Jay County Fairgrounds
806 E.Votaw St.
4-H Building
Portland, IN 47371

Quilting/English Paper Piecing  Lee Benedict
Teacher fee $30.00 / Material fee - $5.00 This is a very old quilting method with a great new way to make a quilt.  It can be made from Charms packs; scraps or selected color themes.  Make grandmothers Flower Garden or Apple Core using this method.  Have samples and free hand piecing kits to make a flower that can be made into a pincushion.  Bring needle, thread, thimble and scissors.

Needlefelt an Alpaca Hat  Carol Haughton
Teacher fee $30 / Material fee $20 which includes all of the materials needed to create a hat.Turn warm, soft natural colored alpaca fiber into a stylish hat just for you, using felting needles and a foam form.   

Mini Sock Class  Julie Davidson
Teacher fee $30 / Material fee $10 Make a tiny sock with all the features of a regular sock.  Learn how the proportions are the same and how to scale it up in size.  Turn a heel with supervision!  It’s really easy and fun.   Students bring light weight worsted yarn, 4-5 double pointed needles of a good size for the yarn and your knitting kit. Material fee none if you, bring your own needles and yarn.   This class is for the advanced beginner, you must be able to knit and purl. 

Woven Flower  Gwen Swogger
Teacher fee $30.00 / Material fee $7.50/kit Learn to create woven flowers that you can wear as a pin or accent other garments.  You will learn how to weave a small piece of fabric and then manipulate it into the flower of your choice. We will be using wool yarn that can be left as is or filled to create a tighter woven flower.  Students bring wire nippers. You will receive a flower kit for your project. 

Spinning Clinic Karen Hainlen
Teacher fee $30 / Material fee $10 for roving
Learn how to spin or improve on the spinning you are currently doing. Bring a wheel in good working order. There will be a limited number of wheels available for those who do not have one. A Great/Walking wheel will also be available for those who would like to learn more about it.

Knitting a Scarf   Nancy Haas
Teacher fee:  $30.00 / Material fee: $25.00
This class is for beginners knitters, knowing the knit and purl stitch is a  plus. NOTE:  You may bring your own needles (10.5 size 16” round) and yarn, it must be worsted weight and a plain light color, so that the stitches can be seen easily, OR instructor can supply the kit with natural soft gray or white alpaca, and the needles for $25.00 

10 Minute Block  Lee Benedict
Teacher fee $30 / Material fee.  none
Learn to make a quilt or wall hanging using your 10 minute blocks.  Please bring sewing machine and a charm pack of 5 inch x 5 inch squares.   Each pack contains 20 squares. 
Instructor can provide the charm packs for an additional fee. 

Woven Flower Pin  Gwen Swogger
Teacher fee $30.00 / Material fee $7.50/kit
Learn to create woven flowers that you can wear as a pin or accent other garments.  You will learn how to weave a small piece of fabric and then manipulate it into the flower of your choice. We will be using wool yarn that can be left as is or filled to create a tighter woven flower.  Students bring wire nippers. You will receive a flower kit for your project. 

Small Support Spindling  Matt Mabis
Teacher Fee  $30.00 /  Material fee $8.00
The take everywhere, spin everywhere (even when laying on your couch watching TV) kind of spindle.  This type of spindling is very easy on the body.  Students in this class will learn the techniques they need to enable them to spin their own yarn.  Instructor will supply fiber and spindles.  The spindles may be purchased following the class.

Traditional Rughooking Jan Ryan
Teacher fee $30 / Material fee $25 frame available for purchase $12
Learn the art of traditional rug hooking.  You will receive a beginner kit including a hook, linen backing, hoop, handspun and hand dyed wool to make a project.  Several design choices are available.  Tables runners or a wall hanging   Projects can be framed. You may bring unfinished work for advice.

Locker Hooking Kenya Habegger
Teacher fee $30.00 /  Material fee  None
Locker hooking is an interesting technique.  We will use locker hook canvas and wool roving to make a trivet.  This is a great way to make rugs.  Just bring a locker hook and yarn to class. 

Tube Quilting  Lee Benedict
Teacher fee $30 /  Material fee: $15.00
A new method of quilting with beautiful results using 2 1/2 inch strips of fabric 44 inches long sewn together; add 4 1/4 inch fabric  44 inches long and sew together; thus you will have a tube; now cut with a regular cutting ruler and you will be amazed at what the results well be. Lots of fun needs to bring sewing machine.  May bring own fabric.

The Ancient Art of Spindling Julie Davidson
Teacher fee $30 / Material fee $6, includes roving. 
Instructor will provide spindles for use if you don’t have one. Some spindles will be available for purchase. 
You will learn the basic techniques of drop spindling and how to ply your single into usable yarn with the Andean plying bracelet. A brief history of spindles will be presented. Class is for high school age or over. Students should bring enthusiasm and patience. A spindle if you have it. 

Sheep Breeds for Fiber  Matt Mabis
Teacher fee $30 / Material fee $30, which includes 10 different samples of wool, including raw wool.
Learn about different breeds of sheep and their fiber. Many samples will be available to touch and spin. Learn how to choose wool for a project depending on its qualities. Find out what makes a good fleece by handling raw wool.  Students should bring: a spindle or wheel and materials for labeling wool samples

Quilting/English Paper Piecing  Lee Benedict
Teacher fee $30.00 /  Material fee - $5.00
This is a very old quilting method with a great new way to make a quilt.  It can be made from Charms packs; scraps or selected color themes.  Make grandmothers Flower Garden or Apple Core using this method.  Have samples and free hand piecing kits to make a flower that can be made into a pincushion.  Bring needle, thread, thimble and scissors.                

Blending Fibers for Spinning  Pennie Phares
Teacher fee $30 / Material fee $10.00
Combine fibers for spinning using hand cards and a drum carder. Explore the properties of different fibers and experiment with color blends. You will go home with many samples. Extra fiber will be available for purchase. Bring spinning wheels or spindles to spin samples. Bring hand carders and small niddy-noddys if you have them.

Circular Sock Knitting Machine  Kenya Habegger
Teacher fee $30.00 / Material fee: None
Learn the art of sock making on your sock machine.  Learn kitchener stitch to make a seamless toe.  Bring your machine and your favorite yarn!   We will have fun learning an old technique made new.   

Wool Appliqué  Alison Bowman
Teacher Fee $30 / Material fee: $10
Learn the basic techniques of wool appliqué in creating a small coin purse.  You will have three designs to choose from!. Kit includes wool floss, perle cotton & cord for purse.  Bring scissors and enjoy the day making new friends. 

Wet Felting  Kelly Dossett
Teacher fee $30 / Material fee $7 for a medium bag (includes wool of different colors, felting needle, foam pad).  Bring 2 old towels. 
Wool + water + soap + agitation = felt! An ancient art has a new look today.  Make a medium sized bag using needle felting and wet felting techniques.

Spinning Clinic  Karen Hainlen
Teacher fee $30 / Material fee $10.00 / for roving
Learn how to spin or improve on the spinning you are currently doing. Bring a wheel in good working order. There will be a limited number of wheels available for those who do not have one. A Great/Walking wheel will also be available for those who would like to learn more about it.

Navajo Spindling  Matt Mabis
Teacher fee $30 / Material fee $8
So you want to spin but can’t afford a wheel…you’ve tried drop spindles and can’t do it or it hurts your shoulders…Navajo spinning is the low impact form of spinning. It’s easy and fast and you can do it while sitting down.  You’ll learn to spin your own yarn on a type of spindle native to the Americans. 

Easy Fun Dyes  Pennie Phares
Teacher fee $30 / Material fee $10
Have fun with dyes that you can do in your kitchen. Using Kool Aid and another simple dye solution, you will produce many vibrant colors on wool and mohair.

Julie Davidson loves using a spindle for its portability and novelty. Her idea of a perfect morning is to take the goats and sheep for a leisurely walk
in the meadow and to spindle without interruptions.This interest is n spindles has led to a collection of tips and techniques to share.

Kelly Dossett learned to spin 15 years ago and enjoys spinning, felting, lock hooking and knitting, has taught classes for felting and lock hooking for four years. I work full time as a nurse and enjoy fiber arts for pleasure and relaxation, I’m married and have 11 grandchildren. I live in town and I buy fiber from friends or at fiber shows. I have enjoyed learning from wonderful teachers and enjoy, in-turn passing on the information to others. 

Kenya Habegger has been a fiber artist for 15 years and a designer for 5 years. I have been teaching for 5 years. I enjoy working with all different types of medium but enjoy items from nature the best. I love riding horses in my spare time and being with my family. I truly believe in the saying “live, laugh, love" it does great things for the soul.

Karen Hainlen has been spinning for about 20 years and has been teaching over 15 years. Karen enjoys living history re-enactments where she sells her hand spun, hand knit and hand woven garments for time period articles. She has one granddaughter who also enjoys the re-enactments with grandma. Karen is proficient at the Walking Wheel as well as Treadle Wheel and drop spindle.   Karen lives on a farm with her husband and loves her new baby Bichon Srise dog. 

Carol Haughton has been raising Alpaca’s for 10 years and working with their soft warm fiber, spinning, felting and making hats. I now teach how to make a soft felted hat with a felting needle and a form, that you can wear home after 3 hours. We use all natural colors of their fiber, and you pick the style that’s just right for you.
 
Matt Mabis, co-owner and operator of the Wooly Knob Fiber Mill, has studied fine arts at the University of Bluffton(Ohio) and University of St. Francis.  He has been working with fiber most of his life.  He presently has taught fiber arts at The University of St.Francis for the last 7 years. His focus is on the indigenous textiles of America and fiber sculpture.  He utilizes both animal and plant fiber.

Allison Bowman has been quilting since 1984 and teaching since 1999. I got into wool via rug hooking. I then discovered that it is great for appliqué on quilts and all by itself. I have won several blue ribbons at the Indiana State Fair in wool appliqué. I reside in Indianapolis, with my husband of 18 years and our 9 feline children.  

Penny  Phares is a kindergartner teacher and l lives on a farm in Northern Indiana. She has enjoyed spinning, weaving and raising sheep for 30 years. I have a wool crosses along with 5 Alpaca, 2 Lamas and Angora Bunnies. I enjoy teaching spinning and fiber blending as well as representing Swift at several fiber festivals in Indiana. 

Jan Ryan has been rug hooking for over 15 years and teaching for eight. Designing homespun yarns and then dyeing them came out of a wish to find a color and wool yardage that was just what  I wanted and affordable for me. The journey towards that end let me to some wonderful technical people who were very generous with their time. I learned to spin wool on my spinning wheels. Dye classes enabled me to produce the custom colors that I really wanted.  Hunting for wool and over dyeing my treasures enabled me to find affordable wool yardage in a country that no longer has any woolen mills. Drawing and designing the kits came naturally with my art background.  Now I feel the need to share and give back to others.  Note:  Jan Ryan is an Ohio Artist and award winning rug hooker. 

Lee Benedict better known as Lee, lives in Portland, since 2000.  Retired nurse, but still subs for the jay County Schools as a nurse and works part time for Swissland Cheese. One of my co-workers helped me with my first quilting project.  My mother is a quilter and got me involved in the “Stitch n’ Chatter Quilt Guild in 2000. I do mostly machine piecing and some appliqué. I have taught English Paper piecing which happens to be hand work.  I really enjoy this type of hand work. I have been Quilt Show chairman for the guilds annual Quilt Show for several years and I am currently the guilds president.  I love quilting and all form of fabric; this is why I am interested in the fiber fest and have been involved with the last several  years.  . 

Gwen Swogger lives outside Kendallville, IN, and coordinator of the North East Indiana Fiber Festival. Gwen  is a long time re-enactor with many fiber skills.  She likes to take her grandchildren to re-enactments for overnight camp outs. Lives on the farm with her family, sheep and poultry. She loves to work with fabric and fiber to create one of kind pieces. 

Nancy Hass lives outside Walkerton, IN and works at First Source  Bank during the day, but her passion is her Alpaca’s and other fiber- bearing critters.  She has been weaving and knitting for many years.   Ask Nancy about her annual shearing days!