Speakers & Workshops

Shannon Quigley is a textile artist who designs embroidery kits. In this talk Shannon will share tips and tricks for making your own embroidery patterns. Learn about her design process and discover 7 different ways to transfer designs onto fabric so you can create your own embroidery patterns.

Spend an afternoon with Alison Hall learning how to Needle felt wool into your own special bird. Pop your charming creation into your favourite houseplant or wrap it around a curtain rod!

Make an embroidered felt ornament for Spring. Use laser cut felt leaves and flowers to design your own nature inspired ornament. Learn and practice basic embroidery stitches and then use those skills to make your ornament. Discover easy ways to do hand embroidered lettering so you can add a personalized message, name, or date to your piece. All materials will be included: needle, pre-cut felt pieces, stuffing, DMC floss, ribbon, beads and embellishments.

Both Jax and Alison are Fibre Artists that have received grants from the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund to create works of art that tell the story of life along the Grand River. A Grand Fabrication; Truth Tales and Art of a Heritage River will entertain as well as inform. This is a perfect way to learn all sorts of things about the watershed that we all share.

Join theatre designer and artist, Pat Flood for a look at the Grand River Quilt Project. This is part of a larger project celebrating the Grand River in art, storytelling, theatre and music. Over the past two years, this group has been travelling along the Grand River meeting people, organizing story circles and performing.

One of the many results of the work done so far is the Grand River Quilt. This quilt will tour length of the Grand River in August of 2025 as part of a touring performance featuring theatre and art.

This talk will introduce you to the project, the individual quilt squares, their stories and the various techniques used to create them from traditional quilting to felting, applique and more. At the end of the talk, individuals can work on ideas for their own square. Anyone who loves the Grand River can participate and all levels of ability are welcome.

Using a variety of wool colours, fibre artist and instructor Cathy Disbrow will teach you how to needle felt a 6″ x 4″ wool painting of a lush green landscape with a flock of sheep. Have a fun afternoon learning various 2-D felting techniques while stabbing wool into a felt sheet canvas with special felting needles. Great workshop for beginners and seasoned felters. – Kit included

Join Valerie as she shares her quilting journey exploring the tumbler block. The tumbler block is a versatile yet simple way to explore colour and design which got Valerie through the COVID lockdown. It was such a fun project for her to do that she wrote a book about it; Tumbler Quilts: Just One Shape, Endless Possibilities.