IN PRAISE OF HANDS, July 2007
Workshops, July 18-24
Keynote Presentation, July 20
Designers Showcase July 21
Festival Events, July 21 and 22

Salt Spring Island’s Fibre Festival is unique: it focuses on natural fibres of all sorts – their histories, and how they are produced, processed, and used in the creation of extraordinary fabrics and fashions. We want visitors, artisans, designers, and fashion houses to discover (or re-discover) the special qualities of luxury fabrics made of breed-specific wools, silks, alpaca, llama, mohair, linen, soy silk, hemp and a long list of ancient and modern fibres.

The Festival will offer three days of workshops – Wednesday, July 18 through Friday, July 20. Then, on Friday night, there will be a Keynote Dinner and Presentation at Stowell Lake Farm's beautiful gardens. Charllotte Kwon, of Maiwa Handprints, will talk about her work in reviving indigenous textile skills around the world (and she’ll bring along selections from her fabulous textile collection). And on Saturday evening, July 21, at ArtSpring’s Theatre, we will once again mount a spectacular Designers' Showcase.

On the weekend, July 21 and 22, the public is invited to attend the Festival proper. This year, the events will be held at ArtSpring – Salt Spring Island’s sophisticated Arts and Theatre Centre – so we’ll be right downtown and easily accessible. Some of the events and displays:

• a (modified, and somewhat quirky) Fibre to Fashion demonstration. Some of the finished items will be auctioned off, so you can actually own a one-of a kind, hand-woven garment.
• demos (some hands-on) and displays of a huge range of textile processes and the work they produce.
• an Interweave Knits Trunk Show with batches of spectacular sweaters.
• a major quilting exhibition.
• selected garments from Saturday night’s Designers’ Showcase on display.
• fleeces of many kinds of animals, with ‘touch and feel’ samples available; there will also be fabrics spun, woven and knit from the fleeces.
• a Postcard Challenge

And of course, we’ll have some wonderful vendors on-site, invited because they offer excellent fibre, tools, books and finished goods. Plus, we’ll have classy Festival tote-bags available for sale – for more information, download the Order Form.

Please visit throughout our website, where you’ll find scheduling information and registration forms. If you need further information, please contact us at info@fibrefestival.com and we’ll be happy to help.