The Sunshine Coast Spinners and Weavers Guild’s Fibre Camp 2017 was held at Camp Sunrise on the Sunshine Coast of BC from Sept 7th to Sept 9th. Fifty fibre enthusiasts gathered to attend workshops, played with their fibre, shopped at vendor stalls, talked, ate and shared their stories.

The Sunshine Coast Fibreshed display featured local fleece dyed with local pokeberries.

The pokeberry was dyed using the solar method…aka…Sun Kissing.

Jars of solar dyed marigolds and onion skins produce bright golds and soft yellows. When overdyed with Japanese Indigo, various shades of green are the result.

On display at Fibre Camp was our Teddy Bears Picnic Blanket along with many items hand made by local artisans from local fleece, dyed with local plants…all invited to the picnic!

This Community Blanket Project was a joint effort by the Sunshine Coast Fibreshed and the Sunshine Coast Spinners and Weavers Guild. We gathered fibre from the Sunshine Coast, washed, picked, carded, spun, wove and waulked a brilliant picnic blanket for our guild booth display at ANWG this past July in Victoria, B.C.

After spending the day at Camp spinning, spindling, weaving, knitting we had an impromptu Tai Chi exercise session to limber up. Fun and relaxing.

One of the Camp workshops by author of Magic in the Dyepot, Ann Harmer, featured dyeing with local mushrooms.

The weekend offered Fibreshed ongoing opportunities to connect, share, learn and have fun with fibre folk from as far away as New York, across to Washington along the Pacific Coast, and within BC to Vancouver Island. Stay tuned for next year’s Fibre Camp on the Sunshine Coast, BC.

Submitted by Lynda Daniells,
Photos by Lynda and Merrily