Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Gibsons Fibre Arts Festival

I belong to a little Friday stitching group sort of know as the "Gathered Threads" although we also call ourselves the "Loose Thread"  as it is a pretty casual bunch and we quite often will invite any one that happens to wander by looking remotely like a quilter to join us for the afternoon.  I also will lovely refer to them all as my "Quilting Peeps"  Last Friday a few of us took a little day trip to the Gibsons Landing B.C. for the Fibre Arts Festival.  It was a very small show - with a quite a large Merchants's Mall - we was heavily weighted in the Fibre end of the Arts.


Here is Dianne and Sharon - smiling for the camera as we have our morning Starbucks fix waiting to get on the Ferry at Horseshoe Bay.  It was a gray day in the morning but it quickly became a lovely sunny afternoon.



A few photos of some of the items on display at the Festival.   Some items I took pictures of the labels and some I did not.

This was an amazing little fruit bowl all made from felted wool.





This small quilt was made by Gail Hunt.  Gail was one of the founding members of the quilt guild I belong to and she wrote a book called Quiltworks across Canada.
It is a great book. 



The photo doesn't really do the quilt justice.  It is just full of texture and detail.





This is called "The Eyes Have It" by Trisha Joel of Gibsons B.C.  "It is screen printed fabric suggesting eyes and the red suggests danger"  I was quite drawn to this quilt - must be the eyes!






There were a series of quilts hanging together on a wall with this label.  The picture is a bit blurry. Jim had the new camera and I was back working with the small little Canon - obviously not working well with it!








They were all done by a Carola who is a local quilt shop owner in Gibsons.  I have no idea how she found time to make these quilts.  I have had Carola at our quilt show's Merchant's Mall a couple of times and Carola works non stop - she is always at the many quilt shows with a booth.  She is a great person and has a  shop in Gibsons called Carola's Quilt Shop.
After seeing her booth at so many quilt shows I finally got to go into her actual shop and spend money there!



There was this beautiful piece - it is all felted wool.






Here is another piece that caught my eye.  Of course I don't have a picture of the label and I can't remember the details. 




 
This one is called "Mandala" and it is felted wool.  It is by Hieke Fink of Prud'Homme Sk.





This one is called "On and Off the Grid" by Janet Tufnall of Sechelt B.C.  It is layers of fabrics that have been slashed and sewn and maybe slashed again.  Quite interesting.



The were a few items there that would not really be in the Fibre part of Fibre Arts - but lovely to look at none the less. 


My favourite of these was this hand painted little gourd.  It is by Gloria Micheal from Half Moon Bay B.C. 
It was for sale for $200.00... which I thought was a pretty reasonable price.






This shawl was the piece that won Best of Show.  It certainly was lovely.






Most of the items were for sale and I could have bought a couple of things!!  But I didn't.  I'd love a dragon fly gourd....


The show was really heavy in the wool - knitting, weaving, felting etc and only a few quilts.  The merchant's mall was also mostly wool shops with only a couple of booths selling fabric.  So ---- I decided maybe I should try my hand at KNITTING..... LOL.  But I found a little free pattern and bought the required supplied and decided to try making a pair of socks. 



I am hoping that the knitting ladies at my Friday Stitch group will guide me along.  I started the "tension test" piece last Friday and I think I maybe should knit a scarf first.  Maybe socks was a bit ambitious.  But it is supposed to be a very simple pattern.... no heel as they are tube socks. But really....... socks....... what was I thinking!!   I have done some knitting in the past but I think it was probably 30 years ago.  So first maybe I will head down to somewhere like Micheal's and get a pattern and wool for a scarf.  It seemed like such a good idea at the time!

It is raining today - it hasn't rained here in a long time and we really need the rain so I won't complain.  I am hoping to finish up the quilting on the table runner and put the binding on today.....but first coffee and maybe a bit of  the Y&R!!


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9 comments:

  1. Love the photos you shared! If I'd done that gourd I wouldn't have parted with it for $200! Enjoy your rain, wanna send us a bucket? ;)

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  2. Totally loving that shawl, I want one! A scarf is a very good place to begin to pick up knitting again. So nice to hear about a fun day spent with your Quilting Peeps. ;-D

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  3. Hi Pam,
    Just a quick hello to say how much I loved your photos of the show. I had the opportunity to hear Gail speak a few years ago at the Guild meeting here. She was terrific and I have borrowed her book a number of times from the library. There are some fabulous quilts and designers in that book.
    That gourd is amazing- it seems like a pretty reasonable price for all the labour in it.
    Have a great week- don`t get to wet in the rain.
    Hugs, Anna

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  4. Thanks for sharing these. Amazing. I really liked all those scrap quilts Carola made.

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  5. Wow, that felted bowl of fruit is amazing x

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  6. Great job of documenting our journey Pam, although my picture was quite shocking to me. Nothing like a reality check to get one onto the treadmill!!! Great photos of the show too it's like seeing it all over again! See you Friday if you aren't working that is.
    Hugs,

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  7. Stunning quilts, esp. the ones made with felted wool.
    Good luck with your knitting!
    Micki

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  8. My niece lives in Gibsons and based on what she tells me, I have always wanted to visit there. Now I want to go even more. Looks like it was a fantastic show.

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  9. LOL LOL LOL!!

    Just cause you quilt.. Doesnt mean you can knit socks off the get go there motherpants!

    I suggest a scarf as well.. I myself am seriously slacking in the knitting department!

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