Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival
A celebration of fiber arts and old-time artisan skills!
2024 Dates: Friday, May 31 & Saturday, June 1
Friday Morning Workshops
9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
Friday 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
The Basics of Crochet
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $60 / Full Price $70
Total length of time: 3 hours
Instructor's Name: Claudia Brefeld
Instructor's Business: Cedar Hill Fiber Farm
Instructor's Website: www.cedarhillfiberfarm.com
Description: Learn the basics of crochet that will allow you to create anything you want. For the complete beginner, this workshop will introduce you to crochet tools, how to make a crochet chain, single and double crochet stitches, and the basics of pattern reading. The material kit includes a crochet hook and yarn to get you started.
Items Included: Crochet hook and yarn.
Student Provides: None
Prerequisites: None
Minimum Age of Participants: 12
Friday 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
Intro to Weaving - Tapestry
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $95 / Full Price $105
Total length of time: 3 hours
Instructor's Name: Heather Macali
Instructor's Business: Ohmi Fibers
Instructor's Website: www.heathermacali.com & www.ohmifibers.com
Description: Learn basic tapestry techniques! A basic frame loom will be provided along with a tapestry needle, comb, and yarn (all of these items are yours to take home). Traditionally, tapestry is woven with plain weave and is completely weft-faced. This course will cover warping the loom, color change, basic composition, fringe, ghiordes knots, and professional finishing. Each tapestry will be unique, using texture, color, and composition. All projects completed will be one-of-a-kind!
Items Included: Material fee covers - Frame loom, tapestry needle, tapestry hook, and a variety of yarns (including hand spun and dyed).
Student Provides: Students are welcome to bring additional yarn and/or materials to be incorporated in their tapestry, although enough yarn will be provided. Please bring scissors, pen/pencil, and notebook.
Prerequisites: This is a beginning level course - all levels welcome.
Minimum Age of Participants: 10
Friday 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
Spinning the Herd: Starting Your Spinning Journey
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $85 / Full Price $95
Total length of time: 3 hours
Instructor's Name: Liza Q. Wirtz
Instructor's Business: The Foldout Cat
Instructor's Website: www.foldoutcat.com
Description: Are you a new spinner—or do you want to be? Maybe you’re intrigued by this spinning thing—beautiful fluffy fiber! turning into yarn! how cool is that?—but don’t have a spinning wheel in your life. Maybe you have a project in mind but can’t seem to find the right yarn for what you want to make. Maybe you’ve seen other people spin and thought it looked like fun, but found the whole business of choosing one wheel from all those options confusing. Or maybe you’ve tried out a drop spindle and feel like you’re ready to give a wheel a shot, but have no idea which wheel is for you. If any of these descriptions sound like you, try this experiential workshop! You’ll get some exposure to the basics of spinning, including fundamental terminology and concepts, as you practice the core spinning skills of drafting and treadling on multiple different spinning wheels. By the end of the workshop, new spinners should have a sense of whether spinning on a wheel is for them and know a bit more about how various wheels work and how they compare with one another. Who knows–you might even discover a wheel that’s just right for you!
Items Included: Shared use of a portion of instructor’s herd of spinning wheels, including models by Ashford, Lendrum, Majacraft, Schacht, Woolmakers, and more; access to 100% wool roving from various breeds (Bluefaced Leicester, Cheviot, Corriedale, Falkland, Merino) for use in experimenting with provided wheels.
Student Provides: No participant-provided materials required: instructor will provide all tools and materials. Students just need to bring their curiosity and willingness to learn--and their patience with the process and with themselves.
Prerequisites: No previous experience required; workshopis specifically designed for new spinners. Workshop is process-oriented, rather than product-oriented. Students must be able to treadle with both feet, to maintain a firm hold on wool roving, and to focus for the duration of the workshop.
Minimum Age of Participants: 14
Additional info: Although this workshop focuses on analog spinning wheels, instructor will bring a sample of her e-spinner herd.
Friday 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
Intermediate Shuttle Tatting:
Beyond Rings, Chains, and Joins
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $70 / Full Price $80
Total length of time: 3 hours
Instructor's Name: Kelli Slack
Instructor's Business: Was BlackSheep Fiber Emporium, is now A Twisted Picot
Instructor's Website: www.atwistedpicot.com & www.kellislackdesigns.com
Description: This workshop will focus on creating a bracelet and charms using advanced shuttle tatting techniques such as: beading, self closing mock rings, split rings, josephine knots, and lock joins. Add to your tatting arsenal and end the workshop with a lovely bracelet. Kit included.
Items Included: Includes: beads, one ball of thread, findings for 3 charms, pattern, small crochet hook, and bracelet findings
Student Provides: Supplies: Students should bring scissors, tape measure, highlighter tape or post-it notes or magnetic chart, writing implement or note taking item(s), size 20 thread in at least three colors, 3-4 tatting shuttles, small hook
Prerequisites: Skill Level Intermediate: Students should know basic shuttle tatting skills such as: rings, chains, picots, and joins.
Minimum Age of Participants: 16
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Friday 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
Portuguese Style Knitting
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $68 / Full Price $78
Total length of time: 3 hours
Instructor's Name: Mary Jo Harris
Description: In Portuguese-style knitting the yarn is tensioned around a knitting pin on your shoulder or around your neck. Stitches are created by a flick of your thumb making this an easy way to knit without stressing your hands or wrists. Participants will learn:
- The history of Portuguese Knitting
- The advantages of Portuguese Knitting
- How to Purl using the Portuguese method
- How to Knit using the Portuguese method
- How to Bind off using the Portuguese method
- How to make a scarf using the Portuguese method
- Increases using the Portuguese method
- Decreases using the Portuguese method
- Resources available on Portuguese Knitting
Items Included: Display, handouts, Portuguese Pin
Student Provides: Worsted weight yarn (no novelty yarn), needles in size appropriate for your yarn, usual knitting supplies
Prerequisites: Knowing how to cast on, bind off, knit, and purl would be helpful
Minimum Age of Participants: 12
Friday 9 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
Friday 9:00 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
Cobweb Felted Scarf
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $40 / Full Price $50
Total length of time: 3.5 hours
Instructor's Name: Christina Drennen Coghill
Instructor's Business: CCspins and Things
Description: This workshop will teach you the basics of wet felting. We will use easily found in your home supplies and roving to make 2 scarves that will be lightweight, one-of-a-kind artistical, cobwebby scarves. Cobweb felt is a lightweight free flowing type of felt. We will be using Merino wool roving in this project so these scarves will be very soft and yet very warm! The roving is the sheep’s natural white color, if we have time we can even dye your scarf after it is felted or you can leave it as it is.
Items Included: Supplies fee includes wool roving, all items needed to wet felt, a handout to bring home, and instructors contact information for after workshop support. If students want to dye their scarves we can do that if we have enough time.
Student Provides: Comfortable shoes, clothing, and a towel that participants won't mind getting wet or possibly stained.
Prerequisites: None
Minimum Age of Participants: 13
Friday 9 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.
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Friday 9:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.
Introduction to Natural Dyes
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $65 / Full Price $75
Total length of time: 4 hours
Instructor's Name: Gina Levesque
Instructor's Business: Across Generations
Instructor's Website: etsy.com/shop/acrossgenerations
Description: Techniques of natural dyeing will be taught using traditional methods. Students will learn the difference between a dye and a stain, colorfastness, light fastness and properties of individual dyes. Mordants and their effects on dyes will be taught. We will use dyes dating back over 500 years, learning their history and importance to ancient cultures and Native Americans. Each student will create a dye notebook to take with them. Dyes used will include, but are not limited to madder, osage orange, black walnut, cochineal, logwood, sappanwood, and butternut.
Although natural dyes can be used on a variety of materials including paper and reeds for basketry, we will be dyeing 100% wool yarn samples in workshop. Each student will be given a sample to include in their dye notebook. Participants are encouraged to bring small samples of their own art medium (cotton, reed, other types of animal fibers) to drop into dye pots.
Items Included: Binder of workshop information, yarn samples, sample ring, all dyes used in workshop.
Student Provides: Participants should wear older clothing or a dye apron.
Prerequisites: None
Minimum Age of Participants: 15
Friday Afternoon Workshops
1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Friday 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Visible Mending
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $55 / Full Price $65
Total length of time: 3 hours
Instructor's Name: Kelli Slack
Instructor's Business: Was BlackSheep Fiber Emporium, is now A Twisted Picot
Instructor's Website: www.atwistedpicot.com & www.kellislackdesigns.com
Description: Do you have clothes that need repair? You can fix those holes, seams, or stains by weaving, darning, or embroidering on your clothes. Learn 5 ways to fix holes with visible or invisible mending, and a few other tricks for embellishing your clothes with embroidery, sashiko, and tatting that you can also use to close holes or cover stains. Includes handouts.
Items Included: Handouts and a 14 hook mini loom for mending
Student Provides: Supplies: Students should bring scissors, tape measure, highlighter tape or post-it notes or magnetic chart, writing implement or note taking item(s), tapestry needle in blunt and sharp tips, items to fix or a piece of fabric you are willing to cut, leftover bits of yarn in various weights to use in darning, embroidery thread in 2 or more colors
Prerequisites: No prerequisites, but students will benefit from some knowledge of knitting, weaving, or embroidery.
Minimum Age of Participants: 16
Friday 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Beginning Drop Spindling
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $80 / Full Price $90
Total length of time: 3 hours
Instructor's Name: Claudia Brefeld
Instructor's Business: Cedar Hill Fiber Farm
Instructor's Website: www.cedarhillfiberfarm.com
Description: Learn how to make your own hand spun yarn on a drop spindle. Simple to use and easy to take on the go, spindles are an excellent way to become introduced to the world of spinning yarn. In this workshop you learn about the different types of drop spindles, an introduction to selecting appropriate fiber, and how to spin a single and ply on a drop spindle. The material kit includes a drop spindle and wool for you to keep.
Items Included: Drop spindle and wool
Student Provides: None
Prerequisites: None
Minimum Age of Participants: 12
Friday 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Crochet Basket
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $65 / Full Price $75
Total length of time: 3 hours
Instructor's Name: Heather Macali
Instructor's Business: Ohmi Fibers
Instructor's Website: www.ohmifibers.com & www.heathermacali.com
Description: Learn to crochet a basket! This half-day will cover basic crochet stitches, color change, and the construction of a simple round basket with or without handles.
Items Included: Hand-spun chunky yarn, crochet hook, and directions.
Student Provides: Scissors, notebook, and pen.
Prerequisites: This is a beginning level course. If under 16 please have a parent or guardian attend with the minor.
Minimum Age of Participants: 12
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Friday 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Pin Loom Weaving
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $55 / Full Price $65
Total length of time: 3 hours
Instructor's Name: Kelly Jones
Instructor's Business: Kiss Looms
Instructor's Website: www.kisslooms.com
Description: Explore weaving on the Kiss Looms square, rectangle, triangle and hexagon weaving looms. Many sizes are available to try out during the workshop. You will learn how to weave on each type of loom as well as seaming techniques to make them into larger projects, such as pillows, scarves, blankets, bowls and shawls. Looms will be available to use during the workshop. Looms will be available for purchase after the workshop with a $10 credit.
Items Included: Workshop instruction and use of looms during workshop, $10 credit toward loom purchase.
Student Provides: Worsted weight yarn, scissors, yarn needle.
Prerequisites: None
Minimum Age of Participants: 8
Friday 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Gettin' Batty With It: Art-Batt Tools & Techniques
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $85 / Full Price $95
Total length of time: 3 hours
Instructor's Name: Liza Q. Wirtz
Instructor's Business: The Foldout Cat
Instructor's Website: www.foldoutcat.com
Description: What is an art batt? How might you make one? What can you do with it–and why would you want to? Learn some of the answers to those questions and more! Students will come away with the basic skills needed to create art batts, knowledge of what tools can be useful for that creative process (and a pet-comb hand card to keep), and batts of various sizes they've designed using ingredients from the one-of-a-kind Foldout Cat Batt Buffet and created using hand cards, blending boards, and drum carders. Yes, we ARE batty for batts–and we think you will be as well!
Items Included: Use of instructor's hand cards and blending boards and fiber for use in learning to use those tools, and use of instructor's Batt Buffet and drum carders to design and create an art batt to keep. The Foldout Cat Batt Buffet offers a variety of fibers for carding, including Merino and other wools, silk and sari silk, bamboo, Angelina, firestar, and more. Blending boards will be available for purchase as desired at the end of workshop.
Student Provides: No participant-provided materials required: instructor will provide all tools and materials. Students just need to bring their willingness to experiment and explore!
Prerequisites: No prior knowledge of fiber prep in general or carding in particular needed to take this workshop, which is geared towards the beginner. Workshop open to students 13 years old and up; students must be tall enough to reach the drum carders and to treat them with the care both student and carder deserve, and must be able to focus for the duration of the workshop.
Minimum Age of Participants: 13
Additional info: For students: No homework prior to workshop. Students are welcome to come with an idea of what they want to do with the batts they create; they're equally welcome just to come and play and see what results they get!
Friday 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Pattern and Chart Reading
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $60 / Full Price $70
Total length of time: 3 hours
Instructor's Name: Mary Jo Harris
Description: Have you ever NOT made something because you couldn't understand the pattern or because it used a chart? In this workshop students will learn:
- Various knitting terms, abbreviations, and symbols used on patterns
- How to 'de-code' knitting patterns
- How to determine the 'level' of a pattern - beginner to expert
- How to 'read' a knitting chart
- Tips and Tricks of pattern and chart reading
- Pattern and chart reading resources
Items Included: Display, handouts, samples
Student Provides: Worsted Weight Yarn, needles in an appropriate size for your yarn, paper for taking notes, pen or pencil, usual knitting supplies, a pattern that you're not understanding (optional)
Prerequisites: know how to cast on, bind off, knit, and purl
Minimum Age of Participants: 10
Friday 1:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M.
Friday 1:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M.
Let’s Dye a Sock Yarn Blank
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $60 / Full Price: $70
Total length of time: 3.5 hours
Instructor's Name: Christina Drennen Coghill
Instructor's Business: CCspins and Things
Description: This workshop will teach you how to create your own works of art using dyes on a knitted sock yarn blank. We will be dying loosely knit tubes of superwash sock yarn. Once these are dyed you can knit directly from them or wind them into a skein or ball to use.
Why dye a sock yarn blank? We like to think of them as secret message yarns. Paint hearts and give the yarn to someone you care about. Or it can be a fun weekend activity for you and your children or friends. We will be using acid dyes, but you will get instructions on KoolAid dyeing and using Wilton Icing Dyes (food coloring).
Items Included: Supply fee will cover handouts to take home. 1 knitted skein of superwash sock yarn. All dyes and mordants used in the workshop and all additional dyeing supplies. Instructor will have additional sock blanks to buy for more dyeing fun.
Student Provides: Students should wear comfortable shoes and clothing they don't mind getting wet and possibly stained. Students can also bring masks and plastic gloves.
Prerequisites: None
Minimum Age of Participants: 13
Friday Full Day Workshop:
Friday 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. & 1:00 P.M. - 4 P.M.
Advanced Colorwork in Tapestry
Workshop Fee Per Student: Early Bird $70 / Full Price: $80
Total length of time: 6 hours
Instructor's Name: Robin Goatey
Instructor's Business: The Dancing Goats
Instructor’s Website: www.thedancinggoats.com
Description: Using the ‘Split Compliment Color Design Principle’, we will weave a ‘Northern Twilight’ Wool Tapestry based on your color choices. Contact TheDancingGoats@gmail.com with questions about Color Choices as soon as you register.
Homework: Pick a main color for the Twilight scene & use the ‘Split Compliment’ geometric shape on the color wheel to find the 2 Split Compliment colors that work with the main color. Of the 3 colors chosen, its necessary to have several ‘Shades, Tints & Tones’ of each color to accomplish the shading in the Tapestry. Shades from Black to Grey will be used for the Islands. Every color element in the Tapestry is shaded using the Historic methods of, Graduated Shading, Vertical Stripes, Hatching & Darts. I will have Beads for sewing in the Stars. Contact TheDancingGoats@gmail.com with questions about Color Choices as soon as you register.
NOTE: This workshop requires a Dancing Goats Tayet Loom. If you do not own one, it is an add on purchase when you register.
Items Included: None
Student Provides: All yarn needed for workshop. Loom (see above note about loom), scissors, miscellaneous weaving supplies.
Prerequisites: Basic Tayet Loom weaving skills
Minimum Age of Participants: 18