Adirondack Fabric & Fiber Arts Festival
September 25, 2010
For centuries, Adirondackers have been creating textiles that are both functional and beautiful. Join us as we celebrate traditional and contemporary fiber arts at our Adirondack Fiber & Fabric Arts Festival.
Spinning, weaving, knitting, quilting, lace making and a host of talented North Country artisans take center stage at the Adirondack Museum for a celebration of traditional and contemporary fiber arts. Also, don't miss displays and demonstrations about "fiber-ous" foods!
Demonstrations and Displays:
Hooked Rug Demonstration with Liz Alpert Fay
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Liz Alpert Fay has been creating colorful hand hooked rugs of her own design since 1998. These rugs have been purchased for private collections, and many have been selected for juried shows and invitational museum exhibitions. In 2002, Liz's rugs were featured in the October issue of "Country Living" magazine, and in 2005 Liz was filmed in her studio, and her rugs were featured on HGTV (the Home and Garden Channel). Her rugs have also been published in many books, including, "Fiberarts Design Book 7," "The Complete Guide to Collecting Hooked Rugs," and "A Celebration of Hand Hooked Rugs X." Most recently Liz has begun to combine her textile art with found objects and is creating mixed media sculpture. She is interested in promoting rug hooking as an art form and in using the medium in untraditional ways. Liz has been Artistic Director of a contemporary hooked art show for the past 8 years ("Pushing the Limits: New Concepts in Hooked Art") that encourages artists to explore the medium and push it in new directions. Liz's work can presently be seen in "Fiberarts International 2010," an international juried fiber art show (traveling) and in "Woodland Wanderings" a solo show at Peters Valley Craft Center in Layton, New Jersey.
Quilting Demonstration with Northern Needles
10:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m.
Northern Needles is a community-based needlework group which meets twice a month in Long Lake, N.Y. The purpose of Northern Needles is to foster a congenial atmosphere where members and visitors may gather and socialize, as well as educate, learn and perform any needlework desired. Northern Needles started a number of years ago when a group of four local women got together once a week to sew. More people became interested in joining them, and the organization began to grow. In February 1997, Northern Needles became an "official" group by adopting a set of bylaws which governs their activity. Although the original members were quilters, people who enjoy any type of needlework are welcome to join.
Weaving Demonstration with Thistle Hill Weavers
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Thistle Hill Weavers, the Studio of Rabbit Goody, has been weaving luxurious custom fabrics, carpet, and trim for designers, home owners, museums, and the film industry. They specialize in creating accurate historic reproductions, working from surviving examples, documented patterns, and period weavers' drafts. Textiles created by Thistle Hill have appeared in more than thirty major motion pictures.
Quilting Demonstration with Adirondack Regional Textile Artists Alliance
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Adirondack Regional Textile Artists Alliance (ARTAA) was formed in 2005 by six women who wanted to share ideas and broaden their awareness of the art quilt and how it both resembles and differs from the traditional quilt. The group quickly grew to over 20 members. ARTAA members embrace the principles of the world of fine art — design, color theory, harmony, etc. — and look for ways to incorporate them into their textile work.
Felting Demonstration with Sandi Cirillo
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sandi Cirillo is a feltmaker and fiber artist, specializing in creating unique pieces — bowls, jewelry, books — from felted wool. Sandi finds the fiber arts to be compelling and absorbing, allowing a visual exploration of ideas using color and shape. Sandi teaches workshops in Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Maine and North Carolina.
Mixed-Media Textile Arts and Quilting Demonstration with Louisa Woodworth
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Louisa Austin Woodworth creates unique mixed media textile art. Louisa learned at an early age how to sew from her mother. She was never satisfied with "run of the mill" patterns and quilt designs and was always adding something different to make them unique. Over the years she has experimented with many art mediums and techniques. Through all of that, her mixed media textile art has evolved. The medium allows her unlimited freedom of design and expression. She creates images of the Adirondacks and its history evoking emotions of reminiscence of one's own "Adirondack Experience."
Wool Arts Demonstration with Serendipity Spinners
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The Serendipity Spinners — a "loosely knit" group of women who have been spinning together for many years — will demonstrate the various aspects of wool processing.
Second Annual Great Adirondack Quilt Show
Enjoy a special display of nearly three-dozen quilts inspired by or used in the Adirondacks.
Textile Appraisals
9:30 - 12:00 p.m.
Don't miss the chance to discover more about your own antique and collectible fabric pieces with textile appraiser Rabbit Goody.
Presentation
"Knitting in the North Country: History and Folklore" with Hallie Bond and Jill Breit
1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m. in the Auditorium
Knitting is tremendously popular now. There are national Knit-In Days, dozens of books and periodicals to teach and inspire, and a multi-million dollar industry to sell these books, yarn, needles, and the myriad of tools that have been redesigned or invented to appeal to knitters. Folklorist Jill Breit and historian and material culture scholar Hallie Bond will explore knitting in the North Country from their own perspectives in this informal, informative presentation. Bond, curator at the Adirondack Museum and a novice knitter, will share her ongoing research into the place of spinning and knitting in the historic Adirondacks, the wearing of knitted garments in the region, and traditional Adirondack techniques. Breit, executive director of Traditional Arts in Upstate New York and a knitter from her days as a student in a Waldorf school, will discuss the vital and vibrant knitting scene in the North Country today.
Vendor Fair
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Main Campus and Marion River Carry Pavilion
A dozen North Country fiber artists sell their handmade fabric and fiber creations.
Hands-On Activities
Warm Up America! Knit-In
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
A special knit-in to create afghans that will be donated to Hamilton County Community Action, an organization that helps people help themselves and others. Stop by and knit (or crochet) a 7" X 9" rectangle that will be joined to others to create an afghan. Not a knitter? You can still help by and help arrange blocks, weave in yarn, or join seams.
Sampler Stitches
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Add stitches to the cross-stitch samplers being made for the Little Log Cabin at the Adirondack Museum.
Balsam Bags
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Mark a souvenir balsam sachet.
