In early May, I traveled north to Edmonton to visit Gathering Threads. Formerly known as the Edmonton Fibre Frolic, the festival has expanded and grown into a larger space in the Edmonton EXPO Centre this year, making room for more vendors than ever as well as a stage that hosted local entertainment and a series of panel discussions on fibre and crafting topics.
The weekend-long event included a VIP shopping evening, a fashion show, and skill-building workshops with world-class instructors. A curated gallery showcasing local fibre artists and crafters welcomed visitors as we walked in, and there was a gathering area where crafters could visit and craft and show each other the new treasures they had just acquired.
Fibre art in the gallery.
A rare occurence: both Kate and Kim from Digits & Threads in the same place!
The marketplace boasted over fifty vendors, ranging from local favourites to businesses from as far away as Austin, Texas. Canadian dyers, fibre sellers, and fabric shops were well-represented, along with crafters selling their own handmade wares. Ceramics artists, jewelry makers, woodworkers, and even a local candy maker joined in to make this so much more than just another fibre show. And Digits & Threads was there, too!
I took the opportunity to talk to some of the vendors that brought a unique Edmonton touch to the festival.
Kalea the Luddite set out to find Alberta wool for her knitting designs and discovered how much wool was being buried or burned rather than being made into yarn. She has made it her mission to rescue that wool and turn it into unique yarns and to educate crafters about these underappreciated wools.
Maple and Rose makes unique stitch markers, knitting and spinning tools, and garment tags from wood and leather. Jenni Keller is a journeywoman cabinet maker who started Maple and Rose so she could work from home as her sons grew up, while still working with wood. She offers a wide range of designs and styles, ranging from nice to naughty and is delighted to be part of the fibre community.
Nest Embirdery (yes, you read that right, “emBIRDery”) was there for their first show ever with a variety of bird- and wildlife-themed embroidery patterns and kits. Owner Carley Pettitt is passionate about wild birds and about making crafting environmentally sustainable, so all of her materials and packaging are environmentally friendly, right down to her FSC certified embroidery hoops.
Visit the Digits & Threads Community Calendar for listings of Canadian events near you. If you’re hosting an event, please add it!
And if you’d like to cover an event for Digits & Threads, please drop Kate a note!
Qiviut, Inc. produces qiviut spinning fibre, yarn, and finished items in Nisku, Alberta, just outside of Edmonton. Tanis Simpson brings her Inuit heritage and traditional methods for processing the fine fibres from the pelts of musk ox to her modern mill, which offers tours to visitors who want to learn more about this luxurious fibre.
Two Times Infinity aims to provide a “candy shop for spinners” by offering a variety of fibres not easily found elsewhere, in small, affordable amounts. Owner Elana Goodfellow focusses on providing spinners and felt makers with fibres to that do as little harm as possible to the planet and the people who produce those fibres.
All images by Michelle Boyd.
