Foothill Fibers Guild
Your Sierra Foothills Community (and beyond) for the Fiber Arts
- Home
- Programs
Upcoming Programs
Programs 2024-25
January 28: Marcail McWilliams - Valley Oak Wool & Fiber Mill
Meet Marcail and hear the story about how she got started in the business of milling fiber. See the machines she uses and how she turns dirty fleece into pin drafted roving and even finished yarn.
Valley Oak Wool & Fiber Mill, Woodland, CA
Bio: Marcail is that from Woodland, CA. She attended college for art at CCA (California College of the Arts) in Oakland/SF where she majored in textiles. Although her classes focused on fine art, she became interested in the fibers themselves. She thought she would need to go overseas to learn about yarns and milling. Little did she know that there was an opportunity in her hometown to do that! She moved back home after college and worked for the previous owner of Valley Oak, Jane Deamer, for 7 years before taking a job at another mill in AZ, Mystic Pines Fiber Processing. During her time away, the CA mill closed down and the property was sold.
Marcail moved back to California the next summer and the land owners reached out to her and asked if she was interested in the machinery. They worked together for her to open the mill under a new name, and for her to pay off the machinery directly to them. She been successfully operating as Valley Oak Wool Mill for the past 7 years!
February 25: Gretchen Hilyard Boyce - Transylvania Beyond Dracula: The Heritage Textiles of Kalotaszeg and Maramureș
Join Gretchen as she takes us on a virtual tour through the villages of the Kalotaszeg and Maramureș areas of Transylvania (located in present day Hungary and Romania). Gretchen will present photos from a recent tour of the region with Threadwritten Textiles. Hear about the last generation of fiber artists and artisans striving to keep Transylvania’s rich craft traditions alive. Gretchen will share examples of írásos written embroidery utilized for generations to create colorful costumes and dowry pieces that are passed down through families; as well as visits with woodcarvers, spinners, weavers, potters, dancers, musicians, and other artisans. Learn about local efforts and struggles to save Transylvanian craft traditions as well as the villages and agrarian communities that sustained and supported these traditions for generations. Come take a colorful armchair trip to Transylvania with Gretchen and gain some inspiration for your next fiber project!
March 25: Siobhan Harlakenden - The Viking Age Vararfeldur
Learn the history and technique of a Viking Age cloth that mimics the look of a sheep’s pelt. Several Nordic settlements have evidence of this textile but it is Iceland that is most associated with it. Worn as a cloak and doubling as a blanket, the Vararfeldur is flexible, breathable, water repellent, and the epitome of warmth, a truly invaluable item for Northern sea faring peoples. Using this technique today we can experience those same qualities while also applying it to home decor, other personal adornments, and the best pet beds ever!
Bio: Siobhan is a fiber and sheep enthusiast with a special focus on the historical aspects of spinning and textile arts. It brings her great joy to share the threads of history with new generations in the hopes of keep these ancient arts going for all the centuries forward.
Follow ladyharlakendens_handspun on Instagram!
April 22: TBD
May 27: TBD
June 24: Potluck Picnic and Silent Auction ~ Sue F is our host