For three beautiful days in late summer, fifty-one women gathered for the first annual Fibre Camp. Most were members of our Sunshine Coast Spinners and Weavers Guild with others from Powell River, Greater Vancouver, Vancouver Island, the B.C. Interior and Washington and Florida states.  We were thrilled with the venue of the Salvation Army’s Camp Sunrise which is conveniently situated alongside the Langdale Ferry Terminal and offers great quiet and privacy on a beautiful wooded site with oceanfront beaches.

Some came to “camp” in the cabins for two nights while many registered for the full day Saturday to attend the several workshops offered.  Each cabin had separate bunk rooms, shared washrooms and a common area for socializing with cabin mates.

During the day we all gathered in the Chapel, a beautiful round building, to create this wonderful inner circle of spinning and knitting.

The vendors beautifully displayed their fibres and accessories along the wall of windows overlooking the grounds, which gave them great light and a connection to all that was going on.

Sharon Wickstrom of Homespun Haven.   www.homespunhaven.com

Yvonne Stowell of  FibreWorks Studio and Gallery with Thormanby Island alpaca fibre from our own Fibreshed,   www.fibreworksgallery.com

Kim Fenton of Unwind Knit and Fibre Lounge.    www.unwindknitandfibre.ca

Caitlin ffrench with her naturally dyed yarns.   www.wewilltellyouallofoursecrets.com

Kristan MacIntyre with yarns and jewellery.    www.kristanmacintyre.com

Penny Stewart’s beautiful yarns from her Fibre Arts Studio, Granville Island.

Jenny Margueratt of Sew Easy with yarns and accessories.   www.seweasy.ca

There were displays of our Sunshine Coast Fibreshed and an array of fibres and fabric dyed with natural dyes.

Some of our members did displays and gave demonstrations. Dorothy showed participants how to hook rugs and Bonnie demonstrated rigid heddle weaving and tablet/card weaving techniques.  There was an opportunity to weave at a rigid heddle loom, shown here enjoyed by one of the Camp Sunrise staff.  Lynda demonstrated carding and blending.

Other buildings on the site were used to house the various workshops.  The Painted Warp Silk Scarf workshop taught by Guild member Barby Paulus showed participants an unstructured method of painting protein fibre warps and wefts using acid dyes. The approach was one of free form and creativity and offered a chance to explore and express ideas of colour. The finished pieces were artistic and absolutely unique.

The Nuno Felting workshop was taught by Guild member Ursula Bentz.  Participants learned how to create a nuno felted scarf by felting wool and small amounts of sheer fabrics and fancy yarns onto silk chiffon.

The Eco-Dyeing workshop was taught by Caitlin ffrench, a textile artist from East Vancouver. Participants learned the basics of natural dyes and were given an overview of eco-printing and making mordants at home. Caitlin explained how and why to harvest your own dye stuff in the land-base you live in.

The Leftovers: Magic Ball Knitting workshop was taught by Guild member Doreen MacLaughlin.  Doreen showed participants how to use leftovers, small amounts of yarn, especially sock yarn or fingering weight yarn, to create a beautiful triangular shawl. The techniques centred on suggestions by Paula Emons-Fuessle of the Knitting Pipeline podcast (with her permission) and the Magic Knot as shown in a tutorial by Jane Richmond.

The Friday evening event was an impromptu Fashion Show/Show & Tell.  On Saturday evening Caitlin ffrench gave a wonderful slide presentation titled “My Creative Journey so Far,” an inspiration to all and particularly those who are familiar with India Flint and Eco-dyeing.  Caitlin is working on her first book called ‘Dark Woods’.  A huge hit for all participants was the amazing array of door prizes where every registrant was able to choose a prize to remember Fibre Camp 2014.

Fibre Camp offers a wonderful opportunity for artists and artisans to gather together to learn new skills, inspire and be inspired and enjoy the company of fellow fibre enthusiasts.

Deanna Pilling, Heather Apple
Photos by Deanna, Lynda D, Merrily, Rosemary, Caitlin ffrench

Powell River’s Retreat, March 27, 28, 29, 2015 offers another opportunity to gather with fibre enthusiasts and be inspired by lectures, workshops and vendors.  Check out their website at http://retreat2015.jimdo.com.