Workshops for 2021 Fiber Fair
SAFETY FIRST. The Tip of the Mitt Fiber Fair is operating in accordance with CDC guidelines regarding Covid-19.
- This year class sizes inside the EQ Building at the Fairgrounds have been limited.
- To contribute to our community safety, we ask that everyone wear face masks when inside Fiber Fair facilities, participating in classes, or within close range to others.
- We also ask that you wash your hands often and utilize hand sanitizer.
Thank you for your cooperation – we will get through this together!
Friday - June 4th
Sew and Dye a Skirt by Hand with Tina Bury
Friday, June 4th
10am to 5pm (with 1 hour lunch break)
Do you wish you could sew your own clothes, perfectly fitted to your body and style, but it seems too daunting?
Let’s slow the process down, learn the construction, work on fit and sew by hand…no machines required.
In this class we’ll sew a perfectly fitted Skirt, altering the pattern with your unique measurements and style.
Then we’ll learn and practice the hand stitches needed for construction.
Finally, we’ll take your garment and drop it into the natural dye bath, that we brewed up while sewing and chatting, to give it life.
You’ll leave with a handsewn, well-fitting skirt that you dyed with plants!.
Skill Level: Beginner
Supplies provided: Fabric, needles, thread, sewing pattern, instruction manual, natural dyes – all materials
Length: 6hrs
Minimum # of students:5 // Maximum: 10
$95 fee includes all materials.
REGISTRATION CLOSED for this workshop…check out our other workshops below.
Saturday - June 5th
Raising Angora Rabbits for Fiber with Monique Kinney
Saturday, June 5th
9:30am - Noon
Would you like to raise your own fiber but don’t have space for large livestock?
Consider raising angora rabbits. Their wool is known for its softness, being lighter and warmer than most other wools, and its halo effect.
Angora comes in a wide variety of natural colors as well as an incredibly bright white that takes dye well. The first section of the class will be all about the fiber. We’ll discuss the different breeds of wool rabbits, take a look at micron count and spinning fineness, and experience fiber from all 5 breeds of Angora.
This is the perfect opportunity to feel the differences yourself, compare the colors, check out wool, spun yarn, and finished Angora creations. We will discuss different uses of Angora wool and its applications in various garments, with some mention about popular fiber blends.
In the second section of the class we will look at the rabbits themselves. We will cover rabbit anatomy, wool anatomy, housing and care requirements, and more. You will learn will goes into actually having Angoras, what to expect, and some options for marketing fiber.
After a short break we will cover grooming and each participant will get hands on experience grooming and harvesting one of my Angora rabbits. You will leave with some fiber from the rabbit you’ve groomed, handouts, an electronic copy of the notes and presentation, and an afternoon of fun memories.
Supply list: none
Skill Level: Beginner
Length: 2.5hrs
Minimum # of students: 3 // Maximum: 10
$25 fee includes all materials.
To register – email us at fiberfairworkshops@gmail.com
Lustrous Blends with Emily Wohlscheid
Saturday, June 5th
12:30pm - 3:30pm
Learn to create blends with luster, sheen, and just the right amount of elasticity and drape.
This course will familiarize you with the drum carder while also taking a closer look at which wool breeds and combinations of fiber give you the best blend for strength, shine, and wear-ability.
Discussion of why it’s okay to card vs comb with longer wool breeds and how to apply long staple fibers to the drum carder will also be covered.
Drum carders will be provided and students will leave with a better understanding of blending on the drum carder and at least two fiber batts.
Materials Provided: drum carders, fiber
Skill Level: Beginner
Length: 3 hrs
Minimum # of students for class to go: 1 // Maximum: 10
$55 fee includes all materials.
To register – email us at fiberfairworkshops@gmail.com
Making Dorset Buttons with Deirdre Darr
Saturday, June 5th
3:30pm - 5:00pm
Dorset Buttons are a handmade, woven button which originated in Dorset County, England in the 17th century. These lovely buttons can be made with silk, embroidery floss, or yarn, and embellished with beads.
Use Dorset Buttons as embellishments on clothing, bags, furniture, or even make into a pendant for a necklace.
Supply List: Blunt-nosed tapestry needle, suitable for fingering weight yarn and scissors
Optional materials to bring: your favorite hand dyed fingering weight yarn (at least 3 yards) and matching beads for fingering weight
Materials Provided: button forms, fingering weight yarn in various colors, beads
Skill Level: Beginner
Length: 1.5hrs
Minimum # of students for class to go: 1 // Maximum: 10
$20 fee includes all materials.
To register – email us at fiberfairworkshops@gmail.com
Sunday - June 6th
Continental Knitting with Kelly Shively
Sunday, June 6th
10am - 12pm
Have you always wanted to learn Continental knitting? It’s the method where you “pick” the yarn from your left hand to make stitches, rather than “throwing” it with your right.
This method will increase your speed, and give great options for two-handed stranded (try saying that three times fast) knitting.
Maybe you’ve never been comfortable holding the tension in your right hand. Maybe you’ve never knitted before at all!
So… if you want to learn to knit for the first time using this method, or you want to add to your skill set or have options for Colorwork—-this is the class to take.
Supply list:
All you need is scrap yarn, and needles that match. For beginning knitters, I recommend worsted weight and size 7 or 8 needles. Straights or circulars— it doesn’t matter. I would also recommend watching a long tail cast on video on YouTube. If you don’t get it— don’t worry. We’ll touch in it again if you need help.
(If you are interested in Colorwork techniques, bring two colors of yarn)
See you there! This is gonna be fun!
Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate (some knitting experience)
Length: 2hrs
Minimum # of students for class to go: 4 // Maximum: 10
$25 fee includes all materials.
To register – email us at fiberfairworkshops@gmail.com
Intro to Thrumming with Monique Kinney
Sunday, June 6th
1:30pm - 3:30pm
Learning to thrum adds an extra dimension to your knitting. It’s the perfect use for leftover roving to add warmth. Use thrumming to line your hats, mittens, socks, or collars.
We will be working on learning 2 different methods of thrumming, one that shows clearly and one that is somewhat hidden. We will be practicing with angora rabbit wool.
Supply list:
Students need to bring: Bring a skein of medium weight yarn and a pair of 5-6mm straight needles (approx US size 9)
Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate (should know how to knit/purl)
Length: 2hrs
Minimum # of students: 2 // Maximum: 6
$25 fee includes all materials.
To register – email us at fiberfairworkshops@gmail.com
Meet the Instructors
Deirdre Darr
She started Fangirl Hand Dyed Yarn in May 2018 and loves the challenge of creating colorways to meet a shop owner's vision or the visual representation of a song.
Deirdre will be teaching Making Dorset Buttons on Saturday.
Kelly Shively
Now a knitter of 34 years, and a spinner of 30, she finds great peace and fulfillment in these crafts. She loves to teach, and feels like teaching helps keep her own excitement and love for fiber arts fresh.
Kelly has taught many northern Michigan women to knit and spin, and hopes to continue doing so. Her philosophy tends more toward relaxation and enjoyment, rather than a black and white Strict Rules philosophy.
"There are a lot of ways of doing this," she'll often say. Find the way that fits you and brings you joy, and stick with it.
Kelly will be teaching Continental Knitting on Saturday.
Tina Bury
Creating is an empowering act, it allows you to take back your body, your style, your home and where you spend your money. It also allows us to connect with our heritage, connect to ourselves and to our community and to connect to future generations in the form of heirloom pieces. Handwork carries your story and your love. It’s all of this magic that I want to share with folks. I teach so that I can connect and share with others.
Tina will be teaching how to hand sew and dye a knit skirt on Friday
Emily Wohlscheid
She received her BFA in studio art at Adrian College that heavily focused on jewelry/metalsmithing and textile techniques. Soon after graduation, Emily found herself feeling isolated after the immersion of being a part of an arts department. She soon was back in the classroom teaching jewelry techniques at her hometown art center and learning to spin at another local art center.
Nearly 15 years later, Emily regularly teaches spinning and jewelry/metalsmithing courses at her studio, local arts centers, virtually, and with guilds, retreats, and fiber festivals.
She also runs her business, Bricolage Studios, that features her hand crafted jewelry designs and unique fiber supplies. She has been published in both Spinoff and PLY Magazine, produced a drum carding video class with Long Thread Media, and most recently added virtual teaching to her skillset. You can find out more about where Emily is teaching, her upcoming show schedules, and purchase her work at bricolagestudios.bigcartel.com
Monique Kinney
After raising rabbits for over 6 years, Monique has branched out from homeschooling children to teaching homesteading classes including some about raising angora rabbits for fiber, thrumming, and rain gardening. Monique enjoys spending the winter months knitting, sewing, and creating things for their homestead.
Monique will be teaching Raising Angora Rabbits for Fiber on Saturday and Intro to Thrumming on Sunday.
Question?
Have a workshop that you want to teach?
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Past Workshops
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Mailing Address:
Tip of the Mitt Fiber Fair
PO Box 530
East Jordan, MI 49727
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