always learns something new. I love the process.
7. What best describes your personal learning style? Your personal teaching style? Unconventional.
8. What would a perfect fiber shop look like? Do you have any favorite haunts that come close? I love my local yarn shops: Purple Fleece in Stockton Springs and Heavenly Socks in Belfast. They are both perfect!
9. How will those who wander through the Fiber College grounds best recognize you? I will be wearing a Knitting Out Loud tee shirt.
10. In a perfect world, how would you spend your time? Where would your passions take you if there were no restraints? I am very happy right now.

Bad Girls Spinning Club/Taught by Linda Scharf on Sunday Morning
In Linda’s own words:

Smokin' Fiber

Well, we won’t be sneaking outside to smoke, but maybe our wheels will be
smokin’. Let’s hope so!

If I’m going to take the time to spin fibers, I’d like the time to be well
spent, and for me this means that I am fully engaged with the process,
enveloped in curiosity, wonder and learning. Let’s work/play in this 2
hours that we have together to remember what you want out of spinning and
practice it.

Organic Greens

We’ll be creating original yarns and remembering what the process is for
engaging deeply with our Selves, the materials and tools. We’ll be very
aware of our senses and we’ll be tapping into our core to find methods for
doing this on our own. We’ll learn some techniques for working with
perceived failure, feeling stuck and more.

Break'n out of the box

It’s best if you can take a half hour to an hour with yourself in the week
before we meet to ask yourself what it is that you want to learn about
spinning. Is it to stay inspired to spin, to explore new materials, to
learn new and old techniques and/or to figure out what to do with your
yarn after you spin it? If you can make some notes and bring your notebook
to class, then we can find out what we have in common and also, where each
has unique concerns.

Who says you can't do that?

My background is in art. You can see my work at my site: Stoneleafmoon
(http://www.stoneleafmoon.com) A long time meditation practice and
interest in the spiritual/energetic aspects of life influence my art. I
enjoy spinning fibers because it’s a good way for me to combine sculpture,
painting and a love of color.

All colors look great together!

Whether you’ve been creating dynamic yarns for a while or feel like your
spinning mojo got lost somewhere along the way, you’ll go away energized
by the time we’ve all spent together!

Susan is the kind of woman who can see a pile of chaotic colors and blend them into combinations that

Wet Felted Horse

bathe your eyes with pleasure. Not to be forced into a box, Susan is a quilter, weaver, book artist and at Fiber College she’ll be sharing her felting skills on Saturday afternoon in the Felted Paintings Class.

Recently she shared a bit of her life with us:

I have returned to school, the University of Southern Maine to study
Fine Art. I decided I wanted to create painted warps to weave shawls
or wraps that would be worn as clothing or used as a cozy blanket. I
have always loved the repetitive, meditative quality of weaving, so I
often choose the simplest weaves, plain or twill.

As a teacher, I provide simple plans and encourage students to
experiment from there. I like to use materials to their best
advantage, in ways that best shows them off and that they are best
suited for. I make suggestions and hope to contribute to growth of
knowledge about materials and techniques.

Susan's hut weaving project

I learned to weave as an apprentice to master weaver, Carol
Schwartzott. She has since sold her looms and is creating amazing
artist books now. Although processing, spinning, dyeing and knitting
with local fibers have snuck back into her life. Back in the 70’s we
processed and wove with all natural fibers; wool, cotton, linen and
silk, creating symmetrical wall units and similar pillows with fleece,
roving or ultra bulky yarns growing out of the pieces. Carol’s work
was shown in the best galleries throughout the USA and a few in
Europe.

Threading a rio grande loom

Upon moving to Rhode Island, I worked at Hamilton Web, a mill creating
narrow, decorative webbing. I wound warps on narrow spools for nearly
a year. Later, I wove on enormous Jacquard looms combining silk,
cotton and rayon into colorful webs hundreds of yards long. Some were
covered with flowers, some were elastic and said, ‘Elvis” others were
sturdy and striped. Each loom was about 40 feet wide producing about
60 webs, simultaneously. Imagine the sound! Eventually, I worked in
the sample room where I learned to thread weighted Jacquard heddles,
ten at a time held in my left hand and pulling the thread through the
eye with my right. I shifted to a position in Pawtucket, RI, making
sample elastic waistbands for underwear.

I have often been asked to demonstrate weaving to schools when my kids
were little. This has led to teaching large groups. Some interesting
and unusual projects developed while trying to include observers in
the weaving process. I have had thousands of people help build a
number of woven structures in the Twig and Bamboo and Twig Hut
Construction Project. An entire fifth grade class at the Samuel
Slater School in Lincoln, RI participated, (250 students and even some
teachers!) in the Human Loom Project, weaving a structure 18 feet
wide, using humans as the heddles and shuttling through the opening on
hands and knees with a long strip of fabric as the weft.

Last week, I was in the Maine woods, at Flagstaff Lake, attending a
Meditation, Yoga and Art Retreat. There were over 30 of us in a group
led by David Harshada Wagner. I provided the art department. For the
past two years we created felted images, using hot water, soap and
agitation to felt. This is especially fun to do outdoors when you can
rinse your project and play with the cool water from a hose. This
year the art projects were self directed and many wonderful and
inventive objects were produced; a balsam fir pillow, a hand painted
blouse, a walking stick and a VooDoo doll of harvested grasses.

As the group straightened up our meditation space, I folded our dark,
warm, gray, felted, blankets. While doing this, I realized that I
find great comfort in textiles; holding them, feeling them. Maybe I
feel this way because it is something I did with my mom and it
signifies home, a clean, safe, and organized place where I am
protected from the elements.

felted landscape

I closed my studio in Bath some months ago. My looms and equipment
are carefully stored. I miss the action of weaving but have been
delighted to learn new techniques and use new materials at school. I
have been getting the most out of being around other artists for their
inspiration, support and critiques.

With all the wonderful fiber in Maine, I would love it if we could get
together and produce a product that is 100% North East; from growth,
harvest, process to production. I have weaving skills and know
production techniques but the business side of things is beyond me. I
would love to talk to others about the possibilities.

Liz Grover makes the world a better place…simply by being alive.  She’s so much of a fiber artist that anything she touches is inspiration towards a new project or a better way to take care of her animals.  She and partner Michaele will have a booth at the in the Shopper’s Boulevard with beautiful Angoras to meet and possibly purchase.  She’ll also be teaching a class on Friday at 3 PM, All about Angoras.  If you’ve even considered caring for one of these beautiful animals yourself, this is the class to take.

Fiber College Interview 2008:

1. We know that interest in textiles and fibers evolve over time. What is your current passion? **No matter what activity I’m engaged in: weaving ,spinning, knitting…I always find my passion with my farm. Right now my barn is full of baby angoras and my llama is training with me for packing. What fun!!!

2. Did you start directly with this form of the art or did you progress through a series of interests? **Years ago I had angora rabbits because I loved everything about them-personality, and that fabulous fiber. I competed with them for 6 years before I learned to spin. My daughter,who was 16, finally taught me to spin! I do a variety of art forms.  I joke that my 15 minute attention span allows me to have a lot of projects going on.   Currently I am cleaning my sheep fleeces, spinning up more 100% angora and am preparing to paint a mural in exchange for my website : www.allaboutangoras.com

3. What or who fired your initial flames of artistry?**My dad was the first in instill a passion for art. He taught me to paint when I was in grade school and allowed me to have my own animals. Next my aunt ( my namesake)got a hold of me and taught me to knit at the age of 7. I minored in Fine Arts in college and became a certified art teacher 5 years ago. Fiber Arts and animals have become a part of who I am because of my early mentoring.

4. Where do you find your inspiration? Travel, gardens, museums, children’s paintings…**Form, texture and color anywhere!

5. What’s your biggest challenge? Time, studio space, money, recognition…** Time, for sure. I am 1 month into my 2nd business and fiber time is limited right now. But even on times off, there’s too do..weaving, spinning, needle felting, dyeing,knitting,… and too little time.

6. What’s the biggest payoff? **The changes that happen to me while engaged in a fiber project. The world fades away and you become part of the project..feeling the softness, seeing the subtle texturing and the”take your breath feeling” when it all comes out the way you never planned -better. I know this sounds corny but this right brain stuff is cool.

7. Emotions are a major driver of our passions…does your art make you satisfied from the moment you start or are there moments of anxiety as the process evolves…do you see the finished product differently as time passes? ** I’ve come to the decision that I won’t watch a t.v. shows with horror, and violence.And I wont do a project that stresses me out. This doesn’t mean that I don’t puzzle over it , become dissatisfied, but there’s too many things that bring joy…. so that’s what I do.

8. What best describes your personal learning style? Your personal teaching style?**I’m a talker-everyone confirms that! But for me to learn, I have to do it and do it and do it…………………………………. Now for teaching– Five years ago I left a teaching career of 23 years. I taught special needs kids so teaching to all learning styles was integral. I do teach spinning,weaving now. My classes have been very successful -so my students say. What fun we have together and you should see what they produce–NICE!

9. What would a perfect fiber shop look like? Do you have any favorite haunts that come close? **I have to be honest, I don’t shop for supplies. I have my own fiber! I guess I can’t really answer this. Though I am working on making my display like a little shop. (It’s a work in progress). I am adding little kiosks fora pattern display, fiber ect. I am slowly working away from tables. That’s the environment I enjoy. I just realized what a shameless plug I gave my booth. Oh well, come by and we’ll talk bunny!

10. How will those who wander through the Fiber College grounds best recognize you? *!*!*BUNNIES*!*!*! Micheale and I will have our angoras all around our white tent. We have a new, large sign- ALL ABOUT ANGORAS ( our new name). The large Angora Producers sign will also be hanging. Of course, inside you”ll find fabulous fiber, yarn, and accessories.
11. In a perfect world, how would you spend your time? Where would your passions take you if there were no restraints? **I’d be in the woods with my animals and be “playing” all day with enough money to get by. WAIT! I’m almost there.. I live in the woods with my animals. Is there a sponsor out there for me?

From Marian White, Land & Lamb Co (raising purebred Navajo-Churro sheep) (& Tunbridge Woolworks fiber processing) with Frank Tegethoff (weaver)

Fiber College Interview 2008:

1. We know that interest in textiles and fibers evolve over time.  What is your currant passion?  Did you start directly with this form of the art or did you progress through a series of interests? Textiles, fabric and color evolved into a passion as I traveled extensively in my first working life.  With my first farm (a whopping 4.7 acres huge) an open pasture led me to grazers and there I was, raising sheep and just loving textiles.  A major job opportunity introduced me to Navajo-Churro sheep and my dedication was complete: this rare and wonderful wool breed thrives in Vermont, bringing rugged individualism (of personality as well as of color) to everything the fiber touches: weaving, felting, knitting…..[visit both www.landlamb.com and www.navajo-churrosheep.com]
2. What or who fired your initial flames of artistry? My mother taught me to knit somewhere around age five (”busy hands are happy hands”) and this just evolved with my fiber enthusiasms
3. What’s your biggest challenge?   Time and money are obstacles to us all, and there is the constant challenge of learning new techniques all the while managing the flock’s consistency with diversity
4. What’s the biggest payoff? By far my biggest pleasure is watching new fiber enthusiasts begin raising their own Churro sheep— because I know, from this jumping-off point, fiber and textiles will nourish them for decades.
5. Emotions are a major driver of our passions…does your art make you satisfied from the moment you start or are there moments of anxiety as the process evolves…do you see the finished product differently as time passes? My ‘art?’  Oh I am never ‘satisfied.’  From raising the sheep cleaning the fiber through textile creation: everything tickles with questions of what would this look like if I had tried…..  It is what leads to more art, different colors, re-using material another way.  Growth & discovery.
6. What best describes your personal learning style?   I learn best by asking questions then actually doing.  Reading doesn’t stick in the same way as puzzling things out.  Often I try to recreate a ‘look’ and find I have stumbled into something quite different but even more interesting.  Consequently, I am always, always available for people with Churro sheep questions: behavior, health, fiber, fencing, feeders… just blog to me through www.landlamb.com’s ‘Buzz’
7. What would a perfect fiber shop look like?   My favorite fiber shop is Rio Grande Weavers in Santa Fe, NM.  They have an [endless] wall of color as high as my reach full of natural and dyed colors.  Rooms of completed weavings— rugs large & small, wall hangings and art.  I am inspired beyond awe by the talents of the artists who display.
8. How will those who wander through the Fiber College grounds best recognize you?  Weather-permitting I hope to bring sheep but I will definitely have a small loom with Frank at the business end.  Also, there will be a banner saying Tunbridge Woolworks for anyone with fiber to be processed (for information visit www.TunbridgeWoolworks.com)

1. Answers from Frank:  I am a production-oriented weaver, working exclusively with natural fibers, locally obtained if possible— like Marian’s Navajo-Churro.  I ended up here after a long journey beginning with knitting and needlework.  My initial flames I blame on my grandmothers and for me form follows function:  I find the individual pieces push me towards the fiber and structure they want.  For me, the BIG payoff is when someone asks for something special or for teaching.  But, still, I find satisfaction in each step of the process even though there is always some anxiety.  Because my mantra is Practice makes better, this covers everything!

My favorite fiber shop would be primarily focused on weavers.  Nothing would be in limited quantities or out of stock.  Brassard’s in Quebec comes close.  A strong second would be Vav Stuga in Shelburn Falls, MA run by Becky Ashendon.

In the ideal world I would only study, travel, teaching.  My individual studio would grow to a cooperative workshop.  And time would slip by, each moment garnished with yet more inspiration!

Laurie is someone you’d love to have living next door.  She’s artistic, patient, funny and a wonderful teacher.  This year she’ll be teaching Recycled Rag Rugs on Friday afternoon…save your old flannel bedsheets for this fun and useful project.  During the weekend, Laurie will also be hosting a crochet clinic for anyone who wants to bring a project, problem or question…or just learn about this fun and under publicized needle art.

Recently we sent her a list of question and this is what she had to say:

I have had my fingers in anything and everything fiber and art since I was little and sewing doll clothes.  For many years I stitched in private for myself and friends, but I’ve gained chutzpah with age so now I proclaim myself an artist.  My current passion is creating in crochet with local yarns.  Other projects are happening in crochet and embroidery using recycled fabric and fun things from the hardware store.

And some quick answers to questions I could ponder and discuss for hours:

When teaching I like small groups so I can give as much personal attention as possible because everyone learns differently.   

What do you need more of? Time, studio space, money, recognition.
Inspiration comes from everywhere and nowhere.  It’s often related to a perceived challange; How can I make this work?;  How can I make this everday thing beautiful?.  Sometimes I just do what the materials tell me to do.

The work itself is a meditation for me.  I get in a zone with many projects where I hate taking time out for things like cleaning, yardwork, job, sleeping.

In an ideal world I’d have a patron to pay the bills and a companion who’s whole aim in life is to handle all the day-to-day for me so I can just create.

Passionate about life and expressive in her art work, Dolores Broberg is offering a class in Paper Beads (but they’re so much more) on Saturday morning.  Use what you learn to embellish jewelery, clothing, quilts and anything else that stays still long enough for a needle and thread or a drop of glue.

Her responses to our e-mail interview give you a peak into this wise woman’s mind.

3.Where do you find your inspiration?  Travel, gardens, museums,

children’s paintings…   Inspiration is to be found everywhere. If a set of colors, or a picture strikes sparks in my spirit, I tuck that idea away until it matures and I find a way to decant it into fiber. Sometimes it is a product of work with a client to bring an idea of theirs into life.

4.What’s your biggest challenge?  Time, studio space, money, recognition…   These days, it is the condition of my hands. I suffer tendinitis and have had to tailor my activities to the needs of my body. The ideas still flow freely and I do a lot of work in my mind. Fortunately, I can still do a lot of small movements, so fine work is still possible for me.

5.What’s the biggest payoff?      When my work touches someone else’s spirit.

6.Emotions are a major driver of our passions…does your art make you satisfied from the moment you start or are there moments of anxiety as the process evolves…do you see the finished product differently as time passes?   Often, I start with my heart in my mouth, not knowing if I will be able to produce what I am aiming for. When I get into the rhythm of the work, then it tends to flow and it tends to inform me where to go. Somewhere along the way, I will find the “real” reason I am doing the work, as the message contained with in it becomes clearer.

7.What best describes your personal learning style?  Your personal teaching style?    I am good at giving direction to basic knowledge.  However, then, I encourage each individual”s creativity to take over. My favorite way of learning and teaching is through discovery. If I have done a good job I will have learned from my students

8.What would a perfect fiber shop look like?     My only requirements are that the products be available to eye and touch.    Do you have any favorite haunts that come close?    There are lots of them and a list would take too long.

9.How will those who wander through the Fiber College grounds best recognize you?    I don’t know. I’m pretty non-descript till I open my mouth.

10.In a perfect world, how would you spend your time?  Where would your passions take you if there were no restraints?     I am blessed to be able to live in a perfect world, for me, renewed, each day, with new challenges and sweet surprises. When things do not fall out as I expected or desired, then I seek what it is that the disjuncture can teach me. Life is a continual adventure.

Deb is a talented weaver, spinner and knitter…moreover, she’s a wonderful organizer and was a powerful force in organizing Fiber College 2006.  Most of the time you’ll find her in her studio/shop Purple Fleece in nearby Stockton Springs.  At the College she’ll be teaching a Drop Spindle class on Saturday morning and tending her booth in the Shopper’s Boulevard.

Artist’s Statement

There are few things in life that I become passionate about ? weaving
is one of them. It makes my heart soar. It drives away the blues that
like to settle in around January with the short days and frigid
temperatures. What could be cozier than weaving a blanket to keep me
warm on those cold winter days? Better yet, stepping out of bed in the
morning and feeling the texture of a closely woven and colorful rag
rug against the soles of my bare feet. Like I said, it?s my passion.

It all began back in 1984. My husband and I had just moved to
Minnesota from the East Coast. I knew very little about that area
except for Mary Tyler Moore tossing her beret in the air in
Minneapolis and Laura Ingalls? life on the prairie. (Both proved to be
excellent guides, by the way!) My husband?s job took him to
Scandinavia quite a bit and two weeks after arriving in Minneapolis, I
found myself alone in our apartment, without a job, friends, or any
notion of how to get around that metropolis. What did I do? I decided
it would be the perfect opportunity to learn how to weave. I signed up
for a class at The Weaver?s Guild and the adventure started a few
weeks later. I knew from the very first session that weaving was for me.

I was fascinated by the idea that I could make material out of string.
Centuries before, people had figured out that by passing one thread
over and under other threads, one could make cloth. That cloth could
have color, texture, pattern design, and all from string. I was going
to learn to weave on a multi-harness floor loom. Yes, there are many
other ways to weave such as frame loom weaving, potholder frames, a
back strap loom tied to a tree, inkle loom weaving, tapestry weaving,
and card weaving. The list goes on. With a multi-harness floor loom,
the world of pattern design opens wide.

I?ve been weaving now for 24 years. Since moving to coastal Maine six
years ago, I opened Purple Fleece, a retail fiber shop and studio. I
sell supplies to other fiber artists and teach private classes in
weaving, spinning, and knitting. These days I work primarily with
cotton, wool, and other natural fibers and prefer to make rugs and
wall hangings based upon Scandinavian weaving traditions. The Maine
coast provides the inspiration and exuberant colors for my work. I?ve
exhibited my weavings in Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, and Maine and
I currently attend craft fairs throughout New England. Every day
brings new ideas and new weaving projects. The passion continues to
grow…

Terri Lipman is joining Fiber College for the first time this year and we’re excited about all she has to teach those interested in fabric manipulation for quilting, altered books, doll making, art to wear and the joy of playing with fabric.  Terri’s been active in the Fiber Arts Community since the late 1970’s and has had experience teaching, selling, developing and marketing the best of color and texture.   Although her focus this year is on texture and paint on fabric, don’t hesitate to talk to her about free form knitting and crocheting…a definite class for next year!  This year she’ll be teaching four hour class called Creating Art Cloth on Friday at 10 AM.

My days would be painting, drawing, dyeing, hiking, kayaking, swimming, snow shoeing, depending the season, with my friends.  I would attend art retreats and share art with others.

Visit http://earlylipman.blogspot.com or www.terrilipman.com for more information.

Janice Conner is a talented instructor who’s classes have sold out each year she has taught at the College.  The most frequent comments we receive on the instructor evaluations are: “fun!” “enthusiastic, gifted and so very patient!” “makes things so clear and inspires me to do more and look at the world differently.”

This year she will be teaching Penny Rugs on Friday at 2:00PM and Hooked Rugs on Saturday at 12:30.  We sent her a set of basic interview questions, and Janet responded:

1. We know that interest in textiles and fibers evolve over time.  What is your current passion? Rug Hooking, penny rugs and spinning, knitting, punch needle hooking–anything with wool! Did you start directly with this form of the art or did you progress through a series of interests? I love all kinds of art, art history and travel. Working with wool, and restoring antique rugs combine all my interests…
2. What or who fired your initial flames of artistry?

In 1982, I inherited my husband’s great uncle Ralph’s rug hooking tools, wools and patterns.  While i have never hooked any of his printed patterns, preferring to design my own, I certainly have been inspired by all his heirloom wool fabrics.  Rug hooking combines all my skills: drawing and painting, art history and Americana, folk art and design.

1. Where do you find your inspiration?  Travel, gardens, museums, children’s paintings…My most consistent source of inspiration is antique hooked rugs.  I study all the publications, museum collections and also the beautiful antique pieces that i restore for museums and private collections.  I also use images from trips–see my 2008 Irish series, and my 2007 Van Gogh pieces, following trips to Holland and Ireland.
2. What’s your biggest challenge?  Time, studio space, money, recognition…All of the above! but overall, I feel very lucky to have a chance to do what I really love, and to share my skills through teaching and inspiring others.
3. What’s the biggest payoff?

I am thrilled when I can interpret someone’s dreams and images in custom designed pieces, when i can bring a tired and broken antique rug back to life, and most of all, when i can get beginners to try rug hooking and end up LOVING it!

1. Emotions are a major driver of our passions…does your art make you satisfied from the moment you start or are there moments of anxiety as the process evolves…do you see the finished product differently as time passes? My favorite piece is usually the one I have just finished. I always move through periods of doubt and frustration during the process.
2. What best describes your personal learning style? I need to usually skip the directions and simply practice with my own hands. I learn best independently. Your personal teaching style? Because of my 30yr career as an elementary art teacher, I am  able to present material quickly and easily, using every different learning modality: spoken, written, experiential…I use diagrams, analogies and demonstrations.  Ninety percent of every class is simply hands on hooking.  Every student is successful!
3. What would a perfect fiber shop look like? In my home, filled with wool, lots of snacks around, coffee pot going, hundreds of books and pictures and comfortable chairs under good lights! Do you have any favorite haunts that come close? Searsport Rug Hooking.
4. How will those who wander through the Fiber College grounds best recognize you? I will be laughing and giggling with my students and surrounded by messy piles of beautiful wool.
5. In a perfect world, how would you spend your time?  I would simply have MORE time.  Where would your passions take you if there were no restraints? Every year, I would rent a different villa somewhere on some ocean, and invite all my fiber friends to study, work, sight-see, and eat great meals together.

We just added four new classes to the schedule…check them out!  We’re currently working with some great instructors for all day classes on Thursday…these should be posted by May 1st…

Thanks to everyone who has sent their class registrations early…

Yesterday the Jurying Committee of 5 met and deliberated over almost 80 class applications.  Oh my gosh, to narrow our choices down to 40 was like deciding which flavor of ice cream to choose when they’re all homemade and luscious…or choosing between silk, mohair, wool, cotton and angora…oh how we suffered on your behalf!

But we narrowed the class list down to give us a nice representation of disciplines and now we’re working at the big wall board to make certain everything fits into the schedule.  Applicants, we’ll be in touch by the end of the week.  Students, we’ll try to have the class list published on the website by the end of the weekend.   It’s going to be exciting…we promise there’s something for everyone’s skill level and many classes you won’t find anywhere else this year.

If you’re wondering why one class was chosen over another, the response could be any number of things:  we couldn’t fit the desired class time into a slot, certain fiber interests were better represented than others and we simply had to choose, materials fees didn’t seem like the best value to students or there was no appropriate photo to accompany the application and of course we want the course offerings to stay fresh and timely.  If your application wasn’t chosen, don’t hesitate to ask why…and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE try again next year!
Thanks for your patience,

The Jurying Committee

But can it be spun, knit or woven?

Today I got a phone call from fiber arts writer Cheryl Krementz. She said that the magazine Yarn Market News was going to be doing a story in the up-coming issue on the fiber arts scene in Maine and she wanted to include our perspective…I’m so flattered! YMN is supports local yarn store owners (LYS’s) by being a forum for pertinent issues facing the yarn industry… So we talked about the teachers and vendors and attendees of Fiber College with a particular focus on yarn.

From my point of view, Maine is THE PLACE for all things wooly because where else in the world can you wear a wool sweater in July? But seriously, the friendly competition, level of expertise and overall support of needle work in Maine and New England puts us a bar above the general public when we show off our knitwear. We take our education very seriously
The retail yarn market has everything to gain from knitters, crocheters and needleworkers who learn to distinguish one yarn from the next using more than color as a guide. As we expand our appreciation of wool breeds, luxury fibers and custom blends, we’re better able to match yarns to projects and dreams to reality. Have you noticed how exciting and individualized final projects are these days? Moreover, as recreational spinners increase in numbers, they begin producing one-of-a kind yarns for themselves and lucky loved ones…envious non-spinner friends and relations then head to the store to find similarly interesting yarns.

The impact of our passions is bigger than we might imagine. When we buy local fibers, we’re economically empowering small farms to diversify and raise personally selected flocks of sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas, rabbits and an occasional water buffalo. I love thinking that the sweater I knit has a history I can trace back to a real farm and a real shepardess. Even further along that line of thought, when others come to Maine for events such as Fiber Frolic or Fiber College, the money they spend in our LYS’s, at our special venues and on local farms stays right here in the local economy…or helps a small farm anywhere else in the world…this money doesn’t travel to Arkansas or any other corporate headquarter site. Local purchases help maintain the people and places that give our world a unique flavor. This authenticity should be protected and we do it every time we begin thinking and buying for the new project that awaits us.

That’s what the surging fiber arts in Maine is doing to solve the world’s economic problems…has anyone else got a better solution?

This is the new poster for Fiber College…Janice Webster designed it and it’s fantastic! Thank you Janice! Notice that we’ve added a new tag line…Fiber College on Penobscot Bay, Educating Creative Expression

It’s not news that New England is home to prolific and generous artists.  This year we’ll be hosting a book signing event on Sunday from 10 AM to 1 PM.  We are currently looking for the “right people” to invite…do you have any thoughts or contacts?

Fiber College is never far from our thoughts.  We scan every magazine, every book shelf and every fiber related meeting for ideas and people who will make the College even richer with each passing year.

As you can see, we’ve begun changing the website from 2007 to 2008 and will continue to update the site as the new information comes in.  For now, we’ll be sending out a call for instructors on January 15th and jury the applications the first week of March.  Please spread the word to all of the talented people in your fibery circles.

This is the first year Fiber College will be offering scheduled demonstrations in addition to the informal demonstrations most of the vendors offer at their booths. The intention of both is to give you a chance to touch, see, smell and ask lots of questions. We’ll feel like the College is a success if you walk away with a new appreciation for all of these ancient arts. To make the most of your time with us, plan on talking with the many accomplished artists who give up their weekend just to share their passion.

To help you plan, here is the schedule of formal demonstrations…check on the message board to see if there have been any changes once you get here.
Day Time Slot Location Demo Instructor
Friday 1:00 Demonstration Booth Quilting Mary Ellen Kranz
2:00 Cedar Valley Fibers Booth Spinning on a Wheel Kelly Mc Kenzie
3:00 Spinnakee Farm Booth Credit Card Holder Betty Stover

(rug hooking and embroidery)

4:00 Demonstration Booth Fiber Post Cards Emma Morin

Saturday

10:00 Demonstration Booth Wool Collage Kelly Corbett
11:00 Pinestar Studio Booth Tapestry Weaving Linda Whiting
1:00 Spinnakee Farm Booth Needle Felting Tea Cozy Betty Stover
2:00 Thistle Woolworks Booth Kuhimo Braiding Carole Presburg
3:00 Cedar Valley Fibers Booth Spinning- Navajo Plying Kelly Mc Kenzie
4:00 Buckwheat Farm Booth Solar Powered Spinning Mill Sara Healy

Sunday

9:00 Leslie Wind Studio Booth Wire Working for Fiber Artists Leslie Wind
10:00 Demonstration Booth Drop Spinning Susan Dewey
11:00 Demonstration Booth Tatting Beryl Pitman
12:00 End of the World Booth Locker Hooking Katie Jarius
1:00 Keith O’Connor Beads Booth Beads…With Pleasure! Laurie Farrell
2:00 Sock-it-to-Me Booth Knitting Bobbles and Cables Kathy Norwood
3:00 Ackers Acres Angoras Booth Color Blending for Spinning Beth Acker

Please consider this an open letter of invitation to everyone interested in all things fibery…

We’d love to have you come by the College whether or not you intend to take a class.  Your $5 entry fee covers parking, admissions, scheduled demonstratations, the Shopper’s Boulevard, the Richard Johnson Sub-Continent textile exhibit, time at the artist in residence tent and of course beach strolls along the Bay.

All we ask is that you leave your pets at home, carpool whenever possible and come with a joyful attitude…we’ll provide the rest!

Fiber Enablers Unite!

Astrig

Have you ever lived through months when every single day blurs into the next because one amazing thing happens after another? Well that’s the best description for the way Fiber College has been coming together this year…I know it sounds pollyanna but the truth is, fabulous things have been happening so quickly this summer that at the end of the day there hasn’t been time to write about them.

Last Wednesday Emma and I finally had the pleasure of catching up with Mary Ellen Kranz, the well known quilter and author for a lovely lunch in the garden and a long conversation about everything under the sun. We had a little show and tell as we got to know each other. Mary Ellen brought some of her digital quilts, Emma brought her helioprints and I had my nuno shawls. By the end of the afternoon we each had clouds of ideas in our minds of how we could incorporate each other’s techniques within our own art forms.

If you haven’t heard of Mary Ellen, here’s an excerpt from her bio:

As a quiltmaker, teacher and author, Mary Ellen Kranz shares her knowledge of how to combine quilting and digital photography with quiltmakers across the country. Her quilts have appeared in galleries and reflect a broad range of quiltmaking skills and techniques. For the past seven years, Mary Ellen has taught throughout the country at shops, guilds, regional quilting events and national conferences including the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah, Quilting by the Lake and the Houston International Quilt Festival, and Maine Quilts.

Her article, Joyful Image Quilts, appeared in the Spring 2003 issue of American Quilter magazine. Mary Ellen and Cheryl Hayes are co-authors of Blending Photos with Fabric: A Beautiful New Way to Combine Photography, Printing, and Quiltmaking published by The Electric Quilt Company. Mary Ellen was the featured guest of Alex Anderson’s Simply Quilts on HGTV. Mary Ellen’s new book, Blending Photos with Fabric II, published by The Electric Quilt Company, will be available in the fall of 2007. You can see her work at www.quiltingimages.com

Although Mary Ellen’s schedule is so tight that she can only make it to the College on Friday, she has graciously offered to participate in the Demonstration tent at 1:00. The title of her lecture/demonstration will be: Blending Photos with Fabric

Using her own work as visuals, Mary Ellen will explain how typically ‘Photo quilts’ often use a bulletin board setting – fabric photos set in a regular pattern on the surface of the quilt. But, there are so many other ways to incorporate your own images into your quilted pieces. She will talk a bit about mechanics of printing from your computer onto fabric. Then, demonstrate a variety of ways to set your fabric photo into your quilt design.

I hope that you can make it!

In our continued effort to get the word out, we’ve mailed over 100 brochures to anyone who filled out an address form last year.  This brochure lists all of the 39 classes offered at the College and gives directions to finding the application forms on the website.  If you didn’t receive a copy of the brochure and would like one, send us an email at create@fibercollege.org and we’ll either send it to you electronically or drop it in the mail…just let us know your preference.  We also have posters if you know of bulletin boards in your area that would benefit from knowing about our fiber’holic tendencies.

This dragon fly is an example of pounded garden leaves on fabric embellished with sharpie pens and pigment ink.

This year we’re trying something new…Joan Chellis of N Wayne will be this year’s Fiber College Artist in Residence. An amazing fabric artist, Joan specializes in one of a kind, painted fabrics and heliographs (dyeing prepared cloth using the sun’s energy to imprint the fabrics). Her work is found mainly in private collections and finds its way into quilts and wall hangings. Rather than fill this post with words, I’ll fill it with photos that only suggest the vibrancy of Joan’s work.

As the Artist in Residence, Joan will set up her studio for students to work in two hour blocks exploring techniques in color blending, resists of all sort, nature prints and abstract concepts. Your $45 class registration fee will allow you to choose times that permit heiloprinting if that’s your interest. You are welcome to bring home all of the fabric you create. Joan will be available all three days to answer your questions, guide your explorations and talk about her body of work.  For more photographs, visit the photo album.

Welcome artists, dreamers, students and masters…we’re going to use technology to stay in touch with the world outside our fingertips.  Fiber College is a more an atmosphere and experience than a simple class or two.  Visit a couple of times each month to see highlights of the College planning and in-depth interviews with our faculty, vendors and friends.  We look forward to sharing our world with you and hope that you’ll feel free to submit comments, make suggestions and offer insights from your perspective.  Stay tuned for more!

Astrig, one of many at Fiber College on Penobscot Bay