Art in Action 2017

Pat and Jane the loom

Art in Action is a community event that show cases the various artists and artisans in our area.  It is an outdoor event that features, visual arts, fibre arts of all kinds, metal and wood work, pottery, and glass.  It is an annual event that takes place in downtown Qualicum Beach.  Our guild has been a part of this event since its inception.
This year we set up our booth under cloudy skies and kept close watch on the clouds in case we had to grab our equipment and head for cover.  But though the wind did blow and the skies were dark the rain went somewhere else.

this is how we weave

This was the first outing for our new Jane loom by Louet.  We'll have more about the loom in another posting.  We are grateful to Grinsheep Fibre Productions and the Regional District of Nanaimo who supported the purchase.  Often we get questions about how a specific piece was woven and it helps to be able to show the process on the demonstration loom.  The couple in the picture are getting an explanation from Gitte.

shawls and scarves and clouds

       

which tea towel to buy?

A lot of tea towels flew off the clothes line (now and then due to the wind) in the first hours of the event.  Regular visitors to the event know to check out our booth early for the best selection.  Some went home to Alberta and Ontario as reminders of a pleasant vacation and some went home as future Christmas gifts.  We hope whatever the intent that they are well used and enjoyed and yes they are meant to be used for many years.

As usual the spinners performance drew a lot of attention.  Some people just like to watch while others become very engaged in the process.  Notice the styles of foot wear, or lack there of, in the photographs.

footwear included technique

 

barefoot spinning technique

the sock foot technique

    Our next event will be Children's Day at the Qualicum Beach Museum on August 19th.  After that we will be at the Light House Fall Fair in Bowser on Saturday September 2nd.  We will have a large display with clothing as well as home decor items.  

We Went to ANWG

Congratulations to the Victoria Handweavers and Spinners Guild. Treadle Lightly, the ANWG 2017 North West Weavers' Conference was a great success.
About half of our guild members made their way to Victoria to take part in the workshops, lectures, and shopping opportunities.  We met old friends and made new friends.
The fashion show was not restricted to the runway. We got to show off our creative efforts and admire those of others and we came home with inspiration and a renewed creative energy.



A convoy of our members managed to transport all of the elements of our booth to the display location.  The assembly went as planned (more or less) and the constructed elements held together. Thanks to the group that transported and assembled the booth.  They had to come early to set it up and stay after the conference to take it down.

Grinsheep booth

Weaver's Atelier Booth

Shopping is a big part of every conference and judging from the bulging bags this conference was typical.  Three of our members came as vendors.  Some of our members came home with new looms (or at least looms on order), most added something new or unique to their stash.  There was a nice mix of spinning and weaving supplies and some lovely finished goods as well.

Spirit Song Fiber Works

Our guild wove prize ribbons for the various shows so we got to see our "weaving" on display even if we hadn't entered anything into the shows.  But one of our members came home with several ribbons for her efforts.

Mary's "Spring Fever" tailored jacket

 Mary's jacket was a multi-layered project starting with a dyed roving of mixed wool and silk fibres.  Her handspun yarn turned out to be unsuitable for the knitted project she had in mind so she improvised and wove yardage with it.  She also had to modify a jacket pattern to fit with the yardage.  Unfortunately the picture shows the lovely prize ribbons but it covers up the hand worked button detail.






The long anticipated 2017 conference may be over but the planning has already started for the 2019 event.  It is being hosted by the Prince George Fibre Arts Guild.  It will take place June 11 to 16 in the city of Prince George, British Columbia.  If you have any questions contact the conference committee at  pgfibrearts@gmail.com