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Letter from the Editor: Fall Update
The Digits & Threads journey will be ending in December, but we have a fall season jam-packed with great stories from the world of Canadian fibre. Read more about what’s coming!
A Bullet Pulling Thread: Grief, Justice & Quilting
Canadian filmmaker Ian Daffern traces quilter Marilyn Farquhar’s journey through grief and the justice system in his latest full-length documentary film, “A Bullet Pulling Thread.”
Stitching Memories
With courage and grace, Kate Atherley shares an intimate essay about her ongoing journey through grief, and the healing power of the things we make.
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Stitching Symptoms: The Anatomical Embroidery of Lia Pas
I came to embroidery in my mid-forties after becoming disabled with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). I was a composer/performer and writer but with the overwhelming fatigue of ME/CFS I needed to find something less taxing as a creative...
Mary Anne Donovan Weaves A Sense of Home
A love of nature and a sense of home are beautifully reflected in textile designer and artist Mary Anne Donovan’s work: the warm aesthetic, the marine hues, the natural fibres, and the waterscapes that flow out of the frame. Born in Newfoundland and currently living...
Large Blanket, Small Loom: Rigid Heddle Blanket Project
Just as a knitter needs to choose the right cast-on and bind-off for a project, a weaver needs to think about the beginning and ending of their woven piece. Hemstitching is one way to secure the warp and weft threads and prevent unravelling. Find Sarah's hemstitching...
Weaving Techniques: Hemstitch Tutorial
Just as a knitter needs to choose the right cast-on and bind-off for a project, a weaver needs to think about the beginning and ending of their woven piece. Hemstitching is one way to secure the warp and weft threads and prevent unraveling.What Does Hemstitching...
A Precious Life: Preserving the Legacy of Canada’s Original Shetland Flock
Ontario Shepherdess Carole Precious is a modern-day Renaissance woman. A writer with a master’s degree in English, children’s book illustrator, watercolour and oil painter, wood and soapstone carver, calligrapher, knitter, mother, and grandmother. From a young age,...
Letter from the Editor: Fibre for the People—and the Planet
Greetings from Toronto where we are all sweaters—literally. Phew, it’s hot here! While central and western parts of the country are still holding on to their winter woollies, makers from Southern Ontario right across to St. John’s, Newfoundland, are reaching for warm...
Measuring Matters: Sleeve Measurements for a Perfect Fit
Sleeve fit is one of the most common fit issues I come across in my sweater classes. Understanding which measurements to take for sleeve fit, how to take those measurements, and how they apply to sweaters is essential to unravelling the mystery of why sleeves don’t...
The Oldest Weaving Guild in Canada: A History of the Victoria Handweavers’ and Spinners’ Guild
Craft guilds have played a vital role in their communities since the Middle Ages—providing support, resources, and instruction to members who might at best otherwise only be able to access basic skills passed down through family members. Ninety years ago, Victoria,...
How To: Tablet Weaving with a Twist
Once called the “…willful pursuit of complexity,” tablet weaving is a craft that embodies both madness and triumph. Its sumptuous range of delicious angular designs and pattern diversity remain timeless and richly diverse. No other form of band weaving bursts with...
Mike Donohue: Crochet Reimagined
As a creative child, Toronto-based visual artist Mike Donohue spent many happy hours with his grandmother, learning to crochet. With a lifelong interest in art and a background in art history, he has always created art in one form or another, but it wasn’t until life...
Common Threads: June 2024
A round-up of goings-on in fibre and textile arts and crafts across Canada.The Royal Ontario Museum will be launching a new exhibition from its permanent collection, "highlighting some of the most visually intoxicating examples of artistry, community, and...
Punch Needle for Beginners: Pattern & Tutorial
In Part One of our two-part series on punch needle, Sahm Jalbert explored the history and dynamics of this fascinating craft. In Part Two, learn how to create a small pillow decorated with a simple punch needle design.Now that you know some of the punch needle basics,...