Meet the Team - Nancy

After 33 years in banking in Auckland, London, Wellington and Fiji, we moved to Blenheim in 1999. While in Fiji we purchased our first three alpacas and had them agisted in Canterbury. Our first male born (Inca Sun) was the 1999 Royal Show Supreme Champion. Last year “Felix” was the Nelson Show Supreme Champion. We opened our B&B operations in January 2001.

Once the alpacas were shorn I had this dilemma about what to do with the bags of fibre you ended up with. I soon learnt that the fibre had to be very clean to be suitable for processing for the “craft industry”. To learn more, I joined the Marlborough Creative Fibre Guild. After about six months there was an AGM and lo and behold I ended up Treasurer! Currently I hold the position of Secretary of Marlborough Guild and Treasurer of the Nelson/Marlborough Area. Taking up spinning was a great challenge for me although I had knitted and embroidered from an early age and enjoyed sewing and other craft related hobbies. Now I also dabble a bit in felting, although I consider myself a lazy felter — I enjoy knitting the hat and then felting in the washing machine!!!

Nancy at Thames Festival. I am wearing one of my hand knitted cable alpaca wraps and one of my ‘lazy felted’ hats.

I like making small things like these baby wraps, 87% Alpaca + 13% Polwarth - handspun from 100gms of fibre

Nancy and Robin on their front lawn

Robina and Goldy

Grandaughter Grace wearing a suit I knitted for her.

Nancy

Meet the Team - Jan

Prior to shifting to Blenheim about eight years ago, my craft techniques were embroidery, knitting, dressmaking and some felting. Since joining Creative Fibre in Marlborough I have expanded my interests to include inkle weaving, tapestry weaving and more felting.

I have recently been Area Delegate for Nelson-Marlborough and found many wonderful people who work hard to promote and produce beautiful fibre creations. I am now working with the Festival team to inspire, learn and be passionate about our Creative Fibres.

This picture of me was taken by Chris on Heritage Day

This is the view from my balcony overlooking the leafy suburb of Blenheim where I live.

I wanted to make a bag with lots of pockets and felting was the ideal technique.

This photo of Castle Point inspired me to embroider a miniature of the scene and later to depict it in tapestry weaving.

Jan

Meet the Team - Rose

If it’s fibre-related – I’ve done it! I grew up with sewing, knitting, crochet, tatting. In my Brownie and Girl Guide days I literally sat at the feet of an old Welsh seafarer from the sailing ship days to learn plaits, knots and splices and the great mysterious turks heads. From that time on I was hooked on interlacements of all types.

After an exploration of embroidery, I finally came to weaving, not knowing that it would take over my entire life. I do spin occasionally, and I have been known to have a knitting frenzy every few years, but weaving is my passion. I have a custom-built 8 shaft countermarch loom and have no ambition to upgrade to more shafts or computer assisted models. I’ve tried almost every technique, but fine fabrics and table linens are what I love best, and I really enjoy dabbling in braiding.

My task for the 2012 Festival is to coordinate the Exhibition.


I’m usually on the other side of the camera but Meg took this shot of me weaving a wrap with some lovely alpaca and silk yarn.

I live in Blenheim at the foot of the Wither Hills Farm Park which I can access in just a few minutes via a gate at the end of my street. My house is just out of the picture at the bottom left. The hills often look scorched and brown but now, due to abundant rain, they have greened up and there are cattle and sheep grazing.

With my loom in it, my workroom doesn’t have room to swing a camera so you see it from a distance. The plant outside the door is a wintersweet and I am looking forward to weaving on sunny winter afternoons with the perfume wafting in.

Table linens and lace weaves are high on my ‘love-to-do’ list. This was an exhibition entry in mercerised cotton. Double weave linen coasters completed the set. The fussy candle ring is tatted.

At Festival I'll be the one wearing this handwoven jacket. I'm really looking forward to seeing what other handmade garments will be walking around. What will you be wearing? Start making something now.

Rose

Meet the Team - Christine

Hi There,

My role is “Education convener” and I am really enjoying the challenge of putting together an exciting programme of “Creative Learning” for you. I think that it doesn’t matter which fibre or technique you are skilled at or interested in, you need to be inspired and be enthusiastic about what you do. I hope that after you have been to Festival 2012 in Blenheim you will go home really motivated to HAVE A GO.

Felting is my passion, but I also spin and sew. I just love the endless possibilities of felt. I make garments, scarves, hats, slippers, and more recently sculptural and wall pieces.

I have lived in Marlborough for nearly 40 years, and find that it is a great place.
I enjoy boating in the Marlborough Sounds, skiing at the Rainbow Skifield, walking in the Nelson Lakes National Park, and wine and food from this beautiful area.
Bob my husband is very supportive of what I do, and over the last 5 years we have increased our family with 6 grandchildren. They are great, and play a big part in my life, and all have had a go at felting!

Me and Isla my youngest grandchild.

Various sculptures

The felting group laying out a rug: I am the one on the right in pink.

Didn't have a photo of Blenheim but hey St Arnaud is only one hour away, and all visitors should go there. Where we have a bach, and I do a lot of my "playing" and get inspiration.

I look forward to meeting you next year.

Christine x

Meet the Team - Chris

I am Chris Beech, Secretary for the Festival 2012 team. I have worked with Joan in the past, as Area Secretary when she was Delegate for Nelson/Marlborough, and as Deputy Editor for Creative Fibre magazine when Joan was Editor.

I am an enthusiastic weaver and sometime spinner, with special affection for my 4 shaft Fred’s Shed loom and Ashford jumbo spinning wheel. I have exhibited widely at local, Area and National levels.

I dabble in all aspects of weaving, from floor rugs and throws, scarves and wraps, to table linens and runners. I do have occasional forays into art weaving, but consider technique my strength rather than design.

Weaving has always been in conjunction with my active farming career: dairy [7 years], high country merino [29 years] and, more recently, a small hillside vineyard near Blenheim. Other addictions are tramping, alpine botany and single malts.

Autumn in the Beech Block vineyard

Wool/mohair throw rugs. I enjoy weaving these as there are so many variations possible with weave technique and colour

This says it all, really

Chris

Meet the Team - Joan

My role as Festival coordinator is to have a broad over-view of the whole event. This means making sure there are no loose threads in the net that can unravel.

I am passionate about textiles in all forms. I was a production weaver for many years and have exhibited widely, though mostly in Australia. I am proficient in many disciplines, spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, felting and basketmaking.

Since returning to New Zealand in 1980 I have been very involved in Creative Fibre, serving as Nelson/Marlborough delegate and then National President at the turn of the century. It was a challenge, but a very worthy one, to widen the scope of the NZSWWS Inc to include a wider range of disciplines. We should cherish the old but embrace the new.

My vision for the Festival is that we can deliver on our aim ‘to interest, educate and inspire’. We are lucky to have a very good team working to make sure this happens and that we all (registrants, visitors and workers) will have fun too.

This is me raising a glass to Creative Fibre Festival 2012 wearing a handspun, handwoven suit ’35 years old’.

I live on a sheep/beef farm 30 km west of Blenheim. A view from the hill above my house, looking over our house, the vineyards across the highway, the Wairau river to the Richmond range with Mt. Fishtail. This also shows another special love of mine – trees.

The walls of my office/workroom contains many ‘treasures’ collected over the years. Inspiration is everywhere.

Three hand-dyed merino scarves. From left: handspun silk with S and Z spun merino woven in a twill, ikat dyed woven in tabby, felted with silk.

Joan

Remembering Thames

Wasn't this wonderful? Could this be a taste of what is to come next year?

Joan

Fascinator

Our Creative Fibre Festival 2012 team entered the Action Competition felting section at Thames Creative Fibre Festival 2011 last week. The aim of the Action Competitions was to promote creativity, originality and technical excellence.

The Marlborough team of 4 had to produce an item of jewellery or a fashion accessory within a 1 1/2 - 2 hour time frame. Their creation was a winner: a felted necklace/scarf and flower brooch, with the elements also able to be combined as a hairpiece/fascinator.

Chris / Nancy

Nice to See You All!

Did you spot us in Thames?

Joan

Jan

and Christine

Nancy

Have a Look at Marlborough

Destination Marlborough posted this video recently on their Facebook page. 

Rose