Welcome back to the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte, (Ontario, Canada),  today is the big day of the vernissage!

You have seen glimpses of the show as we were setting up, (2024, Set up for 75th Anaversery exhibition at the ALmonteTextile Museum October 16, 2024), but let’s have a quick look around before anyone arrives, a private tour for you! Don’t forget to bring your glass of wine and nibblies, so you can join the Vernissage after our tour!!

6.1) at the top of the stairs, our exhibit is to the left

As you come up the stairs to the second floor, the permanent Museum exhibit is to the Right but if you turn Left you will be in the temporarily exhibit space and our local guilds show.

As I said before there are examples of weaving, spinning, basketry and felting. I will try to show you the big picture of the exhibit, as well as close ups of some of the pieces so you can appreciate the work.

6.3) Two swags and panel #1

As you come through the door at the top of the stairs you will see the two long woven pieces and panel #1 which has a large weaving of the ocean and a lap blanket.

Close ups:

6.4) Diane Dillon, Saori Runner, Handwoven Mixed fibres

We Lost Diane, unexpectedly, this summer. She had recently, in the past year, purchased a beautiful Saori loom and was having a blast weaving on it. You will see her hand woven top later in the exhibit.

6.5) Bernadette Quade, Banquet Table Runner, 2024  Recycled rag rug weaving cotton Warp and Cotton Rag Weft

6.6) Panel 1; Jaws and blanket

6.7) (Mandy) Marianne Heggttveit,  Jaws, 1980 8-shaft satin weave Linen.

Mandy used multiple strands of different colours to create this woven fabric. There are many sublet changes in colour giving the ocean it incoming waves.

6.8) OVWSG Members, Handwoven Plaid Blanket, Handweaving Wool.

This lap blanket has been fulled to a lovely fuzzy nap.

7.1) Panel 2;  Colour gamp, novelty Yarn, tapestry, Felt tulips

Panel 2 has the first of the felted items in the exhibition, as well as the only examples of spinning that were submitted.

Close ups:

7.2) Ann Sunahara Diamonds, 2019 Twill Gamp Cotton warp and weft

A Gamp is a way to sample various threading, treadling and colour options.  There is a coverlet, that is actually a gamp, later in the exhibit too.

7.3) Molly Underhill, Vase of Tulips 2019 Wet felt, Needle Felt, Embroidery,  Merino, silk and embroidery floss

This is the first felt item you have seen in the exhibition! Molly has done a rather 3D picture, look at those fluffy tulips. She used a shadow box to frame her still life.

7.4) Laine Thiry-Smith Fruit of the Loom: not your Underwear!, 2017

This is one of the 12×12 squares from the guilds exhibition celebrating Canada’s 150^th anniversary.

7.5) Merilyn Mulligan Hand Spun Novelty yarn 2024 wool (Pollworth Fleece) Plied with silk

7.6) Merilyn Mulligan Hand Spun Novelty yarn 2024 wool (Rideau Arcott Fleece) spun with scraps of yarn

8.1) Black display case

Closw ups:

 8.21-8.22) Ann McElroy, Shepherds’ Spring Farm Ceremonial Helmet, 2014 Wet Felting Sheep’s Wool (Coriedale and Wensleydale)

This is the second felting we have seen.  We had a little trouble with Ann’s foam support head, the hole in the neck had enlarged over time, and now enjoyed leaping off her stump and plummeting to the table. This could have been very disconcerting for visitors. Ann suggested “add a nail”. We added two to the perch and she now sits happily again.

8.31-8.32) Janet Whittam Swept Away. 2023 Rib Basketry Rattan, Mylar Fragment, Skate egg Cases, Wool roving, and verginia Creeper

Janet is a long time weaving, if you look back through some of the shopping posts I’ve done, you will see her booth filled with Handwoven tops and Ponchos, rag rugs and fabulous baskets. She gives a workshop on how to make the baskets which involves a walk to collect some of the materials. I have fond memories of dragging wild grape vine out of trees along the country road.

8.41-8.42 ) Nancy Ingram Polka Dot Bird, 2000’s bent wire and needle felting Mized media-wire, wool and wood base with stone accents

Nancy is a Weaver and Felter. I love her use of exposed wire-work, it is so delicate but suggestive of the feature it is representing. You will see one of her Theo Mormon technique transparency tapestries a bit later in the show. Some of her other tapestries were much bigger. If you are curious, I can try to find a picture of some of them.

8.51-8.52) Janet Whittan Untitled, 2024 Rib Basketry Grapevine, cordage, rattan and antler

This is Another example of Janet’s Found Object baskets, this time including antler! I should have taken the picture before it went into the display case, the glass is obscuring the details. You may also have seen this in the shopping at Spencerville earlier this summer. (https://i0.wp.com/feltingandfiberstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/3.2-1.jpg?fit=450%2C600&ssl=1)

While I berate myself for my bad photo choices let’s move on to the next panel.

9.1) Panel 4 Scarves

Close ups:

 9.2) Carmen Deschenes Fall Burnt Orange, 2018 Shibori weaving, hand Dyed  Raw silk.

Carmen has used woven shabori to create this crinkled textural scarf. Extra threads are used as the fabric is woven, then tied to create the wrinkles. The fabric is then steamed to set the texture. The crimp can be increased by using fibers with differential shrinkage as are used in Nuno felt.

9.3 Linda Perrier, Scarf X’s and O’s (Original Pattern by Elizabeth Hill), 2022, Defected Double Weave, Hand dyed silk by Natalie Shumovski  

9.4 I think this may be Mandy’s but cant find it in the list.

9.5  this one may also be Mandy’s when I find out more I will add the info.

There will be an exhibit of diamonds at the Guild sale Nov. 2-3rd. these may have been sent to the wrong exhibition, Liane is checking about that and i will update if the display gets changed.

 10.1) White shawl

10.2-10.3) Elizabeth Watt, Christening Shawl, 1995 2-Ply Hand Spun Knitting, Shetland Wool

11.1) Panel 4  – Nuno Felt

 11.2-11.3)   Diane Dillon (In Memoriam) Nuno Wrap, 2018-2020, Nuno Felting, Wool, Cotton, and silk

another example of Felting, this is a large shawl created with Nuno felt. even as we were setting up it was getting a lot of interest.

12.1)  Panel 5 Hanging, felt, felt and scarf

12-2) Carole Leroux, Falling in Love/ Tomber eh Amour, 2023, Plain Weave with Inlay of overshot, 8/2 Cotton.

12.3)  Liane Thiry-Smith, Walleye/Dore: Sander vitreous, 2017, Dyeing, Weaving, Needle Felting, Wool and Lichen.

Here we have 2 more felted items in the show, the background of the fish is woven. the Sylph is very delicate and has nice use of different fibers to give different effects.

12.4) Liane Thiry-Smith, Sylph/ La Sylphide, 2017, Wet Felting, Nuno Felting, Needle Felting, Stitching, Wool, Silk, Mohair, Cotton, Cheesecloth, and threads.

12.5  Judith Rygiel, Shawlette. 2020 8 shaft Twill, Silk

13.1) Blue Shawl

13.2-13.3)  Judy Kavanagh, Blue Shawl, 2020, Handspun yarn Hand knitted, wool.

14.1) Panel 6  Rug hanging sun flower computer inspiers wire weacing

14.21-14.22)  Catgerube MacFabe  Rag Rug, 2024, Woven on a 4-shaft loom (after Tom Knisely’s weaving rag rugs) Brassard Cotton (warp) and Repurposed cotton cloth (weft)

14.3) Nancy Ingram, Three Sunflowers, 1990’s, Transparent Tapestry Inlay, Warp-line Linen, Weft-Tow Linen, Glass and frame.

Many years ago in a former life i showed Nancy how to frame between 2 sheets of glass to show off both sides of her transparency tapestrys. if i remember correctly i used trunbucles to secure the glass to the frame. i would like to take a quick peek at the end of the exhibit to refresh my memory! it realy was a very long time ago.

14.4-14.6) Sylvie Faucher, Computext Board, 2022, Rep Weave, Linen, Cotton, Copper Wire, and Metallic Thread

15.1) Wooden display cabinet  DNA, Ice dragon and friend, Sheperdess and sheep, Woven mini blanket

15.2) (DNA weaving), Sylvie Faucher, Double-Twisted Strands, 2022, Deflected Double-weave, Cotton

15.31-15.32) Jan Scott, Ice Dragon, 2021, Needle Felting 3-D sculpture with full armature, Wool (Shetland, Mixed wool with Silk) armature in steel floral wire, and seed beads for eyes. (Visiting Sheep by Ann McElroy, Wool)

you may recognize this little felted guy and his purple friend.  the Ice dragon and his frosty breath are from the collection of Glenn Martin. i will tell Dragon he cant take his little sheepy friend home at the end of the show!

15.41-15.43 Ann McElroy, Dyed in the Wool, 2024,  wet and needle felt, Sheep’s wool (Various Breeds)

This may look amazingly familiar….. as if you saw it maybe yesterday…. those sheep you cant get them out of your head…. don’t try to count them, its never good to face plant your keyboard! (ok its getting late in my working on this blog, this one took a long time trying to match names to pieces some being very trickily not on the list after i went through it multiple times. i hope i don’t get too strange as the hours gets later, and there are more photos to add!) OH! I had not noticed but if you look at 15.41 you may notice an odd ethereal presents behind the sheep, no wonder they are staying close to the shepherdess!

15.5)  Jean Sharp, Hudson’s Bay Mini , 2017, Frame Loom Weaving, Wool

this is another of the pieces from the 150th show, it was so amazingly Canadian!

16.1-16.3) Guild Tapestry project

Guild members project, you have seen this a few times in the blog posts, we have representations of quite a few of the fiber arts in the squares, Felting is well represented!

17.1) Panel / wall #7  Wire weaving

17.2) Sayword Johnson, Presomnial No. 12, 2021 Handweaving, Copper wire, Green Patina, and Embroidery on linen canvas.

Sayword weaves with Copper wire in Warp and Weft.  she then adds patinas to react with the copper and finally adds embroidery to finish the piece. some of her pieces are quite large, others are free standing and some are small and delicate. the Guild was very lucky to have her teach copper weaving, hopefully she will do another workshop in the future.

18) Slide show and guest book, and small landscape in the background

 This is the slide show I updated for the guild anniversary party.  There are over 900 slides so if you want to take a brake and watch them, we can wait, but i wont inflict them all upon you, if you only want to paws a moment. There are still a few more things to check out in the exhibit before the Vernissage officially gets started. Why don’t you take a seat in my walker (it is quite comfy) while you check out the slide that is showing, and then you can sneak downstairs and top up your glass of wine.

We have still to see one more woven piece on this wall then 3 items on the end wall, the Quilt stand and plinth, and then we have to look up and see the Mer’s.  I am sure you caught brief glimpses of them having fun in the background of a few of the exhibition shots. Since we are on page 21 of this blog post, there may be validity in the rumors I am verbose, let’s give you a rest,  you can enjoy the slide that’s up, (i can add more if you want, no, that’s not a threat!) and we will finish the exhibit and crash the Vernissage next week? (it will let you do that sneaking downstairs from more wine!)

Have fun and keep felting (but after the wine wares off!! those needle are sharp and the wet felters you don’t want to drop your bar of Olive oil soap, then slip on it!! the floor is always lying and is probably also wet.)