Fiber Day

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Fiber Day

by Maria M. Romero

Fiber Day was the brainchild of our president and the goals of the day were:a) to make known the activities of our guild;b) to promote an exchange of ideas between guilds dedicated to fibers and textile arts;c) to offer the participants the opportunity to appreciate other techniques related to textiles.

Louise G. de Tonnancour, Beaconsfield Hooking Crafters Guild President, talk to the public

Due to logistics and a lack of space, only guilds from Beaconsfield and Pointe-Claire were invited for the first edition of Fiber Day, however, eventually we extended the invitation to other groups in Westmount and Montréal.  Thus, on October 15th, 45 fiber enthusiasts met at the Beaconsfield Recreation Centre to share their passion for textile arts coming from Beaconsfield Quilters Guild, Lakeshore Stitchery Guild, Lakeshore Weavers, Montreal Knitting Guild, Westmount Quilters Guild, and the Beaconsfield Hooking Crafters Guild (BHCG).

June Weisbord and Denise Morissette

The day unfolded as follows:

 In the morning from 9 to 10, guests were greeted with coffee and sweets.
From 10 onward each guild took turns demonstrating the techniques distinctive to their art:
Annaliese Recklies from Lakeshore Weavers demonstrated various techniques on the loom.

Lakeshore Weavers

Sonya Houde from the Beaconsfield Quilters enlightened us on the history of quilting and on the diverse ways to do quilting.


Beaconsfield Quilters


Ann Silverthorne demonstrated the cutting and hand sewing of a beautiful classic pattern “Grandmother’s Floral Garden”, and then Helena Scheffer demonstrated her very impressive skills at machine quilting.
Helena Scheffer
Mary Baldwin informed us about the Westmount Quilters Guild project being carried out in conjunction with the McCord Museum. 

 Susanne Petitclerc from the Stitchery Guild demonstrated the difference in techniques between counted cross-stitch and surface embroidery.


Stitchery Guild

Barbara McKee of the Montreal Knitting Guild demonstrated how to knit on 2 or more needles.
Montreal Knitting Guild
Lois Morris from the Beaconsfield Hooking Crafters Guild spoke on the various techniques used in hooking rugs.

Beaconsfield Hooking Crafters Guild
At lunch, guests were invited to enjoy the many goodies baked by the BHCG members.

 The much anticipated “Show and Tell” was a great success.

Show and Tell
Participants showed and commented on their work. It was easy for all of us to appreciate the passion and dexterity of these artisans, as well as the excellent quality of each piece produced using different techniques of weaving (scarves, table runners, vests, handbags), embroidery (such as Japanese, cross-stitching, and pulled thread); quilts totally handmade or machine stitched in all types of designs and sizes; outstanding knitted pieces (scarves, shawls, bonnets, stockings) as well as how to spin and dye wool, then all the various techniques of rug hooking (looping, proddy, carving…).



Show and Tell
Norma Colton
Norma Colton won the door prize, a lovely bottle of Perry from the Philion Orchard in Hemmingford, QC. Several hooked coasters were drawn as consolation prizes.
Fiber Day was an enriching and very pleasant experience. A day entirely devoted to sharing, learning and appreciating fibers and fiber arts. We are all looking forward to other such days in the future.
A very big thank you to all the members of the various guilds who participated and an especially big thank you to our President, Louise, G. de Tonnancour for her enthusiasm and organization.
Should you have any thoughts you would like to share or wish to get in touch with any of the participating guilds, please refer to the list below:

We would particularly like to thank all the members of the BHCG who helped to make Fiber Day successful.




Beaconsfield Quilters Guild. 
Centennial Hall, 288 Beaconsfield Blvd.,Beaconsfield, QC

Lakeshore Creative Stitchery Guild
Centre Noel Legault, 245 Bord du Lac, Pointe-Claire, QC

Westmount Quilters Guild
Victoria Hall, 4626 Sherbrooke West, Westmount, QC
(Web site in planning stages)

Montreal Knitting Guild
Briarwood Presbyterian Church, 70 Beaconsfield Blvd., Beaconsfield, QC

Lakeshore Weavers Guild
Stewart Hall Cultural Center, 176 Lakeshore Rd., Pointe-Claire, QC

Beaconsfield Hooking Crafters Guild
Centennial Hall, 288 Beaconsfield Blvd, Beaconsfield, QC



Follow the link to see the Photo Album : Fiber Day
Photography: Marie-José Bacle


Location: Beaconsfield, QC, Canada

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