Let’s return to the Glebe Community Centre, in South Central Ottawa, Eastern Ontario, (Canada). We have checked out the vendors, the demo team and the make and take table; let’s go see the 2025 Exhibition.

The 2025 exhibition theme is “Gathered Threads: Made in Canada”. We were showing work by guild members, with Canadian-supplied materials, most were also on Canadian themes.

8.0-8.1) Setting up the Exhibition on Friday night, again a blur of activity

Last year, we had shoppers unsure if the exhibition was a booth or an exhibit (there were signs, but they were small). This year, Ann and her team decided to get a stand-up banner for the Exhibition. It was to be as neutral as possible, so we could use it for many exhibitions to come.

8.2) The new banner for the exhibition that can be reused for future years

8.3-8.5) Let’s join the people who are already looking at the exhibition

8.6) The crowd of people looking at the exhibition is getting bigger.

There is a lot of interest in the Exhibition, let us see if we can sneak past and get a better view?

 8.7) A quick shot of the Exhibition before we opened

As you can see, the display was divided into 3 sections: Left Grids, front and back, Centre Table and wall, and Right Grids; Front and Back. The pieces represent a cross-section of the guild. Showing the scope of expertise, from those who have just started their fibre arts fun, to those who have been enjoying fibre and yarn for many years. The Exhibition also shows part of the breadth of interests in the guild, Spinning, Knitting or Crocheted with Handspun, Felting, and various types of weaving from tapestry, colour gamps, to complex weave structures. We have examples of individual projects as well as Guild projects.

While there is a break in the viewers, let’s take a closer look, starting on the Left. Since it’s hard to read the tags in the photos, I have typed out all I could read.  The yellow tags indicated the guild has workshops on that technique.

Left Front Grids:

9.0) Left front grids.

9.1) Wild Weaving By Liane.  “maple stems, thistles, anemone, False indigo, pearly everlasting and evening primrose are all native to Ontario. Only the dandelion and Curly Havel are not.”

9.2) Fall Foliage by Marie-France. “Rusted materials collected while hiking in Kanata. Rusted Techniques were learned from Maiwa in Vancouver.”

9.3) Woven Basket by Molly.  100% Canadian Dorset Wool, Embroidery Floss sourced locally, a weathered Branch from the woods.

9.4) Blue Handwoven tapestry (Sorry, cannot read tag)

9.6) Foraged Fairy Baskets, by Liane “All materials were grown and or Gathered locally “  There will be a workshop on making these through the guild.

9.7) From Above, by Nicole  “A view from above looking down at the Canadian Landscape using materials sourced from multiple Canadian provinces flown over by the artist.”

9.8) Reflections: Morning sky on water by Moira. “This piece stems from my love of dying and weaving with silk and the beautiful colours reflected in Lac Tenpenny in Val-des-Monts, Quebec. This Calm little lake reflects the sky, Sun and Surrounding Forest as the day progresses: it is ever changing”.

9.9) Scarf in Fall Colours, by Bernadette. “Canadian breed Fleece”.

9.10) Summer at King Mountain, by Barbara (description out of focus). This tapestry will be taught as a workshop.

9.11) Maureen’s Vacation 2024, by Jan “guild Member spinning on Canadian guild wheel at Gros Morne Historic Park”

9.12) Crab, By Nicole. This piece is intended to convey the beauty and decay of our Oceans. Using all Canadian-sourced fibres combined with two mass-produced Dollerama Halloween decorations, the crab shows the interplay between our supply lines and sea life.”

9.13)  Jellyfish, by Nicole.  “Jellyfish Found off the coasts of Canada created with Canadian sourced fibres”.

9.14) Mr. Mer by Jan. “Mr. Mer is a Mer-man or Fish-Person. I started with a YouTube Felt-along (Saraphina Fibrr Arts) for inspiration, but went way off in another direction. I have made a family of Mer-People with family pets. Each is a unique fish. Mr. Mer is based on a Northern Pike, which I saw frequently at my parents’ cottage just outside of Perth, Ontario.” (Mrs. Mer was canoodling with her husband in the project bag, and seems to have snuck into the exhibition. She has Canadian wool and hair from Olive Sparrow and other Canadian suppliers, like her husband. You can see her in the photo at the top of this section.)

Left Back Grids:

10.0) The back of the left grid panels:

10.1) Triangular Shawl, by Francesca and Jean, owned by Ann S. “Front panel woven separately, and the back was created by weaving the warp of one panel as the weft of the second strand by strand. The piece was designed by Francesca Overend, and woven by Jean Down, both of Ottawa. The materials were provided by an Ottawa shop, and is owned by a Canadian.”

10.2) Garden and Field Shawl, by Amanda. “Shawl made with yarn spun from fleeces of various sheep belonging to people I know, and dyed with a variety of plants from the garden or gathered locally. Crochet pattern from a 1970s McCall’s Magazine.”

10.3) Snowflake Scarf, by Kanika. “Quebec Yarn, woven on a Quebec 8 Shaft loom, Canadian Weaver, Glass beads from Canada Bead Supply. The scarf is meant to represent snowflakes, which is very Canadian”

10.4) (upper Right) Shawl, by Ann S. “One of two shawls woven for the wedding of a Canadian by her Canadian Aunt. She had a choice of blue or burgundy and chose the blue. Hence, I kept the burgundy.”

(on Lower Right) Winter Landscape fence with owl, by Jan. “From a Picture of a winter scene found on the internet of a field south of Ottawa. I added the owl.” I teach for the guild, a needle felted landscape workshop.

(On Left) Handspun Eva Shawl, by Carlene. “Local fibre made into a shawl.”

10.5) (On Left) 75^th Anniversary Moose Bag (Glenn’s), by Jan.  “This is a Canadian Moose, it was made with fibre from a Canadian Supplier.”

(On Right) 75^th Anniversary Moose Bag (Jan’s), by Jan. “This is a Canadian Moose, it was made with fibre from a Canadian Supplier.”

10.6) Quilted Jacket, by Maureen. “ Quilted Jacket with Homespun Canadian wool arms and edging.”

10.7) 75^th Anniversary Moose Bag Landscape, by Jan. “The theme (of the bag) is a Canadian skein winder (Moose), fibre purchased from a Canadian vendor.”

Centre table and wall:

11.0) Centre Display

11.1) Fireside Blanket, by Karin. “Blanket was woven Double Width, from Canadian wool from a Company, Briggs and Little, 2ply 100% wool. The Red and Orange wool for the warp were hand dyed by Karin Hendriksen. The black for the warp and weft were factory dyed. The colours remind me of sitting wrapped in the blanket by the fireside, reading a book and sipping hot chocolate.”

11.2) Poppies Remember, by Barbara. “Made at one of the guild’s Workshops with Wendo van Esen”

11.3) Lighthouse with Flowers, by Ann.  “A lighthouse is iconic from coast to coast, appearing not only on both coasts but on so many lakes between them.”

11.4) Northern Lights, by Ann M. “Northern Lights are an iconic symbol of Canada.”

 11.5) Heavy Heart, by Nicole.  “Combining fibres from artisans across Canada. The Sculpture brings together the people and places of Canada. And when displayed on a scale as intended, suggests the surprising weight of our collective awareness—the lightest fibres gaining weight and strength when combined.”

11.6) The guild group project, the Parliament Buildings, in various fibre arts techniques.

 11.7) Polar Pixies, by Paula. “This piece was made in Canada from Canadian wool processed to roving at a Canadian mill. The yarn was handspun and knitted by a Canadian, too!”

 (under the polar Pixies) Nova Scotian Shawl by Jean. “The yarn was dyed with plants collected in the Nova Scotian countryside using yarn from  New Brunswick and handspun sheep’s fleece from the Annapolis Valley. The Shawl was woven in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

11.8) Summer Table Runner, by Karin. “The summer colours of this table runner, woven with Canadian made Orlec from Leclerc, was influenced by the colours of my perennial garden.”

Right Front Grids:

12.0) The Right Front grids,

12.1) Remembrance, by Carlene.  “The red and black design reminds me of both poppies (remembrance Day) and the Red Dress Project, which seeks to remember the Indigenous Women who have gone missing.”

12.2) (On Right) Canadian Muskox, by Jan. “The Canadian Muskox is a source of one of the most expensive fibres on the planet. We have Canadian Muskox in both the eastern and western Arctic. I made this for the Canadian 150^th anniversary art show. Using Canadian alpaca for the top coat.”

(On Left) Canadian Linen Cloth, by Lisa. “Since taking up weaving, I’ve learned a lot more about textile supply chains, and about how little we still produce in Canada. The rustic weft of this piece is from Taproot Fibre, who are trying to revive Canadian Linen production and produce a small quantity of Nova Scotia grown and spun linen and are, to my knowledge, the only producers of machine spun Canadian grown linen. This piece turned out looser than I wanted it, but it makes a great wrap for fresh bread!”

12.3) OVWSG Sheep to Shawl 2025, by the sheep to shawl team 2025. “Vibrant, glow-in-the-dark shawl produced for the Almonte Fibre Fest Sheep to Shawl Competition by October (Toby) Anderson, Jay Perry, Heather Farrar, and Olivia” (I think this was the first sheep to shawl for all participants; this shawl won Second place!)

12.4) Diamond Jubilee by Ann S. “This piece is a diamond made of 22 columns and 22 rows of twill weaves, creating 284 diamonds to commemorate the 75^th anniversary of the OVWSG.”

 12.5) Aurora Borealis Skeins, by Bernadette. “Fibre sourced from a Canadian hand dyer.”

12.6) (Left) Zita’s Yarn, by Wendy.  Made from a blend of our dog’s fur, locally raised border lester sheep’s wool and Cotswold hand-dyed by Bernadette Quaide, this skein of yarn was inspired by the Guild’s Summer Fibre Poker Challenge.

(Right) Home Spun Skeins by Maureen. “Hand-spun from Canadian Sourced wool.”

12.7) Scarf by Marianne Heggtveit, owned by Ann.S. “The Weaver, Marianne Heggtveit, is a proud Canadian of Austrian ancestry. She is also proud that Tencel-which is derived from wood pulp, was developed in Austria.”

12.8) Aubergine, by Carlene. “I wove this piece between June 30 and July 7^th 2024, and it was part of my Celebration of Canada Day Holiday time. This piece is a study of the colour purple with many shades and textures incorporated into the work.”

12.9) (Framed on Right) On the Prowl, by Marie-France. “I live in the Countryside, and foxes are regular daily visitors all year round. This artwork is based on a photograph I took on my property in Val-due-Monte, QC. I love the 4 seasons in Canada, but Autumn is the one that inspires me the most.”

(Top Left Yarn) Handspun Yarn – 4 skeins, by MJ. “1 skein of Bluefaced Leicester 2 ply gradient from grey to purple to blue. Peach Suffolk yarn  1 skein 3 ply, 1 skein 2 ply.  1 skein of fractal spun Dorset in various shades of Grey.”

(Centre basket with yarn) tag not visible, but looks like a natural dye on wool, but could be the natural colour.

12.10) Magical Moose Mittens, by Judy. “These Mittens are made from local Shetland wool that I bought raw and then washed and carded. The white is from a sheep called Amber from Karberry Farm. The brown started out as off white fleece from Steve Welch. I dyed it with black walnut hulls that I collected in my neighbourhood. Then spun the wool into yarn and knit the mittens using my own pattern.”

Right Back Grids: We have reached the final part of the exhibit, the back of the right side grids.

13.0) Back of Right Grids.

13.1) We Stand on Guard for Thee, by Carlene. “This piece celebrates the Ceremonial Guard and their bear Skin hats. I created this Piece in 2017 for our Guild art show.”

 13.2) Reflections: Evening sky on water by Moira. “This piece stems from my love of dying and weaving with silk and the beautiful colours reflected in Lac Tenpenny in Val-des-Monts, Quebec. This Calm little lake reflects the colours of the sky, Sun and Surrounding Forest in an ever changing tableau. This scarf highlights the colours as the water ripples in the lake and the sun begins to sink below the horizon“

13.3) Walnut Smudge Sweater, by Carlene. “Handspun and naturally dyed”

 13.4) Tied On, by Joan. “Made from Silk ribbon bought at a (quintessentially) Canadian yard sale”

13.5) Basket of tea towels

(in front)  Rosebud Trellis towel, by Kanika.  “Maurice Brassard, a Quebec company, supplied the cotton. The weaver is from Ontario, the Leclerc Fanny Loom is by a Quebec company.”

(In the back) Canada Day Tea Towels, by Wendy “..Memories of Canada Day picnics with friends and family.”

13.6) Scarf with beads, by Kanika.  (I did  not see a description.)

13.7) Socks, by Maureen. “ Hand-Spun and knitted from Canadian sourced wool.”

13.8)  2 vests and shirts, and a tapestry of foxes with fluffy tails.

(Lower Left Vest) Chiengora Wool Vest 2, by Doreen. Canadian grown, spun, woven and sewn.”

(Upper Right Vest) Chiengora Wool Vest 1, by Doreen. Canadian grown, spun, woven and sewn.”

13.9) Summer and Winter, by Deborah. “Designed and woven by the submitter, handspun yarn spun by my daughter. Inspired by the guild’s Summer Fibre Poker Challenge.”

The Exhibition Team:

It was not an easy job (there is a rumour that getting guild members to fill out a form and drop off their pieces is similar to herding cats.) Wendy and her team got us all organised and put together a very diverse exhibition. Well Done Wendy!!

14.0) Wendy was the head of the Exhibition team and did a fabulous job.

I hope you have enjoyed looking through the exhibition and the OVWSG guild sale from the last post. If you would like to make comments, and you haven’t clicked on the post already, please check the top of the post for the comment button (it is hiding up there).