ALPENA — The Northern Michigan Fiber Festival is bringing together artists and enthusiasts at Thunder Bay Arts Gallery this fall to showcase the region’s diverse fiber arts.
The public can meet the artists during a reception from 5-6:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at Thunder Bay Arts Gallery, 127 W Chisholm St. in Alpena.
The annual festival, held the last full weekend of September, highlights fiber artists who create through spinning, weaving, knitting, crocheting, bobbin lace, felting and rug hooking. Many begin their work with raw sheep fleece, which is skirted, washed, carded and sometimes dyed using commercial or natural dyes.
Through September and October, the festival’s artists are featured at the gallery, displaying one-of-a-kind works made from yarn and fiber.
Pieces include sweaters, shawls, hats, mittens, socks, scarves, purses, towels, blankets, slippers and a wall hanging. Most items are for sale, while some are for display only.
Artists contributing to the exhibit include Kate Goodrich-Arling, a retired U.S. Forest Service natural resources manager and felter; Diane Block, a retired CPA and former Alpena Public Schools administrator who weaves, sews and crochets; Shelia Robbins, a shepherd, spinner and knitter who owns Spruce Shadow Farms and markets her designs across Michigan; Marion Jagst, a retired special education teacher and accomplished spinner and weaver; and Connie Stafford, a retired Alpena News reporter who spins, knits and designs her own sweaters and shawls.