Fibreworks Kingston

The one regret I have about teaching at Fibreworks Kingston this weekend is that I didn't take enough photos. What a great experience it was to meet these enthusiastic and talented fibre artists, and to share new ideas.

On the left is the first piece made by Janet Reader Day, seen here at her sewing machine. She was one of several participants who used dense stitching to create shadowed areas. She used an unattributed image found on the internet.






















And here is Mary Wahl, who travelled from the Toronto area to attend the workshop. She began with this charming study of a bicycle, and later moved on to a colourful composition featuring picnic tables. Mary intends to add some hand embroidery to her pieces.

Peta Gillyatt Bailey introduced stitching to indicate some of the textures of the stone building. Her second piece used a beautiful blue hand-dye for the doors and shutters on the facade of another heritage building.

Janine Gates

Some participants chose to begin with a boldly hand-painted or hand-dyed cloth, and to superimpose their stitched line drawing on the vibrant background. Others used a heavily textured linen as a starting point. Jaunty maritime buildings were depicted with fanciful choices of prints and bold colours. One stitcher experimented with multiple outlines to produce a sense of motion, and another was inspired by a sketch of her three children to produce a lovely figurative study.

It was very rewarding for me to see some of the participants take on new challenges, whether it was free-motion stitching, fusible web, or using their own photographs for inspiration. Several were not ready to re-cap at the end of the second day, wanting to continue to work on their projects.

I am grateful for the opportunity this workshop gave me to get to know some delightful people, and to share in their love of the fibre arts. I learned so much from you all. Thank you!