To register for our workshops, please call 902-542-2656 or toll free at 1-877-634-2737. When you reach our voicemail, please leave a message as you will be placed in the class sign-up queue.
Nunofelt Scarf
Join us to create a lovely Springtime nunofelt scarf using habotai silk and soft merino wool. The border and central design combine to create this lovely addition to your wardrobe. The fabric used will be natural in colour and may complete your scarf using either natural coloured merino roving or a colour of your choice. The centre design may be similar to the sample or you can create your own design. Finished dimensions are approximately 56” long by 10” wide.
Skill level: Beginner
Next Steps in Weaving
Next Steps in Weaving is designed to help you get the most out of you rigid heddle loom. We will cover technical aspects of weaving… choosing the right reed, yarn, colour theory, pick up sticks and more. Tammy will also share tips on all aspects of warping and weaving and answer your questions. Then it’s time to put it all together as you plan and warp your own project!
Participants must provide their own loom and be comfortable warping. If extra reeds or other equipment will be needed these should be ordered at time of registration.
Skill level: Beginner
Tea and Oatcakes with Shirl
Shirley Scott (Shirl the Purl) is one of the authors of “Saltwater Mittens”. This is sure to be an interesting and fun afternoon as Shirley will talk about the making of Saltwater Mittens, show her samples and discuss the stories behind them. Shirley is very much looking forward to meeting local knitters!
Meet Me at Midnight Knit Along
The “Meet Me at Midnight” shawl by Cheryl Faust is an easy to read mosaic pattern, perfect for learning to read charts. Join Tammy for a 4 session KAL and knit this gorgeous mosaic shawl with 3 skeins of Tree Wool from Fleece Artist. The merino/tencel blend makes this a perfect shawl for spring, summer and fall!
Skill level: Advanced Beginner
Sheepskin Baby Booties
Join Tasha to learn how to make these adorable booties; the perfect baby gift!
It is recommended that you have completed one project in the round prior to this class.
Skill level: Intermediate
Rug Hooking With Fleece
This workshop is a great introduction to the world of rug hooking using alternative, often more affordable and available materials than traditional use of hooking with thin strips of fabric. Participants will learn to use dyed and natural coloured locks straight from the sheep, along with hand dyed yarns to create visual depth and texture in their finished piece. Finishing and dyeing techniques will be discussed and demonstrated.
Skill level: Beginner
Learn How to Weave on a Rigid Heddle Loom
The rigid heddle loom is very lightweight, portable and easy to use.
In this class you will learn to warp the loom, weave a sampler and basic finishing techniques. There will be a maximum of 6 students in the class with 2 instructors.
Please bring your lunch.
Skill level: Beginner
Felted Vessels
Participants will learn how to use dyed locks and bits of wool to decorate and build a wet felted vessel over an inflatable form. This can be a bit of a sloppy process, so dress to get wet! After forming the initial shape, you will have a choice of forming the vessel into a hat, a purse, or a finished sculptural piece. The instructor will also demonstrate how to use a similar wet-felted process to make felted slippers.
Skill level: Beginner
15th Annual Yarn Yard Sale
Time to clean out the closets, back room, craft room! Book your free table now for this fun event.
Dyeing for Spring
Workshop Overview:
After a long, cold Winter, come learn to craft delicious dyes from plants – both classic natural dyes used since antiquity, as well as those growing right outside the studio! This workshop is the perfect overview of the magical world of beautiful pigments from Nature in the lovely setting of Gaspereau Valley Fibres’ working farm. Suitable for both beginner and intermediate natural dyers.
Special Package Offer: $170 + tax for both this workshop and the Indigo & Shibori workshop.
Students Will Learn:
- history of natural dyeing
- basic, easy to grasp concepts from chemistry and biology that can make you a much more successful natural dyer
- dye studio safety
- how to prepare and dye different types of fibres – i.e. both protein (animal kingdom) and cellulose (plant kingdom) fibres to maximize colour uptake, wash and light fastness (so that results don’t wash out or fade)
- about the ethics and ecology of growing and/or foraging dye plants
- how to prepare plant material to maximize dye yield
- how to create a large range of hues from a few plants, using simple, non-toxic assists and modifiers
- natural post-dye treatments to protect fibres
- good record keeping so that dye results can be reproduced
Students Take Home: proper dye records and yarn samples, a detailed instructional handout, and the skills to continue experimenting on your own (plus, per above, a starter vat, if you wish).
Bring With You: kitchen gloves, an apron, notebook & pen.
About The Instructor: Mel Sweetnam is an ecological fibre artist, with particular expertise in natural dyes. She is the founder of Mamie’s Schoolhouse (www.mamiesschoolhouse.com), a teaching studio focused on sustainable fibre arts, as well as the Cape Breton Fibre Trail (https://www.facebook.com/capebretonfibretrail/). She is very well known for a range of botanical dye techniques, as well as for the fun and informative mix of art and science in her workshops. She is a juried member of the Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design, the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild, and the South Haven Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers. Her work has been featured in international publications, and in an upcoming book on the Maritime’s best contemporary artisans.
Skill level: Beginner
Indigo & Shibori
Workshop Overview:
Blue is the rarest natural dye colour in the world. Come learn about the amazing rich blue pigments of the indigo plant, and how to dye with it using beautiful resist techniques (folding, clamping, binding, stitching) known as shibori. Indigo is unlike all other natural dyes, and requires its very own specialized methods taught in this workshop. Time permitting, students may also use left-over dye baths from the previous day’s workshop to experiment with over-dyeing (to combine indigo with other plant colours).
Special Package Offer: $170 + tax for both this workshop and the Dyeing for Spring workshop.
Students Will Learn:
- history of indigo dyeing
- basic, easy to grasp concepts from chemistry and biology that can make you a much more successful indigo dyer
- dye studio safety
- how to properly prepare, manage and use an organic indigo vat
- special indigo considerations for different types of fibres – i.e. protein (animal kingdom) and cellulose (plant kingdom) fibres
- foundational techniques in three major categories of shibori: itajime (shaped resist), arashi (pole wrapped resist), and nui (stitch resist)
- natural post-dye treatments to protect indigo-dyed fibres and prevent pigment loss
Students Take Home: proper dye records and yarn samples, a detailed instructional handout, and the skills to continue experimenting on your own (plus, per above, a starter vat, if you wish).
Bring With You: kitchen gloves, an apron, notebook & pen. If you are interested in taking a starter vat home with you (no cost), please bring a clean pint size jar with a tight fitting lid. These will be filled from the class indigo vat, and can significantly simplify setting up your own vat at home
About The Instructor:Mel Sweetnam is an ecological fibre artist, with particular expertise in natural dyes. She is the founder of Mamie’s Schoolhouse (www.mamiesschoolhouse.com), a teaching studio focused on sustainable fibre arts, as well as the Cape Breton Fibre Trail (https://www.facebook.com/capebretonfibretrail/). She is very well known for a range of botanical dye techniques, as well as for the fun and informative mix of art and science in her workshops. She is a juried member of the Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design, the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild, and the South Haven Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers. Her work has been featured in international publications, and in an upcoming book on the Maritime’s best contemporary artisans.
Skill level: Beginner