Countdown
Left 'Til The Festival
Now Accepting Fiber Arts Instructor Proposals
See Classes - Wonders of Wool
September 9-11, 2022
Now Accepting Fiber Arts Instructor Proposals
See Classes - Wonders of Wool
Questions about a class? Can't find the class you're looking for? Need help signing up? No worries! Our Wonders of Wool Co-Coordinator, Erin, is here to help. You can call or text her at 262-348-6754 or email her at altiva@idcnet.com.
See you September 9-11, 2022
Nancy Barnett– Cherokee Village, AR
560 – Angora Rabbits 101
Nancy has been raising Angora Rabbits for over 20 years and has taught on Angoras at various fiber festivals on how to care for and groom them. She lives in the Arkansas Ozarks.
Julie Benac– Monroe, MI
607 – Sewing for Fiber Artists: Specialty Techniques for Extraordinary Fiber Art!
Julie Benac has been in the world of fiber arts since 2006, and has been in the cut & sew industry for over 30 years. She holds a degree in Fashion Design from Ray College of Design in Chicago (now a part of the Art Institute), and is a familiar face in sewing classrooms, as well as inner-city Detroit where she taught homeless mothers how to sew on industrial equipment. Now she is bringing fiber art skills into the light, teaching sewing techniques unique to fiber artists, carding and fiber prep, hand-dyeing techniques, as well as artisan yarn spinning at various fiber festivals around the mid-west. She's also been a familiar face in the WAFA community on Facebook (Wool and Fiber Arts), both teaching virtually and vending. Julie enjoys trying different ways to marry fiber arts with sewing to discover new directions in clothing accent and design. She lives on Lake Erie in southeast Michigan and owns freshlotusdesign.com, a fiber/textile arts business with her husband Patrick.
Lynne Bergschultz- Fredonia, WI
660 – Button Basics
840 – Amulet Boxes
Lynne Bergschultz was an art educator prior to starting her own business as an illustrator and designer. Over 20 years ago, she discovered the creative potential of polymer clay and has since produced countless sets of buttons, shawl pins and jewelry. She is currently combing polymer clay with beads and other materials creating collage-like pieces of art. As always, the possibilities are unlimited and Lynne enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for polymer clay with others.
Terri Bockland– Marquette, MI
440 – Appliqué Knitted Roses to Jazz Up Your Project
460 – 2-Color Brioche for Beginners
503 – Wings and Runes
Terri Bocklund made a splash in the knitting world in 2021 when she undertook an unusual "Hundred-Day Project". Armed with Nancy Marchant's brioche books, she did 100 consecutive days of different brioche patterns, knitting and posed them on Instagram. Since then, she has begun designing, and is amazed to see her designs coming off of other people's needles around the world. Terri is a retired professional educator, and her broad experience as a public-school teacher makes her a wonderful instructor.
Melissa Bohrtz- Sobieski, WI
403 – Creative Fiber Blending & Spinning
540 – Core Spinning
562 – Let’s Coil It – Your Yarn That Is!
Melissa has been carding and creating textured art yarns since she began spinning in 2010. She loves to blend colors and textures in her fiber work. She has been exploring all aspects of fiber arts with needle felting, hand weaving and embroidery. She also loves to knit with chunky art yarns and on needles larger than US 10. In addition to her love for fiber arts, Melissa enjoys spending time in nature or on her little homestead with her husband, two boys, chickens and cats.
Kelly Brandt – Lake Odessa, MI
442 – Locker Hooking I – Beginning Locker Hooking
461 – Locker Hooking II – Additional Techniques
508 – Slip On Mule Slippers
642 – Locker Hooking for Artists
662 – Knooking
Kelly started on her wool craft odyssey in 1975 with four heritage Horned Dorset sheep that came to her five-acre homestead in Lake Odessa "just to keep the pasture down". As an accomplished seamstress, she used her wool harvest in wool-filled comforters, but soon taught herself to locker hook, spin, and felt. She first got involved in FiberFest in Hastings in the early 1980s and has been teaching since 1985 in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. She is a published author and has won artistic awards for her work using wool and llama fiber from her family flocks. Through her fiber-based cottage business, Team Effort Artisans, Kelly has shown and sold fine wool craft at shows, galleries, and festivals. In 2020, she will offer private classes at her new studio/barn outside Lake Odessa. Prospective students are invited to contact her with questions about the content of her classes at kellybrandt@yahoo.com or at 616-374-7176.
Melissa Brown– Verona, WI
441 – Hand Dyeing Yarns – Hand Painting and Gradient Dyeing
Melissa is an enthusiastic teacher who loves to share her knowledge of fibers and dyeing with others. Having been a yarn shop owner for most of the last 20 years, she has taught many, many different fiber arts, including dyeing, wet felting, all manner of knitting, crochet, and spinning. Formerly owning a flock of Corriedale and Corriedale-cross sheep pushed her towards dyeing to make use of all that gorgeous fleece! Her focus now is on dyeing and selling online and in a number of shops as Four Crows Fibers.
561 – Easy Dye Silk Scarves
601 – Ecoprint in Color on Silk and Wool
M Theresa Brown is a long-time professional portrait artist whose art career embraces many areas of the Arts. Her years of printmaking and color work led her to explore the fiber arts. Using many similar skills and accumulated knowledge, she evolved as a hand painter, felter and ecoprinter on natural fibers. She uses natural dyes and low impact synthetic dyes and merges them into unique, beautiful designs on silk, wool, paper and leather. She turns her transformed work into artisanal clothing, accessories, and art. Her articles and designs in the fiber arts have appeared in international publications such as "No Serial Number" and "Belle Armoire".
She has created many “How To” DVDs and eBooks in the visual arts in conjunction with the national art chain, Jerrysartarama as well as her Instructional PDFs on ecoprinting techniques. She has been an instructor at many fiber art shows including Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, Southeastern Animal Fiber Fest, Carolina Fiber Fest, Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival, Michigan Fiber Fest, Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival and many upcoming new venues. She and her artist husband, Stephen Filarsky, reside in rural NC with their alpacas, chickens and family dogs!
Heidi Bukoski – Sand Lake, MI
443 – Viking Knit Bracelet
462 – Wire Woven Bracelet
509 – Shibori Stitching with Style
605 – Chinese Knotted Frog Closures
Heidi grew up in an artistic household where she was able to try many art forms. Her love of fiber arts started with knitting in Girl Scouts. Weaving was added while in high school. Natural dyeing came in college. In the many years since then, numerous other techniques have crossed her path. Weaving and traditional wet felting have remained constants. Most recently forays into jewelry and wire work, and knotting and braiding have piqued her interest. Combining techniques, or taking them in unexpected directions is her favorite challenge.
Nan Calvert – Kansasville, WI
514 – Wet Felted Embellished Keepsake Box
Felting has been a passion for Nan Calvert for a while now. She was introduced to wet felting about 10 years ago at the Racine Dominican Eco-Justice Center in Caledonia, Wisconsin and has been inspired to felt ever since then. She is awestruck and inspired by the many ways in which the art of felting is both ancient and new. Introducing people to felting is one of her greatest pleasures.
Nan lives on a little slice of heaven off highway 11 in the Town of Dover at Fiddlehead Farm. She grows figs and saffron crocuses and cares for chickens, Angora goats, and horses. She has 2 dogs and one husband. When she is not felting or looking after her furred and feathered family members, she is a Subject Matter Expert on Wisconsin's native plants and invasive species. She has been a professional environmental educator for over 25 years working with children and adults in order to foster a more environmentally literate society.
Rob Cetner– Richmond, IL
841 – Knit Complex Cables Without Charts
Rob is an avid knitter, spinner, and weaver, and co-owner of Wool, Warp, and Wheel Fiber Studio in Richmond Illinois. He has been teaching fiber arts for 25 years in the shop, in the re-enactment field, and at the National Needle Arts Convention.
Henry & Roy Clemes – Pinole, CA
405 – Exploring the Drum Carder
510 – Breed Sampler: Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em
609 – Color Theory: Carding for Fractals
This class will be taught by the tag team of Henry and Roy Clemes. A lifelong woodworker and small business owner, Henry has been building fiber art equipment for almost 50 years and drum carders for over 40 years. Roy grew up working in his family’s woodshop and is the president of Lambtown Festival, the largest sheep and wool show in California. Together they have introduced many innovations to the fiber arts community and their equipment is known for being not only thoughtfully engineered but visually pleasing and durable as well. They regularly consult and instruct spinners, felters, fiber growers, and professional fiber artists in the use of drum carders for fiber prep. Their fiber equipment can be seen on their website at clemes.com and they can be found on social media as @clemesandclemes.
Christina Drennen Coghill - Merrillville, IN
404 – Fab Felted Scarf Just Like a Rockstar Would Wear
563 – Freeform Tiny Weavings
608 – Rainbow Yarn Dyeing and More – In One Pot All at One Time
Christina Drennen Coghill is a lifelong crafter. She was taught how to crochet by her grandmother when she was 5 years old. Over the years, Christina has gone on to learn knitting, weaving, felting, CSM Cranking, spinning, and dyeing. Christina has been spinning yarn for over 25 years. She is also a licensed certified Redding Method Dyeing Instructor. Christina is a “dye-a-holic” - she will dye anything she can, including herself!
Christina Lives in Northwest Indiana with her husband, Bob, her crazy Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, and is known to enjoy craft beers when she isn't crafting or dyeing!
Linda Conroy – Stoughton, WI
504 – Coiled Baskets: Pine Needles and Sweet Grass
602 – From the Garden: Herbal Gift Making
Linda Conroy is a 20 year veteran, bio-regional herbalist. Her work is focused on incorporating herbs and wild food into daily life. Linda is continually awed by the natural world and dedicates her life to the plants and microbes who are her primary teachers. Through her business, Moonwise Herbs, she offers classes, apprenticeships, certification programs, consultations and handcrafted herbal wares. Linda is also the founder and one of the organizers of the Midwest Women’s Herbal Conference as well as Mycelium Mysteries: A Mushroom Retreat for Women. For more information see www.moonwiseherbs.com.
Brigitte DeMaster – Oostburg, WI
603 – Rigid Heddle Weaving
I have been weaving for over 22 years on the rigid heddle, 4 harness and 8 Harness looms.
I am the owner of Bahr Creek Fiber Studio yarn shop. I love teaching, knitting, weaving, and all things fiber related.
Rosie Dupuy – Bethel, MO
604 – Band Weaving Pick Up with Double Slot Reed
842 – Wagon Wheel Weaving
I could crochet and knit as a child but preferred knitting... lots of sewing... and beads. I don’t know at what age I actually started any of it but, it was always in my life. In the 60s, we moved our young family to the country and soon began raising sheep, having our own fiber and along came spinning and weaving in the 70s.
I began loom weaving in the early 80s and soon started giving workshops which lead to teaching adult classes in weaving at Carl Sandburg College in Illinois. Over time I’ve broken down many types of weaving to simple workshops giving them in places like Dickson Mounds Native American Museum, at major festivals like the Mich. Fiber Fest, Wisconsin Spin In, Illinois, Indiana and several fiber events in Mo. I demonstrated and shared weaving for 18 years in Tenn. as a historic craftsman at Dollywood's Harvest Fest the month of October.
My goal is to be a good beginning instructor and to set students off on a solid path into their weaving experience. I enjoy weaving the smallest miniatures to rag and wool rugs. In 2000, I moved from Western Illinois to NE Missouri and fenced in the yard for my llamas, for us to grow old together... and we have!
Tina Etter – Howell, MI
505 – 360 Degree Gnome
640 – Crazy Chickens
661 – A Sheep of a Different Color
Tina Etter is a city girl who landed on a small farm in Howell, Michigan. She is a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in Interior Design. Tina is known for unique items such as a felted hat covered in a coral reef and fantasy birds from 7" tall to 7' tall. She is always looking for a new adventure.
Nancy Frantz - Elkhart Lake, WI
401 – Beginning Weaving on a 4-Shaft Loom TWO-DAY CLASS
Since 1985, Nancy has shared her love of weaving and fiber arts with hundreds of students through the Sheboygan Recreation Dept., from beginners to advanced students, ages 6 to 86! She has also presented weaving programs for various guilds and teaches during the summer at Sievers School of Fiber Arts.
She has won several Merit Awards at the Sheboygan County Fair; in addition she has won various awards at WHI Annual Shows and MWA Conferences including 2 “Weaving For Home” Awards of Excellence from Interweave Press. Her work has been juried into the JMK Arts Six Counties Shows. A very active member of the Sheboygan Shuttlecraft Guild, Nancy was also Co-Chair of the 2005 Midwest Weavers Conference.
Brenna Furger - Milwaukee, WI
506 – Introduction to Freeform Crochet
641 – Crochet Your First Hat!
Brenna Furger was taught by her mom to crochet 25 years ago. For the first 15 years, she mostly dabbled with the single and double crochet. Then she bought a stitch book a few months after her daughter was born and became "hooked" on the beautiful fabrics and designs she could make with crochet. She began teaching Creative Crochet Techniques class through Milwaukee Recreation in 2018, and hasn't stopped learning and creating since. Her favorite crochet technique is freeform, but she often creates other projects, usually from the drawings her daughter gives her. She believes that with an open mind, and a willingness to frog, you can create anything with a hook and yarn.
Mary Germain – Shorewood, WI
406 – Estonian Mittens from the Island of Kihnu
541 – Latvian Fringe and
Braids
564 – Nupps and Estonian
Lace
Mary has been a knitter most of her life, has been teaching knitting, weaving, and other fiber arts since 1983, and was owner of The Wool Works, a yarn shop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1985-1996. Inspired by Latvian friends, Mary has published patterns on Latvian knitting in Piecework magazine. Trips to Latvia since 2001 and Estonia since 2005 have provided Mary with more knitting inspiration. Mary has self-published several books and teaches throughout the Midwest, including at Sievers School of Fiber Arts since 1999. Farther abroad, Mary has made trips to both coasts to present classes on Latvian Mittens and other knitting topics. She writes about her knitting travels at www.marygtheknitter.blogspot.com.
Robin Goatey- Sandoval, IL
643 – Introduction to Tapestry Weaving
663 – Intermediate Tapestry Weaving
843 – Appalachian Hearth Broom (Besom) Making
Robin is a periodic John C Campbell Folk School instructor, woodcarver, woodturner, broom maker, coppersmith, and folkways instructor. He is a student of folklore, ancient metallurgy, spinning, tapestry weaving, glass making, ceramics & lapidary work. He creates heirloom-quality handmade items based on the Ancient Guild Trades and sharing the Folkways skills learned over a lifetime are the main focus of his artisan’s practice and life.
Robin is a Studio Member of ‘The American Tapestry Alliance’ and ‘The Hand Weavers Guild of America’.
My You Tube channel has free craft lessons for my students and customers:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDancingGoats/videos
Kenneth Gossard– Willow Springs, MO
407 – Knitted Gloves
542 – Woolen Spinning
565 – Spinning for Fair Isle
644 – Fresh Fleece to Finished Yarn
I have been playing with fiber in one way or the other my whole life. My grandmother was an avid knitter, and passed that down to me. She taught me not to follow a pattern as she could not, but look at the structure of the knitted item instead. Having raised sheep my whole life, I have had an endless supply of wool to figure things out with and what works and more importantly what does not work.
I was born and raised in the Ozark highland of Southern Missouri, where traditional crafts still abound in everyday living. But I lived elsewhere until the hills called me back to them. I want to take the time to enjoy a simpler life and enjoy making things with my hands. That includes my house, which I built from ground up for recycled construction waste or lumber cut with the use of our own sawmill.
Mary Jo Harris- Madison, WI
409 – Beginning Chair Caning
543 – A Montage of Mosaic – Or How a Simple Slip Stitch Can Create So Many Different Looks
566 – Short Row Primer
Mary Jo Harris lives in Madison, WI. She has been a teacher all of her adult life and has formally taught knitting for over 10 years at various Sheep and Wool Festivals, Fiber Festivals, Knit In’s, and for Madison College, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Wisconsin Craft Market, and Sunset Yarn.
For the past 9 years, she has added Chair Caning classes to her teaching repertoire and has taught local classes in addition to classes at the WI Sheep and Wool Festival, Iowa Sheep and Wool Festival, Shepherd’s Harvest (in Minnesota), Missouri Fiber Retreat, and Michigan Fiber Festival.
Under her designer name of Jo Harris, Mary Jo designs knitting patterns and has written a book entitled 'Double Knitting - Inside Out'. A member of the Madison (WI) Knitter’s Guild, Mary Jo loves any opportunity to discuss anything and everything knitting or caning related.
Linda Harwood- Ionia, MI
511 – Rug Hooking
Linda came from a large working farm in Michigan and has raised sheep all her life. She is self-taught in the art of rug hooking since the early 80s. Some of her inspiration is drawn from old world animal paintings and her country background. She loves working with color and uses either recycled or new wool material, which she then over-dyes. Linda has had her work published and has appeared on television. You can view some of her work at www.hookedonewe.com.
Justine Heinrichs – Cedarburg, WI
502 – Two-Dimensional Felted Fox in a Field – ONE & A HALF DAY CLASS
Hello, my name is Justine Heinrichs. I am a Sarafina Certified Instructor in felting. I discovered felting in 2017 and was hooked! I found my inner artist and the most satisfying and forgiving medium there is. I love and teach it all 3D, 2D, pet portraits, landscapes, needle felting and wet felting. There is nothing I find more satisfying than helping others find their inner artist too. I can be contacted at justineteachesfelting@gmail.com.
Stefania Isaacson - St. Charles, IL
512 – Natural Dyes: Exploration, Extraction, Enthusiasm
844 – Alpaca, Llama, Mohair and More!
Stefania has been a life-long knitter, and started spinning and dying to supply herself with “the best yarns in the world”! She got her Certificate of Excellence in Handspinning from the Handweaver’s Guild of America in 1997. Since then, she has opened her own business called Handspun by Stefania and taught numerous workshops dealing in natural dyes, spinning and basket making. She has spoken about the fiber arts to numerous groups, and has appeared on Home & Garden TV as a guest on the Carol Duvall Show. She sells handspun, natural hand dyed yarns, original knitting kits using her own yarns and patterns, hand dyed roving dyed with natural dyes, and handmade baskets. She was previously a high school English teacher, and now enjoys teaching spinning, dyeing, and knitting to fiber enthusiasts.
Jill Johnson- Blair, WI
668 – Felt and Copper Cuff Bracelet
845 – Felted Dot Pods
Jill Johnson and her family recently moved to a ridge top near Blair, WI with their flock of fifty sheep and assorted other farm animals. As a farmer, Jill raises sheep to produce wool not just for her own fiber art, but also for other fiber enthusiasts throughout the county. Her sheep have produced many award- winning fleeces over the years and her fiber business, RiverWinds Farm, is known as a premier supplier of fine wool in the Midwest. In recent years, Jill has begun to pursue her interest in the ancient art of wool felting. Bringing together her sheep’s wool and incorporating other traditional crafts like embroidery, dyeing, and beading to create original vessels and jewelry, Jill has found her own niche in the fiber art world. Having always enjoyed sharing the joys of sheep and wool with people, Jill is also excited to teach people about the amazing art and magic of wool felt in workshops and classes at fiber arts festivals and local demonstrations.
Deb Jones- Black River Falls, WI
408, 507, 606, 802 – Beginning Spinning
Deb is from Black River Falls, Wisconsin. She is an enthusiastic hand spinner and teaches spinning workshops throughout the region, including at Sievers School of Fiber Arts and The Clearing. Deb is owner of The Fiber Garden, a year-round fiber arts school and shop that has been featured in such magazines as American Small Farm, Impressions, and Positive Thinking. She is also a travel consultant hosting travel tours focused on the fiber arts. For Deb, it’s all a means to promote fiber arts and combine her love of spinning, dyeing, teaching and country living!
Holin Kennen – Evansville, WI
546 – Spinning the Rainbow – Unique Yarns Using Multiple Rovings
846 – Off the Sheep’s Back – Learning to Love Raw Fleece
Holin Kennen is an award-winning spinner and the coordinator of the fleece show at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival. She is also a wool judge and evaluates flocks for wool quality. Holin teaches classes in spinning wool and flax and mentors others in wool judging. She is the author of the monthly blog The Victorian Technology Institute.
Letty Klein – Kalamazoo, MI
513 – The Shepherd’s Rug
A retired research Microbiologist, Letty Klein she has a regular column in the Black Sheep Newsletter called 'Michigan Shepherding'. In 2006 she co-authored and self-published the book ‘The Shepherd’s Rug - a Braided Rug from Roving’. Since 1982, she has raised Karakul sheep on her Pine Lane Farm near Kalamazoo, MI and has more recently judged fleece shows, given ‘wool’ talks and rug braiding workshops all across the country.
Bethanea A Kottwitz - Hartford, WI
444 – Beginning Inkle Loom Weaving
Bethanea Kottwitz has been a crafter and artist for her whole life. Her introduction in fiber started over 15 years ago when she learned how to sew. Since then, she has expanded her knowledge to many other fiber crafts. Bethanea was introduced into the world of needle felting (at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival) and fell in love with wool. She now enjoys spinning, both wet and needle felting, dyeing, crocheting, inkle weaving, and other arts and crafts. Bethanea has raised both angora rabbits and poodles which she uses for her own ‘fiber’ herd.
Karen Kottwitz – Hartford, WI
665 – Penny Candle Mat
I have been dabbling in fiber and fabric since a child. I have always enjoyed working with my hands and some sort of fiber or fabric. I also enjoy sharing my love of these with others. Some of the crafts I have done include sewing, crocheting, knitting, wool spinning and weaving on simpler looms. My bucket list just keeps growing!
Kathy Krause - Oconto, WI
645 – Magic Look 101
664 – Majoring on Mosaic
The Krause’s started the family’s llama farm, Pine Knoll Llamas located in Clintonville, back in 1988. Her passion for fiber started with a llama outing where Kathy saw llama fiber being combed. An ‘internal switch’ was flipped on that she says changed her life forever! She shears her own llamas and processes her own wools/fibers. Kathy states that she loves every aspect of wool and all levels of processing, saying, “There’s no greater THRILL than to take a fleece and to work with it to see the finished product.” She is one of the founders of ‘fiber thing’, an event that was held annually in Shawano, Wisconsin and still remains a committee member of the current event now called ‘Winter Weekend Warm-Up’. In 2010, Kathy and her husband Richard, opened a retail yarn/spinning shop called The Copper Llama. The shop is located on their property in an old restored 1300 sq. ft. shed which offers a full line of yarns and accessories, rovings and fibers for the knitter/spinner/felter.
Kimberly Langley – Madison, WI
848 – Single Breeds Yarns – Compare and Contrast
Kim Langley is the owner/operator of Purveyor of Fine Yarns. She is obsessed with wool and learning about the distinctions of different sheep breeds. She has also been known to dabble in natural dyes and play with indigo.
Bev Larson- Lafayette, IN
402 – Mama and Baby Tote
Bev has been weaving since 1988 and teaching since 1999. She loves to share the joy of basket weaving with those around her and has done so by teaching in Indiana, Illinois, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, California and the Caribbean on the Basket Weaving Cruises. Making basket weaving fun, relaxing, and inspiring is her goal. In 2003, she won the Eiteljorg Museums Weavers Challenge. In 2009, she added broom making as an outshoot of weaving and it, too, is now a passion. In 2016, she received the honor of being named an Indiana Artisan by the State of Indiana for both broom making and basket weaving
Heather Macali– Bevelry Hills, MI
464 – Introduction to Tapestry
801 – Experimenting with Dye
Heather Macali is an artist, designer, and educator. She received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is currently an Associate Professor of Fashion and Fibers at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. She has a vast knowledge of fiber techniques, specializing in dyeing, textile design, floor loom and jacquard weaving.
Nancy Macali – Munroe Falls, OH
544 – Small Batch Dyeing
Nancy Macali has been teaching for 44 years and taught high school for 35 years. Throughout her retirement she has continued to give workshops and guest lectures. Nancy’s love of fibers started in her youth living next-door to her grandmother. She taught her to knit, sew, and garden. Nancy continued her pursuit of fiber knowledge throughout college to present day.
As an artist and creator, she is skilled in weaving, knitting, felting, dyeing, spinning, sewing, and other various techniques. Nancy is passionate about sharing her knowledge with others and encourages the exchange of creative discourse.
Ingrid McMasters – Stoughton, WI
463 – Understanding Your Wheel Ratios
847 – Spinning for Consistency
Ingrid McMasters and her husband, Peter, are the owners of Spry Whimsy Fiber Arts in Stoughton, WI. Ingrid has been spinning since 2004. She finished the Olds College Master Spinner Certificate Program the summer of 2017 with her In Depth Study on “Domestic Dog Fiber Characteristics for Handspinning.” She teaches spinning at the store and at fiber festivals. She is a fiber evangelist and loves discussing the technical qualities of fiber types and their possible uses in end products.
Chiaki O’Brien - Bloomington, MN
567 – SAORI Weaving – Be in a Moment
610 – Saori Weaving – Discover Yourself!
849 – Stencil a Tote Bag with Bengala Mud Dyes
Chiaki O'Brien is a SAORI Leader Committee Certificate Recipient. She graduated from the SAORI one-year course and worked at the SAORI head office in Japan until moving to Minnesota in 2004. She teaches at variety places including the Weavers Guild of Minnesota; WI Sheep and Wool Festival; Shepherd's Harvest; fiber conferences; schools; assisted living centers; as well as her home studio in Bloomington, MN. She also teaches Bengala mud dye techniques. Chiaki received the Jerome Fiber Artists Project Grant in 2012 and went to Japan to study Bengala dye. She brought the Bengala mud dyes to the U.S. for the first time. She enjoys teaching both SAORI and Bengala dye to people of all ages and all abilities.
Anna W. Repke- Chillicothe, IL
410 – Landscape Felting
Anna Winette Repke lives in Chillicothe, Illinois with her husband Rod. They have never lived a dull life - always with an open door - ending up with ten children and (currently) nineteen grandchildren.
They raised and trained Border Collies to herd sheep. That was the connection with felt. Anna sold a dog to a fiber artist with sheep and taught her how to work her new dog and Gale taught Anna how to ‘work wool’. Anna says, “Such an interesting path life will take us! Now our journey is traveling to art shows, galleries and doing workshops across the country!”
Cris Robinson- East Troy, WI
647 – Cord Plying a Faux Kumihimo Necklace
666 – Shuttle Tatting Fundamentals
850 – Fiber Infused Bracelet
Raised in a crafty household, Cris Robinson has been creating with beads and yarn for more years than she would like to count. She is an avid knitter, crocheter, tatter, weaver and jewelry maker with a love of teaching. Her knowledge of fiber techniques has allowed her to develop innovative methods to combine fiber and jewelry construction in exciting and unique ways. Teaching workshops gives Cris the opportunity to share her enthusiasm and expertise with others, and she strives to provide each student with a solid foundation of knowledge to encourage further exploration and learning.
Anette Skoog- Clarkston, MI
501 – Scandinavian Hand-Sewing in Sheepskin – TWO DAY CLASS
Anette Skoog is a Swedish skinnfell maker and fiber artist working primarily with Gotland sheepskin from her own flock of Gotland sheep. She learned the art of skinnfell making from Master skinnfell makers and leather crafters in Sweden & Norway. When moving to the United States, she continued working with traditional Scandinavian patterns in parallel with modern and contemporary prints on her skinnfells. She has been showing her work at many judged art & craft shows, including at the American Craft Council, Baltimore, One-of-A-Kind Show, Chicago, Winter Park Art Festival, Winter Park and Vogue Knitting Live in New York. Anette has taught classes in hand-sewing and skinnfell making to students from Oregon in the West to New York in the East. In addition to her sheep breeding and fiber artwork, she enjoys spending time competing in archery tournaments and mixed -media abstract painting.
Kathy Sparks - Unionville, IN
411 – Woodland Denizens
515 – Foraging for Color
611 – Flax: From Garden to Finished Yarn
Kathy Sparks has been involved with natural dyeing and fiber arts for what seems like a lifetime. Her graduate work investigated the concentration and temperature effects of mordants on Protein fibers. A retired educator, she now enjoys foraging at every opportunity and loves to find something new to add to her dye pot. Recently kathy has been growing and processing flax and especially enjoys spinning Qiviut, which is the focus of her book The Song of the Muskox. She lives in Brown County Indiana.
Kim Specht- Monticello, IA
648 – Drop Spindling - You Can Do It!
667 – Feelin’ the Felt
Kim lives on a farm near Prairieburg, Iowa. Kim recently retired from teaching but still can't find enough time in the day for the knitting, spinning, and felting she loves to do. And weaving is 'looming' in the not-too-distant future! Kim's Romney and Border Leicester fleeces have won awards at festivals in six states. At these festivals, she regularly attends classes taught by nationally known artists. Kim loves combining her love of teaching and the fiber arts.
Amy Tyler- Interlochen, MI
412 – Creating the Yarn You Want
545 – Mechanics of Your Wheel
568 – Cast On and Bind Off for Knitting Lace
612 – Blending Board: Basics and More!
851 – Variations of the Long Draw
Amy has degrees in modern dance, kinesiology, and physiology. Her art and science backgrounds give her a keen understanding of learning and analyzing movement skills, composition, pattern recognition, and systematic exploration. She translates that understanding into practical approaches to spinning and knitting techniques. She teaches spinning and knitting at venues across the country and is well known for her animated and engaging teaching style. Amy has numerous articles published in Spin Off, and PLY Magazine; and she has also published in Interweave Knits, and Handwoven. You can find out more about her work on her website, www.stonesockfibers.com.
Elizabeth Whitton – Ann Arbor, MI
569 – Beginner Sculpting with Wool – Needle Felted Succulents
646 – Beginner Painting with Wool – Grazing Sheep Landscape
Elizabeth Whitton is a ‘mom-preneur’ who turned her love of wool into a thriving needle felting business called Felted Sky. A self-taught needle felter, she has a knack for designing beautiful small projects that can be easily taught. Felted Sky’s line of kits and supplies can now be found online and in 100 shops across the US and Canada. Elizabeth enjoys teaching needle felting because it is a fiber art that is great for stress-relief and sparking creativity and joy.
Emily Wohlscheid - Battle Creek, MI
413 – Fiber Reactive: Dual Purpose Dyes
613 – Unconventional Plying Techniques
Emily Wohlscheid is the artist behind Bricolage Studios. She creates unique supplies for fiber artists with a main focus on hand processing and dyeing locally sourced materials, when possible. Her jewelry is designed with the fiber enthusiast in mind, utilizing fiber and handspun wire core yarn and/or fiber themes in her small production and one-of-a-kind works. Emily also creates tools for fiber artists including WPI gauges, stitch markers, dizzes, and more!
Proposals submitted after February 1 will be held for consideration for the following year's classes.
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