SEQUIM — “Mandela.” “Frond Fray.” “Salt Spring Island Market.”
Such are the titles of three fresh fiber-art creations to go on display in the North Olympic Fiber Arts Festival, a celebration of all things handwoven, felted, knit and quilted.
The event promises a free art show to open Friday, a Saturday Fiber Arts Extravaganza with demonstrations and an art market, and Sunday workshops for artists of any level, all in downtown Sequim.
The festival, 9 years old this year, starts with the opening of “Parallel Patterns: Significant Schemes, Seams & Symbols,” a showcase of artists from across North America, at the Museum & Arts Center, aka the MAC, 175 W. Cedar St.
“Frond Fray,” for example, comes from Georgia Kennedy of Cambridge, Mass., while the “Mandela” piece is the work of Dorothy McGuiness of Everett.
Local artists are well-represented, too: “Salt Spring Island Market” comes from the hands of Sequim artist Sue Nylander, and Betty Oppenheimer has contributed a square basket of woven bark and buttons.
The free opening reception for “Parallel Patterns” is set for Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. so visitors can meet the artists and partake in refreshments. The reception coincides with the Sequim First Friday Art Walk around downtown, which has a number of other art shows in cafes and shops, also open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Extravaganza Saturday
The Fiber Arts Extravaganza, with weaving and other demonstrations and the local artists’ Fiber Arts Market, will open at 10 a.m. Saturday both inside and outside the MAC.
Admission is free again, and lots of handmade items will be for sale during the event until 3 p.m.
The festival wraps Sunday with workshops in needle-felting, tapestry weaving, spinning and more at the MAC. Fees range from $30 to $65 including materials, and participants must sign up by this Saturday.
For details about the workshops, contact organizer Amelia Garripoli at 360-582-0697 or www.askthebellwether.blogspot.com.
For information about the whole festival, visit www.FiberArtsFestival.org.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
