Enthusiastic crafters from as far afield as Denver, Colorado, descended on a sunny Dornoch last weekend for the town’s annual Fibre Fest, now in its 16th year.
They took part in a variety of workshops and masterclasses ranging from Fair Isle knitting, felting and embroidery to appliqué, Dorset buttons and peg loom.
This year’s guest speaker was Jane Bissett, who gave a humorous talk about her life as a shepherdess and the different breeds of sheep in Glamorgan.
Jane Bissett, shepherd of the award-winning Kennixton and Cariad flocks in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, gave a talk entitled 'My Life with Shetland Sheep' at the Shetland Sheep Society's annual meeting, which took place in Dornoch last Friday.She went on to give the opening talk at Dornoch Fibre Fest 2025 on her project 'Sheep to Shawl' which detailed her personal journey to showcase the beauty of Shetland wool and bring it to a wider audience.Jane founded the 'Glamorgan Sock Project' which saw donated wool from over 50 breeds of sheep in Glamorgan hand spun and knitted into socks. She was able to take visitors to her stall through the various types of wool. Picture: Peter Wild
The Highland Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers once again gave demonstrations at the Dornoch Hub and invited people to try their hand at a range of crafts.
A number of stalls were set up in the Social Club and the West Church Hall selling yarn, materials, haberdashery and craft supplies.
Yarn, textile and craft traders set up their stalls in the Social Club and the West Church Hall (pictured here). Entry to the market was free. Picture: Peter Wild
The town’s Historylinks Museum was also used as a teaching venue, with visitors able to view an exhibition of historical costumes and some of the panels from the Spirit of the Highlands and Islands Tapestry.
Sarah Whealing, who helped organise the event and led the Fair Isle knitting workshop, said: “Dornoch Fibre Fest is truly a collaboration between crafters, tutors and vendors, and together they make it, as two of our attendees have said, an ‘unmissable event’ and ‘my favourite weekend of the year.’
There was much hilarity at the wet felt class. Picture: Peter WildParticipants in the Short Row Shaping class required only basic knitting skills. Taught by Helen Lockhart, the class was an introduction to 'short row shaping' colour work which allows knitters to achieve dramatic patterns and shapes. Picture: Peter Wild.Colour and combinations were part of the Short Row Shaping workclass, with this knitter choosing complementary shades of green. Picture: Peter Wild.People were keen to try their hand at needle punching - a textile technique in which loose fibres are formed into a cohesive fabric by repeatedly piercing and entangling them with barbed needles, creating a nonwoven material without the need for weaving or knitting. Picture: Peter WildThe knitting class is always popular. Picture: Peter WildJan Charge and Sally Wild of Dornoch Fine Shetland Wool stall sold knitting wool from their two local flocks. Picture: Peter WildParticipants in the stained glass applique masterclass were experienced sewers. The class was taught by avid crafter Christine Ryder who has designed and created pieces for private commissions including a hotel and school library in Dubai. Picture: Peter WildNo previous experience was required to take part in the 'Playful Peg Loom' masterclass which saw participants create a woven wall hanging using a variety of weaving techniques to create textures, lengths and shapes. The class was taught by Aberdeen-shire based fibre artist Stephanie Fradette, who is behind the brand Le Petit Moose which sells woven wall hangings and coastal inspired fibre art. Picture: Peter WildSarah Whealing, a long-standing committee member of Dornoch Fibre Fest, taught the Fair Isle knitting masterclass,sharing her knowlege and experience of knitting and designing Fair Isle hats. Picture: Peter WildThe Dorset Button making class was taught by Tania Ashton-Jones at Dornoch's Historylinks Museum. Tania chatted about the history of Dorset Buttons and showed participants how to use the traditional techniques of casting, slicking, laying and rounding to make the famous Crosswheel design. Picture: Peter WildStudents in the embroidery masterclass were challenged to complete embellishing a five inch circle on a nine inch square. Picture: Peter Wild
Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.
