Fall 2019 Workshops
The October workshops with Scottish felt artist Moy Mackay are full. Watch for upcoming workshops with other instructors to be posted later this fall.
Volunteer for Demos Sept. 5, 6, 7 at CreativFestival West
CreativFestival West is coming up Sept. 6 & 7 (plus Sept. 5 set-up) at Millennium Place in Sherwood Park. FFAA will again have a booth for FFAA member groups to promote their guilds’ upcoming workshops and other activities. This event has been shown in the past to be an effective way to promote guild activities and has resulted in new guild members and higher workshop registrations. Member guilds are encouraged to prepare promotional materials for their guild’s activities, and to remind members about the opportunity to volunteer in the booth.
Sign up online for a shift at the FFAA booth. (You will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on the SignUp.com website. This sign up service does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact Deborah Giles and she will sign you up manually.)
There are a few ways members can volunteer: offering the loan of handmade items for display; gathering handmade items to bring for set-up, setting up the booth and display; demonstrating a technique; hostessing; tearing down the booth, and; returning display items to their guilds’ members.
The volunteer shifts last just three hours, plus volunteering gets you into the show. Bonus!
We encourage as many as possible to sign up before the end of June as these “early sign-up” demo topics, along with the presenting guild, will appear in the printed CreativFestival program, resulting in a little extra exposure for those guilds.
Note that the sign up link will remain open until just before the show to accommodate those who don’t know their schedule that far in advance.
The booth will have three tables with two spaces at each table for demos. Volunteering to demonstrate what you do is a simple commitment to sit at a table doing your needlework or artwork, telling visitors about your work and your guild, and handing out promotional materials. Hostessing involves directing visitors to demos and displays and handing out promotional materials for all participating guilds. We will be promoting only FFAA member guilds as they have paid membership fee and are entitled to this representation; promoting additional groups is unfair to member groups.
Please note that we will not have electricity in the booth. We encourage quilters to bring hand stitching tasks such as hand piecing, English paper piecing, hand appliqué, sewing on a binding, label or hanging sleeve; in the past we have had quilters demonstrating painting on fabric.
Regardless of the technique, visitors to the booth will be interested in looking at any quilt you are working on and will ask questions, which is our goal! For more information contact Deborah Giles.
Volunteer Hours Submission Form
FFAA tracks the number of hours that volunteers contribute to fibre art activities as part of the reporting requirement for AGCL. Please report all your fibre art related activities that are not already reported elsewhere. Activities could include helping with a booth to promote fibre art at a trade/art show, sharing tips and techniques with youth or senior or other groups, speaking to groups. Use the online FFAA Volunteer Hours Submission Form.
Upcoming Meetings
FFAA Executive meeting – August 23, 2019, 2-4 pm. Location TBA.
FFAA General + Special Meeting to vote on Bylaws – September 15, 2019.
FFAA Board meeting – October 27, 2019
FFAA Executive meeting – November 24, 2019
FFAA General meeting + Christmas Potluck – December 8, 2019
FFAA Executive (12:00pm) and Board meeting (2-4 pm) – January 19, 2020
FFAA AGM – February 23, 2020
Member Guild Meeting Dates & Times
Member Guild Upcoming Events
Armchair Traveller: Stitching the World sponsored by the Edmonton Needlecraft Guild. Exhibition runs June 25 – August 27, 2019 at Enterprise Square, 10230 Jasper Ave.Edmonton AB.
Leduc Quilt Show on October 18 & 19, 2019 – co-sponsored by Black Gold Quilt Patch Guild and the Edmonton Modern Quilt Guild.
Notice Board
The Ukrainian Women’s Association in Smoky Lake is looking for someone who works with flax, processing flax stems into fibre, and working with linen. Contact Noreen Easterbrook.
Artisan Sales Opportunities
- The Royal Alberta Museum is looking for Alberta-based artisans and designers who are interested in having their products showcased at the Royal Alberta Museum’s gift shop in their new home in downtown Edmonton.
- The Alberta Branded retail store at the Alberta Legislature Visitor Centre showcases a selection of handcrafted works by Alberta artists. Artisans are selected through an annual juried artist showcase that features distinctive pieces curated to represent a specific theme. For additional information or inquiries phone 780.422.3982.