Good Fibrations

St. Ann's Academy was the perfect venue for Fibrations yesterday, with its orchard of trees providing great hanging space for creations like this Saori weaving, as well as shade. There were demonstrations, displays, vendors, music, draws and many friendly faces.

I bought some natural coloured Llama wool and also, this:

I'll show what I'm stitching now in my next post.

Drum Roll

I dropped into Knotty By Nature a few days ago, where I had fun learning to use their drum carder and I combined some merino, bamboo and silk fibres into a batt ready for further play. Watching those colours blend is intoxicating! I also picked up more thread, needles and two new feet for my Pfaff - which I haven't tried, yet. In this zigzag stitch sample, I discovered what you may already know but is new to me - that I can make diamonds by returning in the opposite direction. Diamonds are a favourite shape of mine.

I did try out all of my Pfaff's stitches - except the buttonholes, the alphabets and combining sequences of different stitches. Having this record has already come in handy.

There is such variety and every stitch has yet more because their shape can be altered in length and width - not to mention colour and types of thread I might use. The animals brought up the end of the sampler, with the butterflies in last place at 195 - now it's up to me to take take flight!

Artist date at Knotty by Nature

Once a week I'm getting out with my camera to some place that interests me as a way to gather images and feed my muse. I could use a photo such as the one of the window ledge for inspiration for a fabric piece - the various textures and lines are what drew me. Thanks to my Victoria Quilt Guild newsletter, I heard about a new store and went to check it out. Knotty by Nature has oodles of roving that can be bought in amounts of your choosing - and - I found a hand needle felter there and foam! They also stock Treenway silk roving, which I love - and many other products which I'm so glad are now available in Victoria. I also dipped into Chintz and Co. - to the remnant bins where I got a monet-like pastel watercolour upholstery fabric and a kind of shimmery green mesh. (Not that I need any more fabric :) Also, two friends surprised me with a gift for two lessons on my Pfaff - either a more experienced sewer will solve my tension problems or I will think about getting a different machine!