Fiber Enthusiasts in the High Country of North Carolina
The Blue Ridge Fiber Guild Natural Dye Workshop is planned for Saturday, Oct 16, at the Western Watauga Community Center, 9:30 AM-12:30 PM.
A $10 fee for materials will be charged, payable on Saturday. To reserve your space in the workshop, contact Susan Sharpe, email redwing@skybest.com.
Our Blue Ridge Fiber Guild meeting for this month will be next Saturday September 11, 10:30-12:30 at the Western Watauga Community Center. All are welcome to attend, but we will Zoom again as we did last month.
10:30-11:00 short business meeting– planning our booth at the Arts on the Mountain festival in West Jefferson Sept 25. Many thanks to Susan Payne and the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild for the loan of a canopy. All are invited to demo/sell your craft and promote the guild. Rita Collie is organizing this event.
11:00-12:30–Susan, Rita, and Rhonda will give demos of the natural dye process, showing color effects that can be achieved on wool, cotton, and silk fibers using only one dye–rose madder.
We will also learn about how to use mordants in natural dyeing.
A review of the ikat techniques that were featured in last month’s meeting/workshop will give everyone a chance to catch up if they haven’t got their materials ready yet.
NOTE: The dye workshop was originally planned for this September meeting, but due to covid issues we are rescheduling to next month, October 11-16, so that more people can participate. We plan to have at least 4 different dye vats then, and members can sign-up for different times and days to allow for social distancing.
We will be having our meeting Saturday the 21st at the Western Watauga Community Center at 10:30. The program will be a hands on mini workshop on how to wrap an Ikat warp plus there will also be mordant baths there to mordant the warp in preparation for the dye workshop in September. You can bring any natural fiber to do this with: wool, cotton, linen, silk, etc. We will be winding a warp on a warping board and while it’s under tension there, the wrapping technique will occur. Susan Sharpe will show several different techniques for wrapping the warp. Projects might include doing a belt, an Inkle loom warp, a small pillow or a scarf. This is a hands on in person meeting but we will have a Zoom option available if you can’t attend (Zoom link was sent in email). If you are going to attempt this at home, you will need some way to wind a warp under tension such as a warping board, C clamps, or a peg coat rack for instance and can bring your warp to the center to soak in the mordant. Susan used Painters tape as one of the wrapping techniques. Saturday will be the 1st part; the winding and mordanting and the dying part will take place in September. Neither Susan nor I will be available Sept. 18th so we will discuss at the meeting a time for this to take place.
Here is the agenda:
10:30 -11:00 Meet and Greet and Show and tell
11:00-11:15 Discuss our upcoming and outgoing shows and Dye Workshop
• Our show at the Western North Carolina Visitors Center will be taken down on August 30th.
• Whippoorwill Academy is having a Daniel Boone Day on I am thinking will be September 18th. The dates on their website are incorrect and they are looking for demo and perhaps sales? http://www.whippoorwillacademy.com/
• In October there is the opportunity for a show with the Arts Council
• Discuss date for September dye workshop
11:15-12:30 Mini Workshop on Ikat wrapping
• Bring fiber to wind a warp and wrap or do this at home.
We are finally going to meet in person on Saturday for our guild meeting. It’s so exciting. We are having our annual Fiber Swap and Potluck at the Western Watauga Community Center at 10:30 so please join us. Bring something to swap and something to eat or just bring yourself. See you on Saturday.
The High Country Modern Quilt Guild has an exhibit at Edgewood Cottage this week through June 13th and the hours are 10 am – 5 pm each day. Susan Payne just said she sold several wall hangings yesterday so major congratulations to her. Our Banjo Buddies group will be playing there on Thursday at noon so stop by and listen, view the show and say hello.
Rita would like to get word out to anyone who would like to participate in this craft fair at Lost Province in Lansing. She has reserved a table and tent for BRFG. The fair runs from 10 am – 5 pm and features many craft vendors, music, and a food truck, etd.
Location: Historic Lansing School lawn – address 9710 NC 194 in Lansing NC
Those demonstrating and/or selling may set up as early as 8 am. Rita will be there at that time.
May need to bring extra chairs – there are two with the table, We have a 10’ x 10’ space. Please come out – I’d hate to be by myself.
Here are some preview photos of our show at the Jones House which opens June 4th and runs to the end of the month. Please thank Hope and Beth for organizing and hanging the show for us. They did a fabulous job.
We decided to have a Zoom Meeting on Saturday, the 22nd to discuss the Jones House Show. We will also have show and tell.
May 15
Field Trip to the Yadkin Valley Fiber Center Yarn Sale. We will be sending out details on time and where to meet soon.
May 22
Spinning & weaving demo @ Saloon Studios Live, W. Jefferson, NC
volunteers needed
June 4-30
Member Group Exhibit @ the Jones House, Boone NC
Volunteers need for installation and spinning & weaving demos
July 1-Aug 31
Member Group Exhibit @Northwest NC Visitor Center, N. Wilkesboro NC
Volunteers needed for installation & spinning & weaving demos