C.J. Bloomer- A graduate of Berea College, C.J. weaves, designs textiles, dyes, repairs looms, weaves equipment baskets, and pioneers in weave structure and natural dyeing.  Occasionally, teaching a class about any of the above slips in there too.

Foundations of Dying- is a class intent on exposing students to the basics of protein fiber dyeing.  Utilizing dyes with no heavy metals that are lightfast and eco-friendly, students will learn the techniques of hand-painting and kettle dyeing.  Each student will receive a dye kit that will dye 14 lbs of fiber with 9 different colors, 4 oz Roving and 100 yards of wool yarn that they will dye in class to take home.

Thanks So Much!

-C.J. Bloomer
Fine Art and Illustration
http://www.silverwheelyarn.com/

Traci Bray- Traci grew up on the edge of the Cumberland Plateau, in Science Hill, Ky. After graduating Berea College she was inspired to learn and salvage the dying arts of the Appalachian people. An avid spinner, knitter, and weaver, she now spends her time spreading this knowledge to keep the heritage of these arts alive.

Silver Wheel Yarn is a weaving studio in downtown Lexington, KY specializing in hand woven heirloom quality textiles, delicate hand-spinning, and knitting pattern design, and education in these crafts. Utilizing antique looms, innovative equipment, and a provocative attention to detail, Silver Wheel Yarn elevates the craft of weaving into an art. Rare exotic fibers, hand-dying, and hand-spinning give the inspiration and ability to produce remarkable items of fashion and practicality.

Beginners Weaving: Rigid Heddle Loom
In this class you will learn everything you need to become a basic weaver. You will learn about the technical aspects, how to make a warp, dress a loom, and start perfecting your technique. We will also go over problems you might encounter and how to fix them. You will be weaving a sampler with wool yarn and leave with your loom warped for a cotton table-runner. The cost of this class includes instruction, handouts, wool yarn for two scarves, two cones of Maysville cotton, and a 10" rigid heddle lap loom. All you need to bring is a three ring binder, a simple calculator, and the excitement of learning.

Morning-Basic terminology, Identify the parts of the loom, winding the warp, dressing the warp (warping), loading the shuttles and basic weaving.

Afternoon - Finishing, calculating weft and warp, warping loom, solving problems, ideas for additional projects and question and answer session.

 www.campbellfarmwoolart.com

Jan Durham

Hi, I am a fiber artist who lives in Lexington KY. I grew up in the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky. As a young girl, I was exposed to countless fiber opportunities. Both my grandmothers and my mother worked magic with their hands. My sister and I were the only girls who had hand-smocked dresses that matched our dolls. I learned to appreciate things that were made by hand. I learned how to take an idea and turn it into something you could touch and others could see.

I took from them this love of handcrafting. I used to play with my hair constantly. I guess that has progressed into my passion for wool. When I sewed for others, wool was always a pleasure. I loved the way I could mold it using steam and pressure. When I started knitting, wool quickly became my favorite fiber to work with. I loved that I could twist the stitches together in a pattern of colors or shapes and make something that was appealing, even beautiful. The more I learned about wool the more my appreciation grew. It seems to have qualities that keep it alive even when sheared off the sheep.

That aliveness shows when I hand dye it, when I felt it, or when I mold it into something that does not seem possible with hair. I am amazed with the differing qualities that each breed of sheep has. Some are shiny or soft, curly or straight, coarse or smooth, light or dark, but always a possibility waiting to happen. I feel I have learned so much but that there is still so much more to know. Wool is as old as mankind and so rich with heritage. It knows no cultural boundaries and has a history throughout the world.

Contact information- kyjad@insightbb.com 

Lanette Freitag

Fiber Artist, Farmer, and Inventor.

My husband and I own and operate a cattle and fiber animal farm in the Bluegrass Region of
Central Kentucky. I worked in the corporate world, where I was employed in information
technology as a systems analyst, manager and consultant for 20 years.
I began to work with fiber when we got in to the llama and alpaca business in the 1980s and
early 1990s.

I found the characteristics of various fiber breeds to be extremely interesting and challenging.
Each breed and individual animal within a breed produced different results.
After beginning with spinning and knitting, I found felting provided the most opportunity for
creativity. I worked as a wet felter for many years, then I began to experiment with needle
felting in the late 1990s.

My husband and I developed several tools for needle felting and we saw an opportunity for a
needle-felting machine to produce felted fabric. There was not a machine available for the fiber
artist, so we set out to develop a felting machine that would provide the quality and
productivity needed for the fiber artist and crafter. This led to the development of FeltLoom® .
We received a utility patent in 2008 on a felting machine for fiber artists.

I continue to develop needle felted products and kits utilizing the fabric produced by the
Feltloom®. I work with many fiber breeds to accent the felted characteristics of the finished
product.

I am a juried fiber artist and contributing designer for Create and Decorate Magazine.
For further information, check out our websites.

www.feltloom.com and www.lanmarkfarm.com