Living Positively
Kenyan Artists Paint Their Truths

Dec 10- Feb 10th
Featuring art work from the 1st Imani Artists Collective of Eldoret, Kenya.
Mississippi Valley Textile Museum


Saturday Dec. 17
1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

Experience an afternoon celebrating the resilience of the people of Kenya and the transformative power of creativity.

Join visual artist, comedian and teacher Rachelle Elie as she recounts her experience guiding twelve HIV-positive artisans into the land of visual art and painting. Discover how these artists became accomplished painters in just under two years, and how their art led to a successful commission in the only maternity hospital in Kenya. The afternoon includes an introduction by local obstetrician/ gynecologist Dr. Dave Caloia, who will recount his own experiences in medicine and the challenges of working in developing countries. Special appearance by Almonte composer, poet and musician Ian Douglas.
 

Colour To Be Unboxed at the MVTM

Colours to dazzle and challenge will be on display at the Mississippi valley Textile Museum from December 20 to February 25, 2017.
The art group Out of the Box will present “Colour Unboxed” a show that celebrates exactly that. The exhibition features approximately 200 pieces from over 60 fibre artists, including 112 pieces showing interpretations of six colours of the colour wheel and black/white.
Out of the Box is group of Ottawa and area artists who are passionate about creating innovative and thought-provoking works of art with fibre, their preferred medium. They include machine and/or hand embroiderers, art quilters, weavers, felters, doll makers, embellishers, silk painters, dyers, as well as other needle workers and mixed media and fine artists. They come from all walks of life but are drawn together by their love of texture, colour, and creation.
Come and revel in the shades, hues, and tints, and let the vivid washes of colour brighten and invigorate the dreary months of winter. There will be a vernissage for the exhibit on January 14 from 2 to 4 p.m. For more information call the Museum at 613 256-3754. The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum is located at 3 Rosamond St. E. in Almonte.

You are invited to visit our latest exhibit-

                                                 

 

Reviving a Tradition: Penny Rugs at the MVTM
What’s a penny rug?
 
Penny rugs emerged in the mid-nineteenth century when thrifty homemakers used wool scraps from old clothing to create decorative table toppers, seat covers and rugs. The wool was boiled in water and, when dry, the felted wool was cut using coins as templates—hence the name. These were then stitched onto a cloth backing and embellished with embroidery. A penny would often be sewn in for luck.

Come and discover these wonderful pieces of Folk art in Danielle Potvin’s exhibition “A Penny Rug,” which runs from October 4 to December 10 at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. Meet the artist at the vernissage on October 8 from to 2 pm to 4 pm.

 Eco-Artisan
Gatineau artist Danielle Potvin began to revive this traditional folk art in 2004 using time-honoured techniques. She refers to herself as an “eco-artisan” because she uses only recycled wool in her creations (e.g., coats, sweaters, blankets, vests, and scarves). She can often be found at thrift stores and flea markets searching for that perfect piece of wool! Inspired by the natural beauty of the Gatineau Hills, she creates naïve designs and shares her passion at events in Canada and abroad. Her work can be found in public and private collections, such as the Canadiana Fund, created to enhance Canada’s official residences, such as those of the Prime Minister and Governor General.

Make your own penny rug
Danielle Potvin will offer two one-day workshops at the Museum: on Saturday October 22 and on November 12. No previous experience is required. Students will use simple techniques to create wool appliqués from felted, recycled wool that are then blanket-stitched with embroidery pearl cotton thread. As tradition demands, students will hide Canadian coins in their artwork.

Workshops will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with a maximum of six participants per workshop. Students will receive full kits for their creation. Cost is $75, including the kit. More details can be found on the Museum’s website at mvtm.ca. For more information or to register call the Museum at 613 256-3754. The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum is located at 3 Rosamond St. E. in Almonte.

Ottawa Guild of Lacemakers

September 19-22 2016 Workshop
Mississippi Valley Textile Museum

   “Invisible Starts and Finishes
      in Bobbin Lace Making”

The Ottawa Guild of  Lacemakers with the assistance of a grant from the Ontario Arts Council is sponsoring a workshop for National Capital Region lacemakers to learn and master specialized techniques useful to bobbin lacemaking.

To paraphrase Elizabeth Kurella, author of Guide to Lace and Linens ‘bobbin lace making is a form of weaving with no fixed warp or weft.  Because the threads are all free to travel in any direction at any time there are infinite possibilities for decorative stitches.  All the stitches in bobbin lace are based on weaving, braiding and twisting the threads.’  When working, two pairs or four bobbins are usually being used so the process is systematic yet infinitely variable in how it is executed to create the lace.  It is made on a stabilizing platform, using pins to hold the threads in position.  These ‘cushions, bolsters or pillows’ as they are called vary in shape from flat rounded or oval discs to cylinders or flattened cylinders mounted like a roller or held in baskets or held on the knee or lain on a table or holder.  The shapes are  ‘stuffed’ or made with traditional materials such as wool felt, straw or sawdust or in more modern times are made from foams such as ethafoam.

The origins of bobbin lace date back to very early times, however it started its ascendance to prominence as an art/ industry in the 16^th century.  It progressed and expanded globally onward and outward into the 18^th century when its ‘multinational economic status’ declined by supplanting the cottage workers with the introduction of lace making machinery.  The machines never replicated the array or quality of laces nor did they capture the multitude of regional variations and styles. Bobbin lacemaking has since evolved into an artistic art form or leisure activity.  This is why the participants in this workshop are gathered here at the Museum: to learn more techniques of the art, to preserve it as a real and integral art form and as pleasant pastime for those who like to do it.

The workshop leader is Martina Wolter-Kampmann an internationally renowned German lace artist and teacher.  She is the author of book and CD “Invisible Starts and Finishes in Bobbin Lace ”  (2011 – ISBN/EAN 978-3-9802279-6-4).  She is fluent in the techniques of traditional and modern laces in Europe and is an expert in designing and mending lace.  She teaches internationally her innovative and invisible methods of joining finishes to starts so that the joining threads disappear completely.  This is quite technically challenging to do.  She has a Diploma in Pedagogics and Textile Arts from the University of Dortmund, Germany and a doctorate from the Kantcentrum in Brugge, Belgium that is a renowned centre for the teaching of lacemaking,
 

 

 

Fibrefest Marks 21 Years

Mark the weekend of September 10th (10 am to 5 pm) and 11th (10 am to 4 pm), 2016 on your calendars because you won’t want to miss the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum’s 21st annual Fibrefest. At two locations—the Museum and the Almonte Arena—visitors will find demonstrations, vendors, and exhibits—a full two-day festival of fibre arts! Local guilds will demonstrate spinning, knitting, weaving, rug hooking, lacemaking, smocking, felting and quilting. Vendors include spinners, weavers, and fibre artists from across the province, as well as quilt shops and alpaca farms.

The Friends of the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum will offer their popular tea room services, featuring homemade goodies, beverages and sandwiches at very reasonable prices.

While visiting the Museum, explore the permanent history exhibit “Fabric of a Small Town,” which interprets how a piece of wool becomes a piece of finished cloth and includes industrial machines used throughout the process.

Featured Artists Grace Noël & Diane Lemire

Grace Noël
Grace is the surface pattern designer behind her company Creatively Graceful. After recently earning a diploma in Interior Decorating from Algonquin College, she is transitioning from Ottawa to Almonte, Ontario. Her hand-drawn designs are best described as whimsical. They are largely inspired by nature and vintage items, and are layered with detail. She loves to convey a story through her art. Grace's designs are currently available for sale as fabric, wallpaper, and gift wrap through her shop on Spoonflower. Her Scallop fabric was used on a collection of shoes by Milk and Honey (Now Shoes of Prey) in Fall 2013, and her Cirque fabric was used in an exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Spring 2014. Grace has also designed a collection of quilting fabrics for Moda Fabrics called With Glowing Hearts in celebration of Canada's upcoming 150th Anniversary. She loves to make people's days, and offers a Custom Design Service. Her ultimate goal is to Make Everything Beautiful through her work.

Diane Lemire
Diane draws inspiration from the world around her to create mixed-media sculptures, textile art, and paintings that subtly evoke a sense of memory, time, and place. For the past 15 years she has been discovering and experimenting with the numerous techniques of felting, allowing herself to be seduced by this ancient craft of working with raw wool, incessantly exploring the fusion of natural fibers with recycled materials.

PARADOX is a show about embracing the bitter-sweet truth of nurturing, through installation, sculpture, and art work. What challenges transpire when you are one of 12 or 14 children? Or, on the other hand, are the hard-working Mother?

In her unique style, Diane will be honoring a period of time when women gave birth to many children. Being one of 11 children herself, she will share her memories and stories based on her perspective of nurturing. Story-telling is central to each and every piece in the gallery. Her mother’s left-behind materials are part of the core of this work. Beautiful patterned and printed textiles, her mother’s clothes, and discarded found objects of no great importance. Like a chameleon they undergo a transformation, becoming part of a narrative of the senses: emotion and tactile beauty welcome everyone who wishes to enter this journey.
Diane Lemire was born in Val D’Or, Quebec (Canada). She has spent her formative years traveling and working abroad, and consequently studied Fine Art at the University of Ottawa. In 2010 and 2014 Diane was awarded the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum Award.
She has exhibited in Canada and Europe, and her work can be found in private and public collections.

Don’t miss the Lamb Race!
At 4 pm on September 11th, hundreds of wooden lambs will be thrown over the main falls in downtown Almonte, and the owners of the first three lambs to reach the finish line will win fabulous prizes. Tickets for the race will be on sale at the Museum well ahead of the event.

Whether you are interested in art, history, clothing, or textiles or want to get a head start on your Christmas shopping or are just looking for a great day out and about, Fibrefest will have something for you.

Admission to Fibrefest is $5.00 per day, which includes access to all sites. Admission tickets available at the door only at both locations.
 

DIANE LEMIRE: PARADOX

Diane Lemire draws inspiration from the world around her to create mixed-media sculptures, textile art, and paintings that subtly evoke a sense of memory, time, and place. For the past 15 years she has been discovering and experimenting with the numerous techniques of felting, allowing herself to be seduced by this ancient craft of working with raw wool, incessantly exploring the fusion of natural fibers with recycled materials.

PARADOX is a show about embracing the bitter-sweet truth of nurturing, through installation, sculpture, and art work. What challenges transpire when you are one of 12 or 14 children? Or, on the other hand, are the hard-working Mother?

In her unique style, Diane will be honoring a period of time when women gave birth to many children. Being one of 11 children herself, she will share her memories and stories based on her perspective of nurturing. Story-telling is central to each and every piece in the gallery. Her mother’s left-behind materials are part of the core of this work. Beautiful patterned and printed textiles, her mother’s clothes, and discarded found objects of no great importance. Like a chameleon they undergo a transformation, becoming part of a narrative of the senses: emotion and tactile beauty welcome everyone who wishes to enter this journey.

Diane Lemire was born in Val D’Or, Quebec (Canada). She has spent her formative years traveling and working abroad, and consequently studied Fine Art at the University of Ottawa. In 2010 and 2014 Diane was awarded the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum Award.

She has exhibited in Canada and Europe, and her work can be found in private and public collections.

 

Announcing.......Darrell Thomas Textiles Sewing Retreat #2

Come and join us for this amazing retreat on July 30th & 31st at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. This two day retreat will focus on creating an amazing lined dress. We will be using Burda pattern #3477. Muslin fittings will be done at the store well in advance of the retreat date. Each student will arrive with their sewing machine and their garment ready to sew. We will then begin to construct these garments together.

Arrival at the museum will be 9 am on Saturday morning and we are there until 5 pm on Sunday. The classroom is spacious and has tons of natural light coming in and breathtaking views while we are sewing. Set against the stunning landscape of Almonte and the Mississippi river, Almonte is just a 25 min drive from Ottawa.

If you would like to join us at our retreat, call the store 613-239-3854.

PREREQUISITE: Good knowledge of sewing / Able to construct muslins for fittings.

DATE: Saturday July 30th & 31st 6 seats available
Time: 10:00 – 1:00 Lunch 2:00 – 5:00
Instructor: Darrell
Class Fee: $ 225.00

You can NEVER have enough of a good thing!

 

 

Fabric Sale at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum

Come to the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum for all your fabric needs on June 4th, 2016, 9 am to noon. There will be various fabrics, yarn, notions, buttons, tote bags,etc on sale at VERY reasonable prices.


All sales proceeds go towards the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum operational funds.

Darrell Thomas Textiles Sewing Retreat

Come and join us for this amazing retreat on May 14th and 15th at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. This two day retreat will focus on creating an amazing 2 piece suit. Muslin fittings will be done at the store well in advance of the retreat date. Each student will arrive with their sewing machine and their garments ready to sew. We will then begin to construct these garments together. Arrival at the museum will be 9 am on Saturday morning and we are there until 5 pm on Sunday. The classroom is spacious and has tons of natural light coming  in and breathtaking views while we are sewing.  Set against the stunning landscape of  Almonte and the Mississippi river, Almonte is just a 25 min drive from Ottawa. If you would like to stay in Almonte rather than driving home, Rob at the Riverside Inn Has given our clients a great deal!  Book two nights and you receive one night at 50% off!! If you would like to share your room with a friend or loved one, you may also do that.  There  There are many things for your friends/loved one to do while you are sewing. There are walking trails and  lots of shopping and restaurants in town. Rob at the Mill will arrange everything from your room to the meals. http://almonteriverside.com/ If you would like to join us at our retreat, call the store 613-239-3854 to book your class and we will give you the info on how to book your room at the Riverside Inn. What you will be making..... Ladies Unlined Blazer                                           The pattern is Burda #8949. This jacket is a version of a Chanel Jacket. It is a shaped Short Jacket. There are bust darts on the front of the jacket incorporated into the princess seams. There are princess seams on the back of the jacket also. The sleeve is a 2 piece sleeve. This is a beautifully fitted jacket that will be a quick sew. We will be making version “A” (Red Jacket) You may make any sleeve length and you may make the jacket longer if you wish.  Muslin fittings will be provided before the class begins.  Ladies Fitted Dress This pattern is Vogue #8146.  In this course, each student will leave with a perfectly fitted dress. The dress is sleeveless. To enable the wearer to emphasize their figure, there are bust darts, and front and back darts. The dress will have an invisible zipper in the back. Every woman always wants that perfect little black dress...well, here it is!  Muslin fittings will be provided. PREREQUISITE: Good knowledge of sewing / Able to construct muslins for fittings. DATE: Saturday May 14th & 15th 6 seats available Time: 10:00 – 1:00   Lunch  2:00 – 5:00 Instructor: Darrell Class Fee: $ 350.00 Patternmaking 101 Have you always wanted to make your own patterns?  We will show you that it is easier than you think!  In this class, students will learn how to create any pattern they like once the basic elements are learned.  We will focus on a skirt block and transform it from a basic style to any style desired.  We know that you ski

“CU: Copper and Textile Fabrications” Coming in May

Fran Solar and Sayward Johnson are weavers. But their primary medium is not cotton, wool, or silk—it’s metal. Both artists combine textile techniques to create unique woven canvasses and sculptures.

Currently living in Squamish British Columbia, Fran studied interior design at the University of Manitoba, and her interest in textiles and design soon found its expression in weaving. For many years, she used traditional techniques and fibres to produce clothing and textiles. In the nineties, she began experimenting with basketry, and through workshops at Basket Focus conferences delved into working with metals. Today, she combines metal with such textile techniques as loom weaving, basketry and quilting to produce unique woven sculptures and wall hangings. Copper, brass and stainless steel wires and sheets, along with any interesting bits and pieces of hardware and industrial surplus, are altered with heat and chemicals to produce various patinas and then “woven” into what Fran calls “vessels” and “wall art.”

Fran Solar’s work is held in numerous public and private collections, and she is represented by galleries in British Columbia and Alberta.

Sayward Johnson has been weaving for about fifteen years and discovered weaving with wire when she was studying at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. She considers herself first and foremost a textile artist and uses wire to explore various techniques. She too uses patina processes to alter the colour and texture of the wire, and this is often her favourite part of the process. It can take weeks, and the outcome is often surprising, which can completely change her vision. Her 12-harness Leclerc loom takes up most of the space in her Ottawa studio, which is in an old bread factory converted into the art collective Enriched Bread Artists. After weaving a piece, she embellishes with embroidery or further chemical solutions. A former forestry worker, Sayward draws much of her inspiration from natural forms, lichens, stone and the Canadian boreal forest. For example, her Defense Mechanism series started as studies of tree bark.

You won’t want to miss the work of these outstanding textile artists. The exhibition opens on May 3 and runs until July 16. Come to the official opening event on May 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. where you’ll have a chance to meet them both and learn more about their work.

Don't let this one go..................

http://www.out-of-the-box.org/news.html


Do you have time to treat yourself? Check out the Fibre happenings between Toronto, Kingston and Ottawa.

I have listed the website above for you to follow.



Here are the highlights


The Kingston Fibre Artists' annual show and sale, "A Stitch in Time", takes place at the Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning, 370 King Street West, Saturday, April 2, 2016 through Saturday, April 30, 2016.



Inspiring Threads- are you interested in Embroidery? The Assoc of Canada is presenting Inspiring Threads in Toronto




Fibre Fling 5 Show and Sale! April 8 & 9th in Ottawa, On

Fibrefest 2016 – Our 21st Annual Festival of Fibre Arts

Lamb Race to End the 21st Annual Fibrefest September 10 and 11, 2016

Mark the weekend of September 10 and 11, 2016 on your calendars because you won’t want to miss the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum’s 21st annual Fibrefest. The two-day festival of textiles and fibre arts will end this year with a Lamb Race. At 4 pm on September 11th, hundreds of wooden lambs will be thrown over the main falls in downtown Almonte, and the owners of the first three lambs to reach the finish line will win fabulous prizes. Tickets for the race will be on sale at the Museum well ahead of the event.

At two locations — the Museum, and the Almonte Arena,—visitors will find demonstrations, vendors, and exhibits—a full two-day festival of fibre arts! Local guilds will demonstrate spinning, knitting, weaving, rug hooking, lacemaking, smocking and quilting. Vendors include spinners, weavers, and fibre artists from across the province, as well as quilt shops and alpaca farms.

That’s My Style, vintage clothing show and sale will have a large number of vintage clothing dealers will again give patrons the opportunity to enjoy and purchase a huge variety of vintage fashions in one location.

The Friends of the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum will again be providing tea room services, featuring homemade goodies, beverages and sandwiches all available at a reasonable price.

Admission to Fibrefest is $5.00 per day, which includes access to all sites.


For directions and other pertinent information check out the Mississippi Valley Textile Mill info at:

http://mvtm.ca/mtvm

Check out the Happenings in your neck of the woods

As usual the Textile Museum in Almonte is hosts to many Artists.

Check out the biographies of their yet to come Fibre Artists as well as their wares. The variety of skill, passion, and overall architecture of their crafts will appeal to you and possibly awaken your own inner creative self.

Enter the link into your browser to read all about it!


http://mvtm.ca/mtvm

2016 Triennale

This may be of interest to YOU !


La Triennale Internationale des Arts Textiles en Outaouais 2016 is a major international cultural event presenting the world of contemporary textile and fibre arts in the national capital region of Canada.

Follow La Route des Arts Textiles, as you discover the Outaouais region, and visit international calibre exhibitions, attend a film, master class or conference presentation. Participate in a hands-on collective project and attend a vernissage in the many participating exhibition centres throughout the region.

Please check out the gallery and workshops on the site.

http://triennale-outaouais.com/english-2016.html