This is a new section that I’m going to try out and see how it pans out. I’d like to add different blogs and websites that you find helpful in your fiber pursuit. If it gets too large, we may have to vote and thin them down but we’ll see how it goes! I have learned about so many from other people that I never have found by myself.
Starting with:
These are all weaving sites sent by Kathy Dailey (Thank you!):
thewarpandweftblog.blogspot.com. Laura Thomas of Britain
evasweaving.wordpress.com. Eva Stossel
Mollyelkindtalkingtextiles.blogspot.com
Check these out! If you have sites you love, send them to me! I will update these every couple of weeks, separating them by fiber discipline.
TEXTILE ARTS & VETS Drop-in Fiber Arts Activities for Veterans
Every Wednesday from 1-4 pm Introductory Weaving and other fiber arts activities will be offered to veterans at no cost. Weaving looms and yarn have been donated by local fiber artists, veterans supporters and members of the Rocky Mountain Weavers Guild, Pikes Peak Weavers Guild and Front Range Fiber Artisans, committed to sharing our love of fiber arts with veterans. We offer a friendly and supportive environment where you can get your creative juices flowing and create your own masterpiece! Join us at Imagination Celebration located at 750 Citadel Drive East, Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Coordinator: Mary Madison Email contact: TextileArtsandVets@gmail.com
INTERMOUNTAIN WEAVERS CONFERENCE A CONFERENCE FOR FIBER ARTISTS
THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEAVERS’ CONFERENCE
And Why I Love Attending
Pamela Bliss
The Intermountain Weavers’ Conference, held every other year in Durango, Colorado, is a nationally known fiber arts conference that attracts attendees from across the country. Held on the beautiful Fort Lewis Campus in southern Colorado, the four-day gathering celebrates all the fiber arts, including knitting, spinning, weaving, felting, embellishing, dyeing and more. I look forward to every conference.
The next one will be July 27-30, 2017. It is a four-day event and many of the workshops are three days in duration. I have always liked the depth of study that a three-day experience provides. One-day workshops are also offered. This format allows a flexible mix-and-match approach as attendees can chose to attend one, two, or three different workshops. Visit www.intermountainweavers.org for a full list.
I always stay in a dorm on campus. The rate is very reasonable and some units have kitchens so I can make my own breakfast or organize a mini potluck dinner with friends. And while the cafeteria does not provide fine dining, the chef always supplies fresh salads and a variety of reasonably good entrees for us. You can, of course, stay in a local hotel and eat off-campus.
Inside or outside the classroom, inspiration for the fiber artist is everywhere. Besides the workshops, there is an opening convocation with a featured speaker, this time silk expert Karen Selk. There is a fashion show of members’ creations and a raffle of gift baskets. The vendor hall is a great way to see (and purchase!) a variety of fiber art specialty items that are conveniently all in one place. For creative inspiration I visit the non-juried exhibit featuring members’ work, another featuring teachers’ submissions, and a tapestry exhibit. There is also time built into the schedule for visiting other workshops – a feature I very much appreciate, as I am perpetually curious about other fiber arts.
Personally, I love being with other fiber artists for four days – people who understand my passion and support it! I love the deer that live on campus and the occasional refreshing rains that visit the mesa. I appreciate the size of the conference – not overwhelmingly huge, but big enough to attract major teaching talent.
And the IWC is a home-grown product – a non-profit organization made up of representatives from Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. I urge you to give it a try and hope you love it too!
Registration begins February 1, 2017. Many classes fill early, so be sure to register as soon as possible. See you in Durango!
HATS 4 HOPE
Hats 4 Hope was started in 2008 by Suzy Luff, who was just 14 years old at the time. She is now a senior at the University of Denver majoring in math and the organization is still going strong and growing way beyond her initial dreams with 10 chapters in the US and 1 in Germany. Suzy has been featured on local and national television and has donated over 17,000 hats with 14,500 of those going to babies in Colorado Springs.
Suzy’s idea to provide hats to premature newborns started with a small hat loom she received as a gift. She was inspired by baby pictures of her older brother in a baby hat that looked small and thin and she wanted to make something better. Her first hat was too small for a newborn but just right for a preemie. So, she contacted the local neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to see if it could use her hats to help premature infants retain their body heat. The NICU was very happy to accept the donation, but never expected the hats to keep coming. But they did. Soon after she started donating hats, Suzy created the nonprofit organization, Hats 4 Hope, training volunteers by holding knitting parties. Her efforts, along with those of the hundreds of volunteers who make up Hats 4 Hope, have touched the lives of so many families of premature infants – not only by warming tiny heads, but also by lifting spirits at a difficult time.
Suzy was featured in the Colorado Springs Gazette in 2013 and on NBC news in 2014. The national exposure through the NBC news feature helped kick start new chapters around the country. Suzy assists the chapters in getting started and they are allowed to use the Hats 4 Hope name. Each chapter reaches out to the local NICUs in their communities to find ones that are in need of hats. Suzy also spreads the word around the country during
family vacations where she contacts the NCIU units near her vacation destination and offers to donate hats.
Suzy sees herself continuing to be the administrator of Hats 4 Hope through her college career and beyond. She plans to continue her education next year with a master’s program in curriculum and instruction with a goal of becoming a secondary education math teacher.
While there are many organizations that do charity knitting, this one was started by a very special local lady and has had a positive impact on babies in Colorado NICU units and their parents.
If you would like to donate hats, I’ve included a link to a simple pattern below. Or if you have some leftover yarn from a project, Hats 4 Hope can use that too. It only takes a small amount of yarn for these tiny hats. Baby skin is delicate so soft acrylics or cotton are best plus they are easily washable.
Pattern: http://majorknitter.typepad.com/major_knitter/files/ basic_newborn_baby_hat.pdf
You can send hats or yarn to: Suzy Luff Hats 4 Hope 3222 Austin Place Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Website: http://www.hats-4-hope.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hats4Hope
PROGRAMS for 2017/2018
| Date | Program Plan and Presenters | Hands on Activity |
| July 15, 2017 | Zentangle Class | Paid class – see notice |
|
August 5, 2017 (Saturday) |
Potluck and spinning day at Ellen Alderson’s in Black Forest – NOTE: this is on a Saturday and the location is Black Forest. We will NOT be meeting on that first Thursday.
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Learn to spindle spin on Ellen’s wire hanger spindles or bring your own spindle or spinning wheel |
NOTE: ALL HANDS ON ACTIVITIES ARE FREE UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED
| Date | Program and Presenter | Hands on Activity |
|
September 7, 2017 |
Cass Mullane – a creative artist will provide the supplies and show us how to make a piano hinge book. Contact info: Cass@propercreatively.com 719-471-2022
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Piano hinge book
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October 5, 2017 |
Terza Ekholm – creative artist with silk. Will provide a demonstration regarding her art with silk Contact: terza@theterzafactor.com 719-213-9469 |
(Possible silk class later this month if there is enough interest)
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November 2, 2017
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Elizabeth Crow – bead artist will discuss her art and provide supplies for everyone to make their own bracelet. Elizabeth has Bead Soup Saturdays that you may participate in for a cost. Contact:crowbetsty@gmail.com 719-641-7766
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Beaded bracelet
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December 7, 2017 |
Linda Logan – paper artist. Will provide all supplies and walk us through a holiday card making program Contact: lilosartandsoul@gmail.com 719-237-7216
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Holiday card
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January 4, 2018
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Kimberlie Griffis – art therapy. Learn how art provides less stress
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Art Therapy |
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February 1, 2018
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Elizabeth Hanson – papermaking artist. Elizabeth will walk us through step by step on making our own sheets of paper. Contact: plantedinpaper@gmail.com 719-494-2487
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Papermaking 2-sheets |
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March 1, 2018
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Textiles West – Cecelia will present a demonstration regarding their new Epson SureColor printer, which can print on paper, canvas and paper-backed fabrics. Up to 24×44” Contact: printer@textileswest.org
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Demo of large color printer |
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April 5, 2018 |
New Hue – Tess Murdoch and Susan Haldeman will present a hands on program for chemical dying. Please wear clothing you do not mind getting dye on. Bring something small you want to dye or use their supplies. Contact: tess@newhuetextilestudio.com susan@newhuetextilestudio.com
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Small dye project |
The Knitting Study Group meets once a month, on the third Wednesday, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Our next meeting is July 20th!
