Lynda Henning and Cathy Marquard, two ladies who are dear friends and help run the Guild together, are currently in their 60s and began their journey with fiber arts before the age of 10. Cathy began knitting at 8 years old and has been spinning for 40yrs. Lynda got her start by knitting Barbie doll clothes and learned from her grandmother. She continued using her skill of knitting in college where she saved money when she wanted to give gifts for baby showers. Lynda began spinning in 1999 when her kids were young, one barely crawling. She has about 25yrs of spinning experience.
Lynda expressed that their booth at the fair is a place to come, show, and share what they do with the community. She enjoys seeing curious children and spending time with friends throughout the week of the fair. Often, children have so many questions. When children show real interest, the guild will teach them how to use their equipment, and the children can really get quite good at it if you let them. Lynda wants people to know that the fiber arts craft is alive and doable.
You may make your own customized yarn by combining a mix of fibers together. Fibers such as cotton, wool, acrylics, silk, linen, alpaca, and even dog fur! Cathy and Lynda also expressed that EVERY basket you see is handmade. Think about it, that includes hot air balloon baskets. There hasn’t been any machinery developed to weave baskets.
To learn from and spend time with these ladies, you may find them at the Great Falls Weavers & Spinners Guild Est. 1957 weekly meetings. They have reasonable dues and offer equipment rentals, educational workshops, and a Fiber Arts Library. You may contact the Guild via a public Facebook group titled, “Great Falls Weavers and Spinners”.
Author: Staff
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