Fabulous Fall Fibre Fest in Awesome Amherst

My friend Gail and I are home from the Fall Fibre Fest in Amherst Nova Scotia. This was a first for both of us; we had each planned to attend last year but circumstances prevented, so we were pleased to get there this year. I feel  a connection to Amherst as my maternal grandmother was born and brought up there and my Mother was born there. My great-grandmother was a Pugsley- an old Amherst surname. As well Gail and I have a blogging friend there- Karen Neary, quilter and pattern designer extraordinaire and we were anxious to reconnect with her. I have never spent any significant time there, so was looking forward to having  a bit of a "look around"... It's a lovely little town and it was a-hoppin' with fibre enthusiasts. Gail and I were both anxious to take in as much as we could in our day and a half. We hit the ground runnin'...

First up was Mrs. Pugsley's Emporium, the headquarters of Fibre Fest, as we knew that's where we would find wildflower honey from the Neary Apiary, number one on our shopping list. (I had toast and honey for lunch yesterday- it was soooo good. I'm sure Winnie the Pooh would be envious...) Since the weather was threatening rain, we decided that the Fibre Walk would be our priority for the day. This is a self-guided walking tour in the downtown area to see the work of 17 local Fibre Artists displayed in windows and storefronts. We especially enjoyed the heirloom christening gowns by Celina White in the windows of Pugsley's Pharmacy (above), and the exquisite needlework of Mary Farrow Sinclair at Shear Impressions (left). In addition, we saw beautiful quilts, hooked rugs, felting and fur bears.

 The noonhour found us in a full house at the Tantramar Theatre for the Brown Bag Theatre performance of Knit Picker. Well  known local playwright Rev. Don Miller did it again, coming up with characters and a story that "hit the nail right on the head"... I think he must have an "in" to be able to so accurately portray the recognizable habits and quirks of  those of us who are fibre enthusiasts. I'm sure the continual laughter was because we all could see ourselves and/or our friends in those onstage. Laughter is, indeed, "good medicine"....
We ended off the afternoon by visiting our friend Karen and her very own quilt show. It was a thrill to see all of her quilts together in one space, after viewing some of them on her blog. I think her New York Beauties are my favourites. I definitely have a NYB on my "to do" list. Congrats Karen, on a lovely Show! Hope you had LOTS of visitors. At right above is "Farrago", one of my favs.
We topped off the day by meeting up with our friend Carole for dinner at the Marshlands Inn in nearby Sackville. We enjoyed a beautiful meal in elegant surroundings - a perfect end to the day. The Marshlands is one of Canada's most well known Inns. Built in 1854, and furnished with beautiful antiques it has been listed in Where To Eat In Canada for over 25 consecutive years... need I say more?
On Friday our focus was the Quilt Shows. There were two shows, both by the local Guilds and both were beautifully displayed in the sanctuaries of local churches. Of course that meant the lighting was not terribly bright, so my photos are not great exposure-wise, but I think they will give you a good idea of the wonderful variety and the many talents of the Amherst quilters. We enjoyed a leisurely perusal of both shows and chatted with a few of the local quilters.

 Our Fibre Fest experience ended with a visit to Don Miller's home for his Birdhouse Show and Sale. Yes this is the same Rev. Don Miller who writes the entertaining plays, and his wonderful humour is evident in his whimsical birdhouses as well. Even the "regular" houses were humourous, as he recycles and re-purposes many ordinary or antique items for use on the houses, but his "corkers" were just too funny! Visit his Facebook page to meet all the corkers. It's worth the visit, and I guarantee you'll chuckle as you read their stories. Each "Corker character" has their own story. He's called them corkers because their noses are corks or pegs which can be removed to turn them into a "habitable" birdhouse. Gail and I each bought a birdhouse - who could resist? Here I am with Don and my new birdhouse- it was SO hard to pick just one - there were at least 10 that I really liked...  Guess I'll have to return.... Thanks Amherst for an awesome Fibre Fest!!
EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to mention the Zonta BaZaar
on Friday! It is a marvelous shopping experience for anyone who is "into" fibre- yarns galore, knitted goods, felted items, and many other handcrafted items. Ooooh yes, WELL worth a visit...

Peace,
Linda

Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves...
for they will never cease to be amused.