A woven tale of yarns

Fans of colourful woven goods will be in their element as Fibre Flare, the annual showcase and sale of work by members of the Peace Arch Weavers and Spinners Guild, returns to Surrey this week.

The show will be at Ocean Park Community Hall (1577 128 St.) today (Nov. 6) from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday (Nov. 7) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., bringing back a wide selection of natural fibre works from woven linens, contemporary fashion scarves and silks to heirloom pieces, blankets and rugs.

“We’re hoping to see a lot of our old customers back now that we’re ‘home’ again,” said guild past-president Ann Rabas, who noted the organization was well-known to residents from its long tenure at the Stewart Farmhouse before moving operations to the Honey Hooser room at the Surrey Museum in Cloverdale in 2005.

“We did try a couple of shows there, but we know a lot of our support is on the Peninsula,” Rabas added.

Under the presidency of Inge Langmann, the guild is flourishing with around 85 members, although male weavers – once a strong element of the organization – seem to have vanished in recent seasons, Rabas said.

“We have a very talented bunch of ladies,” she said, adding that many members create woven jewelry by card weaving, as well as a wide variety of other items from handspun wool and yarn, as well as felted pieces.

There will be a silent auction of donated fibre items, Rabas said, which will help raise money for the organization’s scholarships – including the Honey Hooser Bursary – which help members and other interested weavers and spinners in the community attend workshops and classes to upgrade their skills.

The guild also provides an educational service to the community with demonstrations at the Surrey Museum, including tapestry weaving, and also explaning the facsimile of an original 17th century Jacquard loom on display there.

“We also do a ‘Sheep To Shawl’ event every year at which we get together with other guilds and go from a wool fleece to a finished product in four hours,” Rabas said.

Donations to the guild will be accepted in lieu of an entrance fee to the show, which organizers hope will also attract new members to the guild.

For more information, call Rabas at 604-541-8634.

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